The Primal Scattering of Languages: Philosophies, Myths and Genders :: Philosophy Philosophical Papers

The Primal Scattering of Languages: Philosophies, Myths and Genders Conceptual: In After Babel, George Steiner relates ‘two primary conjectures’ in folklore which clarify ‘the puzzle of numerous tongues on which a perspective on interpretation hinges.’ One such mythic story is the pinnacle of Babel, which Steiner, yet in addition Jacques Derrida after him, take as their beginning stage to move toward the topic of interpretation; the other guess recounts 'some horrendous blunder [which] was submitted, an inadvertent arrival of etymological turmoil, in the method of Pandora’s Box' (Steiner). This paper will take this other guess, the legend of Pandora, first lady of the Greek creation fantasy, as its place of flight, not exclusively to offer a feminized variant of the base dissipating of dialects, yet to change in a positive light and along these lines likewise toreverse the negative and misanthrope relationship of Pandora with man’s fall. In any case, as opposed to uncovering the settled in male centric predispo sition in mythographers’ translations of Pandora, my first point is to present, through her figure, inquiries concerning language and lady, and, by expansion, the primary language and female sexuality. In After Babel George Steiner describes two fundamental guesses in folklore which clarify the riddle of numerous tongues on which a perspective on interpretation pivots. One such mythic story is the pinnacle of Babel, which Steiner, yet additionally Jacques Derrida after him, take as their beginning stage to move toward the topic of interpretation; the other guess recounts some horrendous mistake [which] was submitted, an incidental arrival of semantic mayhem, in the method of Pandora's Box (Steiner 1975:57). This paper will take this other guess, the fantasy of Pandora, first lady of the Greek creation legend, as its place of takeoff, not exclusively to offer a feminized variant of the basic dispersing of dialects, yet to revamp in a positive light and consequently additionally invert the negative and sexist relationship of Pandora with man's fall. Instead of receiving the patrilinear record Derrida or Steiner give as respects the starting point of interpretation, I will utilize the figure of Pandora to join, and revamp, viewpoints both of the Babel fantasy and the Oedipus legend. This is on the grounds that, while Babel is related with misfortune, the loss of one tongue, and Oedipus is related with come up short on, man's mutilation nervousness, Pandora's container has been related with both: the danger of etymological bedlam, for example the loss of comprehension, and the danger of lady's sexuality, I.