摘要：The hole is one of the most basic symbols of sexual difference: the amphitheater,
the cave, and the valley are the physical counterparts of the spire, the obelisk, and the
mountain. A close examination of imagery related to holes may be expected to shed light
on a given author｡ｯs view of women and all that women represent. Does the concept of
hole conjure up a garbage pit, a grave, a bottomless abyss? Or is it a safe and sheltering
valley, perhaps even an entrance to a magical secret grotto? In classical literature, images
related to holes emphasize the toothed womb, which posits the hole as a danger, a place
that bites or deceives. This image of the vagina dentata enshrines an archetypal fear of the
female sex.
