Date of Publication
3-20-2026
Document Type
Bachelor's Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts in Literature major in Creative Writing
Subject Categories
Creative Writing
College
College of Liberal Arts
Department/Unit
Literature, Department of
Thesis Advisor
Clarissa V. Militante
Defense Panel Member
Josefina Castillo Baui
Cris Barbra N. Pe
Abstract (English)
In “The Laugh of Medusa”, Hélène Cixous advises women to “write your self. Your body must be heard.” (880) Several feminist scholars have touched on writing the body and essence of Ecriture Feminine, such as Simone de Beauvior’s famed statement that womanhood is not a matter of birth, but rather the process of becoming one. However in the same chapter, Cixous remarks it is impossible to discuss female sexuality and imagination in a homogenized and uniform manner (876). This has propelled into an investigation towards the formation of female identity in the 21st century amid global crises. Compounded by experiences of fragmentation caused by globalization, and ongoing violence—both physical and epistemological—Even the Dust Must Settle is an inquiry on existence when one’s identities feel more isolated than whole. Pulling from Donna Haraway’s definition of posthumanism, this collection utilizes speculative, contemporary myth to critique the human consciousness and consolidate it with the non-human as a vessel of self-discovery like Cixous postulated literature to be. The title draws from the inevitability of dust to settle even when disturbed. It presents an existential investigation on the physical form as a spatial aspect and temporal place for life; how living is made more meaningful by acknowledging how easily bodies can collapse. It mirrors the violence inflicted upon nature by aligning personas with environmental elements—a vestige of a sister lost at sea, a child from the forest who learns how coveted her body is, a girl-turned-cockroach grappling with the end of the world—and expound the themes of alienation, ambivalence, and transfiguration of identity. It will convey the physicality and impermanence of human existence, and thrust the gradual acceptance of a life paved by grief.
Abstract Format
html
Abstract (Filipino)
Sa “The Laugh of Medusa,” pinakakahikayat ni Hélène Cixous ang kababaihan, “write your self. Your body must be heard.” (880) Tinalakay na ng ilang mga eskolar ng pemenismo ang pagsusulat ng katawan at lagyo ng Ecriture Feminine, kagaya ng matunog na kasabihan ni Simone de Beauvior na ang kababaihan ay hindi mula sa pagsilang, kung hindi ito ay isang proseso ng pagiging isang babae. Gayun pa man sa parehong kabanata, sinasabi ni Cixous na imposible mapag-usapan ang seksuwalidad at imahinasyon ng pagkababae sa na pangkalahatan at pantay-pantay na kasagwaan. Ito ang nagtulak patuon sa isang imbestigasyon ng pagbuo ng kababaihang identitad sa 21st century sa gitna ng mga global na krisis. Pinagsama sa mga karanasan ng pagputol-putol dahil sa globalisasyon, at ang patuloy na karahasan—pisikal at epistemolohikal—Even the Dust Must Settle ay isang pagtanong sa pagkatao tuwing nakahiwalay ang mga sariling identidad imbes na nabubuo. Naghihiram sa depnisyon ng posthumanism ni Donna Haraway, ginagamit nitong short story collection ang speculative contemporary myth para suriin ang malay-tao at ipagsama sa kalikasan, bilang isang landas ng sariling pag-unawa kagaya ng iminungkahi ni Cixous bilang tungkulin ng literatura. Ang pamagat ay nagtutukoy sa alikabok na hindi mapakali kapag naiisturbo. Tinatanghal nito ang isang eksistensyal na imbestigayson sa katawan bilang espasyo at pansamantalang kalagayan ng buhay; na ang pagkabuhay ay nagiging mas mahalaga kapag napapansin ang hindi maiiwasan at hindi natatapos-tapos na kamatayan. Sinasalamin nito ang karahasan na nangyayari sa kalisasan sa katawan sa pamamagitan ng mga persona na malapit sa o naglalaman ng aspektong hindi-tao—isang aparisyon ng kapatid nawala sa dagat, isang bata mula sa kagubatan na namalayan kung gaano pinagnanasan ang katawan niya, isang babaeng naging ipis sa katapusan ng mundo—at palalawakan ang mga tema ng pagiiba, ambivalence, at pagbabagong-anyo ng identidad. Hinahatid nito ang piskalidad at pansumdanli ng pagkatao, at magpahiwatig ang pagtanggap ng isang pamumuhay sinasamahan ng kalungkutan.
Abstract Format
html
Language
English
Format
Electronic
Keywords
Short stories, English; Ecofiction; Ecocriticism; Feminist literature
Recommended Citation
Bernal, C. F. (2026). The influence of eco-violence on the 21st century feminine identity in Even the Dust Must Settle: A collection of short stories. Retrieved from https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdb_lit/4
Upload Full Text
wf_yes
Embargo Period
4-9-2027
