Identıtıes at stake: unıntellıgıbılıty of the ‘phallıc’ female ın ann jellıcoe’s the sport of my mad mother

Abstract

Although the notion of identity is assumed to be stable and unchanging in order to reinforce the binary opposition of the center/self and the ‘other,’ identities are fluid, and hence they are always at stake, which brings about the recognition that identities are attached to the subjects through a flimsy thread with a potential to break loose from them. The anxiety of facing the challenge to their identities and what they hold so dear to themselves is, this paper argues, the driving force behind the actions of the most of the characters in Ann Jellicoe’s 1962 revision of The Sport of My Mad Mother. Furthermore, elaborating on our insistence on tangible meanings that are accessible to us, Jellicoe asserts that we desire to attain the singular meaning of everything, be it a play or a natural phenomenon. Hence, this paper contends that in an attempt to make us confront this fact and realise the futility of our pursuit of exactitude and meaningful order, Jellicoe does not take us gently, but urges and even forces us to take part in the provisional meaning-making process and come up with our own interpretations. As the author of this paper, my interpretation will focus on identity politics with its feminist implications along with a patriarchal discourse of ethics and responsibility. Key Words: Ann Jellicoe, The Sport of My Mad Mother, identity and gender politics, feminism.