Cervantes : 400 years of visual silence

Abstract

As Ulysses’s encounter with the Sirens forced the mythic traveller’s crew to block out the sound of the fatal chant, visual silence is also a means of survival and resistance. Ulysses himself, however, was daring enough to listen. Whilst securely tied to his ship’s mast, he was tormented by the struggle to resist succumbing to the Sirens. Congruently to the cautious crew, ideological power also blocks out any threatening sounds to protect itself. Those who dare to listen, or see, straddle a dangerous line. This act of intrepid perception is a risky one as it blurs the distinction between reality and illusion, calling established reality itself into question.