The House

The House is a term used by Bachelard to describe the special object for a phenomenologist to study. It is a difficult object to study because this vital space is possessed of personal images and concrete reality. A phenomenologist's goal is to consider all the ways in which an individual inhabits his dwelling. Bachelard claims the main benefit of a house is to shelter and/or experience daydreaming. The house is an individual's world, where the "I" is protected by the "non-I" surrounding him. An oneiric, i.e., dream-like house discussed by Bachelard is typically comprised of four levels from the cellar to the attic with steps connecting them.

The Cellar

The Cellar is the term Bachelard uses to describe the lowest level of a house, generally subterranean, i.e. below the ground level. A cellar is considered always dark, shadowy and in harmony with irrational...