“Portrait of Dora” by Hélène Cixous and Sarah Burd: Summary and Critique

Introduction: “Portrait of Dora” by Hélène Cixous and Sarah Burd  

“Portrait of Dora” by Hélène Cixous and Sarah Burd was first published in the 1980 collection Les nouvelles mythologies. This work holds significant importance in literature and literary theory due to its groundbreaking exploration of female sexuality, desire, and the body. The authors challenge traditional patriarchal narratives and offer a feminist perspective that centers the experiences of women, particularly those marginalized by societal norms.

Summary of “Portrait of Dora” by Hélène Cixous and Sarah Burd  

1. Dramatization of Freud’s Case Study of Dora
   The play “Portrait of Dora” reinterprets Freud’s famous case study of a young woman known as Dora, exploring themes of desire, power, and identity. The narrative is structured through a dialogue between Freud and Dora, with Freud attempting to analyze Dora’s experiences and dreams. Dora’s interactions with Freud reveal her inner turmoil and resistance to his interpretations.
   • “Doctor Freud could have dreamt this, at the end of December, 1899. Dora is an exuberant girl, eighteen or nineteen years old. She has something contradictory and strange about her which is attractive.”
2. Conflict and Power Dynamics
   The play highlights the complex power dynamics between Freud and Dora, as well as between Dora and the other characters, such as Herr K and Frau K. Dora’s resistance to Freud’s authority and his attempts to control the narrative of her life underscores the tension in their relationship.
   • “You’re doing to me what you would have liked to do to Herr K. And you’re rejecting me like he rejected you.”
3. Dora’s Struggles with Identity and Autonomy
   Throughout the play, Dora grapples with her sense of self and her autonomy. Her experiences are filtered through the lens of Freud’s psychoanalytic theories, but she continually resists being reduced to a case study. This struggle reflects a broader commentary on the limitations of psychoanalysis in capturing the complexity of individual identity.
   • “You don’t understand anything. It’s not going to prevent you from living! Here’s my revenge; I’ll go it alone. I’ll get better alone.”
4. Themes of Desire and Repression
   The play delves into the themes of repressed desires and the conflict between social expectations and personal desires. Dora’s interactions with other characters, especially Frau K, reveal her inner desires and the ways in which they are suppressed or denied.
   • “If I were a man, I would marry you, I would carry you away and I would marry you, I would know just how to please you.”
5. Symbolism and Metaphor
   The play is rich with symbolic imagery, particularly involving doors, keys, and flowers, which represent access, control, and unfulfilled desires. These symbols serve as metaphors for Dora’s psychological state and the barriers she faces in expressing her true self.
   • “There is a door in Vienna through which everyone can go except me. I often dream that I get to this door, it opens, I could enter.”
6. Exploration of Feminine Experience
   “Portrait of Dora” offers a feminist critique of Freud’s theories by focusing on Dora’s perspective and experiences. The play highlights the ways in which women’s voices and experiences are often marginalized or misunderstood within patriarchal structures.
   • “You could not—beat me up. I wouldn’t fight back. If you could slap me. It would give both of us a certain pleasure.”
7. Intertextuality and Historical Context
   The play references historical and literary contexts, including the social norms of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, to enrich the narrative. These references help to situate Dora’s story within a broader cultural and intellectual framework.
   • “May, 1900. Dora lives in Vienna. At a very busy intersection, a car knocks Herr K down. She saw him fall. It was the most horrible day of her life. It was the happiest day of her life.”

Literary Terms/Concepts in “Portrait of Dora” by Hélène Cixous and Sarah Burd  

Term	Definition	Example in “Portrait of Dora”
Psychoanalysis	A therapeutic method that explores the unconscious mind to understand and treat mental disorders.	Freud’s interpretation of Dora’s dreams and memories to uncover the root of her hysteria.
Hysteria	A mental disorder characterized by physical symptoms that cannot be explained medically, often believed to be caused by repressed emotions.	Dora’s fainting spells, aphonia, and other physical symptoms.
Repression	The unconscious blocking of thoughts, memories, or desires that are considered too threatening or unacceptable to the conscious mind.	Dora’s repressed desires for her father and Frau K.
Transference	The unconscious redirection of emotions from a person in the past onto someone in the present, often the therapist.	Dora’s transference of her feelings for her father and Frau K onto Freud.
Femininity	The qualities or attributes associated with being female.	Dora’s exploration of her own sexuality and desire, challenging traditional notions of femininity.
The Gaze	The power dynamics involved in looking and being looked at.	Dora’s experience of being objectified by men and her own gaze on others.
The Unconscious	The part of the mind that is not consciously accessible but influences thoughts and behaviors.	Dora’s unconscious desires and memories that emerge through her dreams and symptoms.

