Willow X. Hernishin | 2026 I.S. Symposium
狈补尘别:听Willow X. Hernishin
罢颈迟濒别:听Un-Dressing the Myth: Analyzing Elfriede Jelinek鈥檚 Radical Reframing of Jackie Kennedy in Jackie (2004)
惭补箩辞谤蝉:听German Studies; Communication Studies
Advisors: Denise Bostdorff; Beth Muellner
My Independent Study focuses on the American icon that was Jackie Kennedy. Although prominently known in the public eye for being elegant, perfectly composed, and married to one of the recognizable U.S Presidents, she left behind almost no autobiographical material. Posthumously this resulted in her story being told almost entirely by others. What ultimately excited me about this project was the chance to dive deeper into the “First Lady” mask and her impeccable style to see the imperfections hidden underneath. My interest was sparked during a sophomore German course with a visiting professor, Dr. Maryann Piel, where we read excerpts from Austrian playwright, Elfriede Jelinek’s, 2004 play, Jackie. That brief encounter with Jelinek鈥檚 aggressive and charged writing made me want to uncover the 鈥渞eal鈥 Jackie that history books usually sanitize. To do this, I effectively used a dual-approach methodology that combined both Erving Goffman鈥檚 idea of 鈥渇rontstage鈥 versus 鈥渂ackstage鈥 behavior stemming from his performative self-theory with Sonja Foss鈥檚 feminist strategies for disrupting master narratives. By looking at the play through these two lenses, I discovered that Jelinek portrays and reinterprets Jackie as a figure who survived the trauma of her public life by hollowing out her authentic self and becoming synonymous with her iconic pink Chanel suit. This project was a huge personal challenge as I learned more about American history and German literature and the unique intersection of the two, I never knew existed. Looking ahead, I鈥檓 interested in seeing if this same “deconstructive” framework could be applied to other modern icons see how women in different cultures perform their identities to survive the public eye.
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Posted in Symposium 2026 on May 1, 2026.
