Trickster and Ambivalence: The Dance of Differentiation

Trickster is an icon or archetype that permeates cultures around the world and through time. All cultures have some sort of trickster-type character within folk history — the Irish Leprechaun or Native American Coyote. Art and literature are filled with Trickster images. In this text, the emphasis is on the dual nature of the Trickster — the good/bad, light/dark, playful/malevolent dualities that the Trickster represents. All this is seen through the lens of semiotics, seeking to examine the meaning of the Trickster in our lives.