D) None of the above

I think this week’s blog prompt is a trick question. Freud and Foucault in my mind have such opposing theories of art criticism that they cannot both be perfectly applied to any of these three options.

In considering a Freudian analysis, I thought I would pick Spiderman. Not only does the character seem to be an expression of Stan Lee’s own daydreams, but Peter Parker openly shares with the audience his own daydreams concerning Mary Jane, at least before his transformation and following success in “getting the girl.” For the audience, this is a satisfying storyline because Peter Parker never had his own mother, just his aunt, and he now can capture the idyllic family life he has yearned for his whole life, and he can do so with the beautiful girl next door he has always loved from afar.

In addition to these elements, Spiderman also fits Freud’s description of the hero which the audience can vicariously live through: “The feeling of security with which I follow the hero through his dangerous adventures is the same as that with which a real hero throws himself into the water to save a drowning man, or exposes himself to the fire of the enemy while storming a battery… this insignificant mark of invulnerability very clearly betrays—His Majesty the Ego, the hero of all day dreams and all novels” (504). Spiderman’s many adventures, his rises and falls, satisfy repressed desires the audience may have towards their childhood dreams of growing up to be someone important and brave. And the comic, television show, and recent movies allow audiences many avenues by which they “can enjoy [their] own daydreams without reproach or shame” (506).

But then an attempt to look at Spiderman for a Foucaultian analysis brought me up short. I do not think there is a deep meaning which Stan Lee meant to dominate the aesthetic quality, especially considering the painstaking care Lee took with the detailed comic books. I do not think Spiderman reveals anything about individual representation, or challenging power structures (unless you consider his battles with corrupt company CEOs to be challenging the status quo). I do not think Spiderman is capable of deconstructing any traditional notions. And for that matter, I do not think Madonna is any more capable than Spiderman. Which leads me to believe that only Jackson Pollock could be read in a Foucaultian analysis, because he did challenge the prevailing notion of what constituted art, and left behind many possible interpretations of his work. And a Freudian reading could be imposed on him, if I knew more about Pollock’s childhood and possible daydreams. But since I do not, I stand on the 5th and declare this a trick question.