These three readings, though seemingly disparate, all have something to say about the relationship of the "self" and the "other" (or lover and beloved). Please answer at least one question for each reading.
For the "Song of Songs":
1. How does this poem present the relationship between lover and beloved? What specific vocabulary does it employ? What images are created through the use of this language?
2. This relationship is specifically an erotic one - why do you think we have such a fundamentally erotic text within a broader theological context (the "Song of Songs" forms part of the Old Testament)?
For Narcissus:
3. Do a close reading of the conversation between Narcissus and Echo. Do you find anything strange here? Is Echo simply an "echo"? What does and echo do and what should an echo not do? How does Narcissus reply to her "request for love"? Why?
4. Deceptively simple question: With what or whom does Narcissus fall in love? (Hint - Narcissus does NOT fall in love with himself - this is a common misreading of the myth.) What is the problem with this? Many writers see in this myth the foundation of love found in all relationships - what does this myth have to tell us about love and the nature of human desire? Point to specifics in the text in your answer.
For Lacan (and yes, as I said in class, this text will seem to be an impossible read, but try at least):
5. Do you take anything from this reading? What? Many scholars see this as a psychoanalytic rewriting of the Narcissus myth - might you see any parallel between the two? What?
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