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.