I agree with Aaron that de Lauretis' article quite confusing, but I found one of the author's arguments quite compelling. The author contends that in just about all myths and other such fables, the hero is always male and the obstacle always in a female term. Oedipus is the hero, being male, & the Sphinx is 'female-like' in which he has to conquer and figure out the riddle to achieve the status as a hero. de Laurtetis describes how the hero, must 'penetrate' the obstacle to becomes successful. There is a boundary that must be broken and in doing so, will make the hero, the hero he is supposed to become. This outlook on literature is a little 'out there' but does has its strong points. This idea does conform to a lot of myths and legends and as a result shaped culture throughout the centuries.