Examen corrigé Université de Montréal Thèse numérique Papyrus ...

312however, has an important place in nineteenth-century American literature, especially the work ofHawthorne, Melville, Poe, and Whitman.46 A mirror can reflect anything and can reflect another mirror. In doing so, it reflects itself again. Inreflecting the other reflected mirrora counter abymeit is a container of the act of mirroringareflection that is mirrored as content. This content, however, is mirrored as a container. What wehave is infinite chain of containers and contents. In this sense the reflection of the originalbe itcontainer or contentis always already deferred: the original is a mirror that is doubled and redoubled,facing itself and mirroring other mirrors. Consequently, the contour of the double is broughtcloser to the center or to the original.47 The similarities between Ahab and Dorian Gray are striking. As Dorian’s portrait lives, ages, andfades away, inscribing the immoral deeds of an immortal protagonist, his double grows and devourshis life. Likewise, Ahab’s fixation on the whale grows to be an obsession with and by the Leviathanthat puts an end to his illusory quest.48 The focus of this chapter is to study the ways in which the shadow has become an aspect of theconscious and unconscious, personal and collective life. According to Jung, the shadow, which ispositive and negative at the same time, forms the evil, uncontrolled part of the human psyche. It hastwo aspects: the first is associated with the personal (un)conscious and the second overlaps with thecollective unconscious. It is worth noting, however, that Jung’s theory of the shadow rests upon