Contribution of “Portrait of Dora” by Hélène Cixous and Sarah Burd  to Literary Theory/Theories

1. Feminist Theory:
   • Challenge to Patriarchal Narratives: Cixous critiques Freud’s interpretation of Dora’s hysteria, highlighting the patriarchal bias inherent in psychoanalysis. She portrays Dora’s voice as resisting Freud’s authority, emphasizing the importance of giving women their own voice in literature. This challenges the traditional male-centered narratives and encourages the exploration of female subjectivity in literature.
   • Écriture Féminine: The play embodies Cixous’ concept of écriture féminine (feminine writing), where language is used to express the inexpressible aspects of female experience. The fragmented, poetic language in “Portrait of Dora” exemplifies this approach, breaking away from linear, logical structures to mirror the complexity of female identity and desire.
2. Psychoanalytic Theory:
   • Reinterpretation of Hysteria: Cixous reinterprets Dora’s hysteria not as a symptom of repressed sexual desire but as a form of resistance against oppressive social structures. By dramatizing Dora’s interactions with Freud and other characters, the play suggests that Dora’s hysteria is a response to the contradictions and power imbalances in her relationships, rather than a simple psychological disorder.
   • Critique of Freud: The play criticizes Freud’s method of psychoanalysis, particularly his insistence on interpreting Dora’s experiences through a narrow, patriarchal lens. Cixous presents Freud as unable to grasp the true nature of Dora’s suffering, highlighting the limitations of traditional psychoanalytic theory in understanding women’s experiences.
3. Poststructuralist Theory:
   • Subversion of Meaning: The play subverts traditional structures of meaning by presenting a non-linear narrative and fragmented dialogue. This aligns with poststructuralist ideas that meaning is not fixed but is constantly shifting and dependent on context. Dora’s story is told through multiple perspectives, none of which claim absolute truth, reflecting the poststructuralist view that texts are open to multiple interpretations.
   • Language and Power: Cixous explores the relationship between language and power, showing how language can both oppress and liberate. Dora’s speech oscillates between clarity and ambiguity, highlighting the power dynamics involved in communication. This aligns with poststructuralist concerns about how language constructs reality and maintains power structures.
4. Deconstruction:
   • Deconstruction of Binary Oppositions: Cixous deconstructs binary oppositions such as male/female, sane/insane, and reality/fantasy throughout the play. By blurring the boundaries between these categories, she challenges the hierarchical structures that privilege one term over the other. The play’s fluid movement between different voices and perspectives reflects Derrida’s idea of différance, where meaning is always deferred and never fully present.
   • Undermining Authoritative Interpretations: The play undermines the authoritative interpretations of Freud and others, suggesting that all interpretations are contingent and incomplete. This aligns with the deconstructive approach of questioning and destabilizing fixed meanings and authoritative readings of texts.
5. New Historicism:
   • Contextualizing Dora’s Story: Cixous situates Dora’s story within the broader social and cultural context of 19th-century Vienna, emphasizing how her personal experiences are shaped by historical forces. This approach aligns with New Historicism’s emphasis on the interconnectedness of literature and history, suggesting that Dora’s hysteria cannot be understood in isolation from the societal norms and expectations of her time.
   • Critique of Historical Narratives: The play challenges the dominant historical narrative constructed by Freud, offering an alternative perspective that foregrounds Dora’s agency and voice. This critique of traditional historical narratives is a key concern of New Historicism, which seeks to recover marginalized voices and perspectives from the past.

