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Performing the Insect and Its Mysterious Metamorphosis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 2023

Catherine Diamond
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Abstract

Insect metamorphosis fascinated Greek philosophers, bewildered Christian theologians, affirmed the beliefs of Chinese moralists, and continues to mystify science. Yet dramas representing human-animal transformations rarely involve insects. When they do appear, they usually serve as metaphors satirizing human flaws, but are also demeaning to the insect in their simplistic representation. In some 21st-century performances, however, that approach is evolving to better appreciate the multifarious intricacies of insect life.

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Article
Information
TDR , Volume 67 , Issue 4 , December 2023 , pp. 72 - 103
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press for Tisch School of the Arts/NYU

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References

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TDReadings

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