CLASS DESCRIPTION

The symbol of the serpent has long represented evil, danger and chaos in western religious and mythological narratives - often associated with a particular type of female monstrosity in figures such as the biblical Eve and Lilith, or the mythological Gorgon queen Medusa. And yet, across the majority of world cultures serpents have also represented healing, regeneration and intuitive wisdom, as well as symbolising cycles of menstruation and fertility.

The killing or slaying of the serpent has been a recurrent metaphor for the triumph of religious, patriarchal and colonising forces, from the story of St Patrick killing snakes in Ireland and the suppression of sacred serpent deities in Africa, to the numerous tales of princes and heroes overcoming serpent monsters. Today, contemporary art and feminism has been interested in reclaiming the serpent as a symbol of empowerment and erotics that leads us beyond traditional frameworks of knowledge to more networked and embodied ones.

This lecture will look at an entanglement of serpent symbolism from a feminist and postcolonial perspective, exploring examples ranging from the snake goddesses of Minoan Crete to contemporary popular culture.

ABOUT OUR LECTURER

Catherine is an author, art historian and educator. She has held teaching positions at the University of Oxford, Sotheby's Institute, University College London and Chelsea College of Art. Her most recent book is 'Women in the Picture: Women, Art and the Power of Looking', and she is currently researching and writing a book about women artists and activism and one on women artists and the home.

INSTAGRAM: @womeninthepicture

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This is a recording of a live session hosted by The Feminist Lecture Program in November 2025. The reading list for the class can be found alongside this rental.

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FLP x