A feminist archetypal analysis of Diane di Prima's Loba poems for performance.

Abstract

Uncovering the feminine myth has been the topic of numerous studies. In recent years, research has focused on the return of ancient images of the goddess as the primary metaphor for the feminine myth. Utilizing feminine typologies from Jungian archetypalists and feminist scholars, this study summarizes the research on the archetypal feminine in order to analyze Diane di Prima's Loba poems. An analysis of the poems is undertaken and reveals patterns of feminine images which are consistent with other revisionist literature by women. The analysis is then used to frame a production of poems as a ritual celebrating the Loba as goddess. As Christine Downing suggests in The Goddess, women need images of the goddess to recognize the divine in themselves. The adaptation of the Loba poems for performance creates such an image. It also creates a theatre piece with what Sue-Ellen Case calls "woman as subject." As a result of this study, the goals of feminist archetypal theory are advanced as well as the goals of feminist theatre.