“The Past Dictates the Future”: Epistemic Ambivalence and the Compromised Ethics of Complicity in Twin Peaks: The Return and Fire Walk with Me

In this paper I explore questions of epistemology and complicity in Twin Peaks: The Return with reference to the original series and to Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. I characterize these works as auto-exegetical texts (texts that critically read themselves), and I introduce the notion of epistemic...

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Autor principal:	Joshua Jones
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	New York City College of Technology 2020
Materias:	twin peaks david lynch laura palmer objectification epistemology ambivalence auto-exegesis History of scholarship and learning. The humanities AZ20-999 Language and Literature P Literature (General) PN1-6790
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/7067d9302d9c4ac9a01f48419d4fcfdb
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:7067d9302d9c4ac9a01f48419d4fcfdb2021-11-08T21:51:32Z“The Past Dictates the Future”: Epistemic Ambivalence and the Compromised Ethics of Complicity in Twin Peaks: The Return and Fire Walk with Me2160-0104https://doaj.org/article/7067d9302d9c4ac9a01f48419d4fcfdb2020-02-01T00:00:00Zhttps://nanocrit.com/issues/issue15/The-Past-Dictates-the-Future-Epistemic-Ambivalence-and-the-Compromised-Ethics-of-Complicity-in-Twin-Peaks-The-Return-and-Fire-Whttps://doaj.org/toc/2160-0104In this paper I explore questions of epistemology and complicity in Twin Peaks: The Return with reference to the original series and to Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. I characterize these works as auto-exegetical texts (texts that critically read themselves), and I introduce the notion of epistemic ambivalence to describe how they proffer the possibility of teleological resolution while deliberately failing to provide enough information to realize that possibility. I examine how epistemic ambivalence is frequently deployed around questions of complicity with and culpability for evil, with the effect that the desire for certain knowledge and meaning is problematized by its connection to a masculinized desire for mastery. I argue that epistemic ambivalence is not just an important theme but is an integral characteristic of The Return’s ambivalently complicit story of violence and objectification. I reach two main conclusions: first, that the foregrounding of Laura’s pain in both Fire Walk with Me and The Return demands that audiences address and reflect upon our own complicity with the violence inflicted upon her; and second, that while there may be value in remaining attached to the desire for certain knowledge and to the dualistic conceptions of good and evil deployed ambiguously throughout Twin Peaks, there is perhaps more ethical and critical value to be found in exploring how these works engage the ambivalence such attachment engenders.Joshua JonesNew York City College of Technologyarticletwin peaksdavid lynchlaura palmerobjectificationepistemologyambivalenceauto-exegesisHistory of scholarship and learning. The humanitiesAZ20-999Language and LiteraturePLiterature (General)PN1-6790ENNANO, Iss 15 (2020)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	twin peaks david lynch laura palmer objectification epistemology ambivalence auto-exegesis History of scholarship and learning. The humanities AZ20-999 Language and Literature P Literature (General) PN1-6790
spellingShingle	twin peaks david lynch laura palmer objectification epistemology ambivalence auto-exegesis History of scholarship and learning. The humanities AZ20-999 Language and Literature P Literature (General) PN1-6790 Joshua Jones “The Past Dictates the Future”: Epistemic Ambivalence and the Compromised Ethics of Complicity in Twin Peaks: The Return and Fire Walk with Me
description	In this paper I explore questions of epistemology and complicity in Twin Peaks: The Return with reference to the original series and to Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. I characterize these works as auto-exegetical texts (texts that critically read themselves), and I introduce the notion of epistemic ambivalence to describe how they proffer the possibility of teleological resolution while deliberately failing to provide enough information to realize that possibility. I examine how epistemic ambivalence is frequently deployed around questions of complicity with and culpability for evil, with the effect that the desire for certain knowledge and meaning is problematized by its connection to a masculinized desire for mastery. I argue that epistemic ambivalence is not just an important theme but is an integral characteristic of The Return’s ambivalently complicit story of violence and objectification. I reach two main conclusions: first, that the foregrounding of Laura’s pain in both Fire Walk with Me and The Return demands that audiences address and reflect upon our own complicity with the violence inflicted upon her; and second, that while there may be value in remaining attached to the desire for certain knowledge and to the dualistic conceptions of good and evil deployed ambiguously throughout Twin Peaks, there is perhaps more ethical and critical value to be found in exploring how these works engage the ambivalence such attachment engenders.
format	article
author	Joshua Jones
author_facet	Joshua Jones
author_sort	Joshua Jones
title	“The Past Dictates the Future”: Epistemic Ambivalence and the Compromised Ethics of Complicity in Twin Peaks: The Return and Fire Walk with Me
title_short	“The Past Dictates the Future”: Epistemic Ambivalence and the Compromised Ethics of Complicity in Twin Peaks: The Return and Fire Walk with Me
title_full	“The Past Dictates the Future”: Epistemic Ambivalence and the Compromised Ethics of Complicity in Twin Peaks: The Return and Fire Walk with Me
title_fullStr	“The Past Dictates the Future”: Epistemic Ambivalence and the Compromised Ethics of Complicity in Twin Peaks: The Return and Fire Walk with Me
title_full_unstemmed	“The Past Dictates the Future”: Epistemic Ambivalence and the Compromised Ethics of Complicity in Twin Peaks: The Return and Fire Walk with Me
title_sort	“the past dictates the future”: epistemic ambivalence and the compromised ethics of complicity in twin peaks: the return and fire walk with me
publisher	New York City College of Technology
publishDate	2020
url	https://doaj.org/article/7067d9302d9c4ac9a01f48419d4fcfdb
work_keys_str_mv	AT joshuajones thepastdictatesthefutureepistemicambivalenceandthecompromisedethicsofcomplicityintwinpeaksthereturnandfirewalkwithme
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“The Past Dictates the Future”: Epistemic Ambivalence and the Compromised Ethics of Complicity in Twin Peaks: The Return and Fire Walk with Me

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