Examples of Critiques Through “Portrait of Dora” by Hélène Cixous and Sarah Burd  

Literary Work	Critique Through Portrait of Dora	Explanation
Freud’s Dora: An Analysis of a Case of Hysteria	– Critique of Freud’s Methodology: Cixous critiques Freud’s reductionist interpretation of Dora’s hysteria as merely a symptom of repressed sexual desire. – Exposing Patriarchal Bias: The work reveals the patriarchal assumptions underlying Freud’s analysis, portraying him as unable to comprehend Dora’s true psychological state.	– Portrait of Dora challenges Freud’s framing of Dora’s narrative, offering an alternative perspective that emphasizes Dora’s agency and resistance. – By dramatizing Dora’s voice, Cixous highlights the ways in which Freud’s interpretation is limited by his gendered biases, thus questioning the authority of psychoanalytic theory in understanding female experiences.
Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre	– Exploration of Female Autonomy: Cixous’s portrayal of Dora’s resistance to Freud’s authority can be paralleled with Jane’s struggle for independence against Rochester. – Critique of Patriarchal Control: Both Dora and Jane resist male-dominated structures that seek to define and confine them.	– In Portrait of Dora, Dora’s refusal to accept Freud’s narrative mirrors Jane Eyre’s rejection of Rochester’s control, symbolizing the broader struggle of women to assert their identities within patriarchal systems. – The critique highlights the ways in which both works explore the limitations and challenges of achieving true female autonomy in a male-dominated society.
Kate Chopin’s The Awakening	– Psychological Liberation: Cixous’s depiction of Dora’s fragmented psyche and complex emotions resonates with Edna’s awakening and her quest for self-fulfillment. – Critique of Societal Expectations: Both works critique the societal constraints imposed on women, which lead to psychological turmoil and existential questioning.	– Dora’s internal conflicts and the non-linear narrative in Portrait of Dora reflect Edna’s journey in The Awakening, where both women struggle to break free from societal expectations and explore their identities. – The critique emphasizes how both texts explore the costs of female liberation and the psychological consequences of defying societal norms.
Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire	– Madness as a Response to Oppression: Cixous’s portrayal of Dora’s psychological breakdown offers a lens to critique Blanche DuBois’s descent into madness. – Impact of Patriarchal Pressures: Both Dora and Blanche experience psychological distress as a result of the oppressive and patriarchal environments they inhabit.	– In Portrait of Dora, Dora’s mental deterioration is presented as a response to the contradictory demands and pressures of her environment, similar to Blanche’s experience in A Streetcar Named Desire. – The critique highlights the destructive impact of societal and patriarchal expectations on women’s mental health, portraying madness as a form of resistance to, or collapse under, oppressive forces.

Criticism Against “Portrait of Dora” by Hélène Cixous and Sarah Burd  

Suggested Readings: “Portrait of Dora” by Hélène Cixous and Sarah Burd  

Representative Quotations from “Portrait of Dora” by Hélène Cixous and Sarah Burd  with Explanation

Quotation	Explanation
“If you dare kiss me, I’ll slap you!”	This line exemplifies Dora’s resistance to male authority and unwanted advances, symbolizing her struggle against patriarchal control.
“Why did I keep silent the first days after the incident by the lake?”	This question reflects Dora’s internal conflict and the societal pressure to remain silent about sexual harassment or trauma.
“There is a door in Vienna through which everyone can go except me.”	The door symbolizes the barriers Dora faces in society, particularly in accessing freedom, agency, and the ability to define her own identity.
“I still feel the kiss and the pressure of that embrace; his lips were very wet.”	This vivid description highlights the physical and emotional impact of unwanted sexual advances, emphasizing Dora’s lingering trauma.
“Who are you to abandon me?”	This quote captures Dora’s feelings of betrayal and abandonment, addressing both Freud and other male figures in her life who failed to protect or understand her.
“How hard it is to cut his throat. I don’t make a big cut because I am holding him tightly.”	This violent imagery symbolizes Dora’s desire to break free from patriarchal oppression, illustrating her internal struggle and resistance.
“In the darkness, I am dark. The fictitious flesh that pushes at the door disgusts me.”	The darkness represents Dora’s feelings of entrapment and alienation, as well as her disgust towards the oppressive forces around her.
“You don’t understand anything. It’s not going to prevent you from living!”	Dora’s frustration with Freud’s lack of understanding highlights the disconnect between male interpretations of female experiences and the reality of those experiences.
“You could make me laugh. But I don’t want to hurt you. Because, you, doctor, I could never have loved.”	This statement reveals Dora’s disillusionment with Freud and the psychoanalytic process, emphasizing her emotional detachment and rejection of his authority.
“Write? … That’s not my business.”	This line underscores Dora’s reluctance to conform to societal expectations or to be defined by others, particularly through writing or documentation imposed by authority figures like Freud.