The Theory of Abjection: Challenging the Boundaries between the Self and the Other

Fragmented Identity: The Self and the Other in Abjection

In conventional psychoanalysis, there was a clear distinction between what was considered acceptable and what was taboo, between the one who desires and what is desired. Kristeva, however, challenged this rigid separation. She suggested that the subject and the object are not just opposites, but also identities that blend and confuse each other.

This new way of thinking had a significant impact on how we understand the boundaries that separate the “self” from the “other.” By questioning the idea of a complete and intact ego identity, the theory of abjection shows that what we consider “other,” “taboo,” or “dangerous” may actually already be part of ourselves. This makes our notion of identity even more fragile than previously thought.

Body and Mind: The Tense Relationship in Abjection

Kristeva also explored the tense relationship between body and mind. She observed that certain bodily secretions and excretions cause psychological discomfort because they remind us of how close we are to what we consider “other.” The body is constantly involved in processes of abjection, expelling substances that, until recently, were part of us. These substances are essential for our survival and reproduction, but retaining them can be traumatic and even dangerous in physiological terms.

Body Orifices and the Fragility of Boundaries

Among the excretions considered “abject,” we can mention blood (which has long been the target of religious and moral taboos), tears, saliva, and sweat. The orifices of the body play a special role in this context because they are themselves “abject.” They are part of the body, but they are also an entry (or exit) point for its integrity, representing the fragility of the “self” boundaries in a way that intact skin could never do.

The substances expelled by these orifices have an especially strong abject quality. The most dramatic case is that of excrement, whose retention can literally poison the body. Semen also carries this quality, being central to reproduction, yet still surrounded by religious taboos and medical superstitions, even today. The mucous secretions from the ears and nose, in turn, represent constantly changing boundaries, being neither solid nor liquid. Pus, with its viscous and infectious nature, can also evoke similar psychological trauma by forcing a boundary through a wound in previously healthy flesh.

Abjection between Life and Death

The boundaries between life and death are also psychoanalytically abject. Birth is a moment full of fluids and excretions, with the baby itself being a kind of excretion at the moment it emerges, not yet an independent being nor an unequivocal part of the mother. Death, in turn, brings dissolution and a passage to another state of being, whether an afterlife or simple extinction. When a corpse decomposes, the observer is reminded of their own mortality and the possibility of one day becoming a source of disgust or infection to others.

Abjection in Gothic Literature: Excess of Bad Taste or Reflection of Mortality?

Abjection, therefore, goes beyond mere disgust or repulsion. In Gothic literature before the 21st century, what we would today recognize as abjection was often dismissed as mere excess of bad taste. An example of this can be found in the novel The Monk by Matthew G. Lewis. In chapter 11, the character Agnes de Medina is imprisoned, and there are graphic descriptions of a nun’s worm-filled head and the putrid body of the narrator’s illegitimate son. Far from being a gratuitous episode, this scene functions as a memento mori (a reminder of mortality), although its implications are understood by the horrified reader, not by the imprisoned and anguished mother.

Dracula and Other Abject Figures in Literature

Many other examples of abjection can be found in Gothic literature, from its beginnings to the present day. Dracula, for instance, is particularly concerned with the dissolution of boundaries, and its specific focus on blood as a symbol of individual, racial, and sexual identity makes Bram Stoker’s novel a frequent reference in literary criticism. Similar themes can be found in The Lifted Veil by George Eliot, and in the fiction of authors as diverse as Arthur Machen, Algernon Blackwood, H. P. Lovecraft, and Poppy Z. Brite.

Vampire stories, inevitably, have been the focus of much critical writing on the abject. However, many of the interpretations applied to these narratives can also be associated with analogous phenomena such as werewolves, ghouls, and zombies. All these supernatural beings challenge the boundaries between life and death, human and non-human, “self” and “other,” making them perfect examples of Kristeva’s concept of abjection.

Abjection in Our Lives and Culture

Julia Kristeva’s theory of abjection offers a powerful lens through which we can analyze not only Gothic literature but also our own experiences of discomfort and fascination with what challenges our notions of identity and bodily integrity. By recognizing the abject in our lives and culture, we are invited to question the boundaries we take for granted and explore the complexities of human experience.

References:

Hughes, William. Historical Dictionary of Gothic Literature. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2013.