Week 9 Lacan #3. The Mirror Stage Human identity is 'decentred.' The I is an Other from the ground up. Example: referring to oneself in the 2nd or 3rd.

Week 9Lacan #

3

The Mirror Stage •Human identity is 'decentred.'

•The I is an Other from the ground up.

•Example: referring to oneself in the 2nd or 3rd person (Frank says, “Frank is here. And Frank is sorry.” Merrily We Roll Along)

The Mirror Stage

•The ego is at base an object: an artificial projection of subjective unity modeled on the visual images of objects and others that the individual confronts in the world.

Desire is the Desire of the Other..

• need ≠ desireneed ≠ desire• Human-beings need to Human-beings need to learn learn how how

and what to desire. and what to desire. • It is fully possible for an object to It is fully possible for an object to

become desirable for individuals become desirable for individuals because they perceive that others because they perceive that others desire it, such that when these desire it, such that when these others' desire is withdrawn, the others' desire is withdrawn, the object also loses its allure.object also loses its allure.

• ExampleExample: Fashion : Fashion

the phallus

•The phallus ≠ the penis•The phallus: what the child perceives it is that the mother desires.

•The Oedipus Complex: the child aspires to be the phallic Thing for the mother.

the phallus

•Castration: the father will normally intervene in a way that lastingly thwarts this Oedipal aspiration; the child becomes normalized as a social being.

The Law•The Law of the father = the name (nom or non--“No!”) of the Father

= the big Other of the child's given sociolinguistic community

= the necessary mediator between the child and the mother

Language and Law•To learn a language To learn a language

→ → to learn a set of rules or to learn a set of rules or laws for the use and laws for the use and combination of words combination of words

→ → to accept of the to accept of the unconditional authority of a unconditional authority of a body of convention body of convention

Language and Desire

•Language is above all a social pact

•Human desire is always caught up in the dialectics of individuals’ exchanges with others.

The Unconscious•The unconscious → a language without a grammar → “It speaks.”

•A symptom is a repressed desire.

•This desire, if it is to gain satisfaction at all, accordingly needs to be expressed indirectly.

The unconscious is structured like a

language. (1)•Metaphor: one’s love = a rose. →a repressed desire could be metaphorically expressed in some apparently dissimilar bodily activity, such as a compulsive ritual the subject feels compelled to repeat.

The unconscious is structured like a

language. (2)• Metonymy: crown → king; sword → war →since castration denies subjects full

access to their first love object (the mother), their choice of subsequent love objects is the choice of a series of objects that each resemble in part the lost object (the same hair, or look at him/her the same way the mother did).

The Talking Cure•Symptoms → floating signifiers

•Analyst: →an Other supposed to know

→“quilting” or suturing

Fantasy•If the neurotic subject does not to forego the Oedipal supposition that there is some Thing that would fully satisfy the desire of the mother, it is because s/he constructs fantasies about the nature of this lost Thing, and how s/he stands towards it.

Fantasy• $ a• '$', the ‘barred’ subject which is di

vided by castration between attraction to and repulsion from the Object of its unconscious desire, is correlative to (‘ ') the fantasized lost object. This object, designated in the matheme as 'a', is called by Lacan the ‘object petit a’, or else the object cause of desire.

object petit a•A series of metonymic or partial objects (the gaze or voice of his/her love objects, a hair style, or some other 'little piece of the Real') that can be enjoyed as compensation for its primordial loss of the maternal Thing.

Holbein's The Ambassadors

The skull can literally only be seen from 'awry', and at the cost that the rest of the picture appears at that moment out of focus.

Fantasy• What the fantasy serves to hide

from the subject, then, is the possibility that a fully satisfying sexual relationship with the mother, or any metonymic substitute for her, is not only prohibited, but was never possible anyway.

ReferencesReferences

• http://www.iep.utm.edu/l/lacweb.htm#SH2b

• Episode 16• 耀輝：大哥，我愛您尊重您耀輝：大哥，我愛您尊重您而且我也愛尊重我們這個家族和家族的姓氏而且我也愛尊重我們這個家族和家族的姓氏這當然要感謝您曾經那麼開明的我接受了更進步的教育這當然要感謝您曾經那麼開明的我接受了更進步的教育那就是我尊重別人，而且也尊重我自己，對那就是我尊重別人，而且也尊重我自己，對 , , 尊重我自己尊重我自己尊重自己的感情，自己的價值，還包括我對愛情和事業的選擇尊重自己的感情，自己的價值，還包括我對愛情和事業的選擇可能有些人會誤解，可我覺得自尊更需要勇氣可能有些人會誤解，可我覺得自尊更需要勇氣大哥大哥 , , 您不是以前一直教育我，要有一個做男人的勇氣嗎？您不是以前一直教育我，要有一個做男人的勇氣嗎？耀華：你在練習怎麼說服我耀華：你在練習怎麼說服我耀輝：沒耀輝：沒 ... ... 沒有沒有耀華：我都聽見了，每一個字我都聽見了耀華：我都聽見了，每一個字我都聽見了

• 耀華：我準備成全你們，成全我們，既然你們相愛，我就讓你們愛耀華：我準備成全你們，成全我們，既然你們相愛，我就讓你們愛

• 耀華：你愛上有夫之婦，對你來說是愛，對那個做丈夫來講就是搶耀華：你愛上有夫之婦，對你來說是愛，對那個做丈夫來講就是搶你不是一直稱頌勇氣嗎？那就像一個大丈夫一樣你不是一直稱頌勇氣嗎？那就像一個大丈夫一樣既然做了，就不要怕別人批評，更不要在乎那個評語難聽既然做了，就不要怕別人批評，更不要在乎那個評語難聽我把名譽視為生命，視為男人的生命之本，所以請你尊重它我把名譽視為生命，視為男人的生命之本，所以請你尊重它

• http://www.pts.org.tw/~web01/orange/words_17.htm

• Episode 16• 耀輝：你以為我是什麼人？一個喜好偷情的公子哥嗎？耀輝：你以為我是什麼人？一個喜好偷情的公子哥嗎？不不 , , 我不是，我要的是我的愛我不是，我要的是我的愛耀華：你畢竟已經有了愛，我願意把她給你耀華：你畢竟已經有了愛，我願意把她給你這是我做的犧牲，難道你不應該心存感激嗎？難道你不應該也做一點犧牲嗎這是我做的犧牲，難道你不應該心存感激嗎？難道你不應該也做一點犧牲嗎而你的犧牲，應該是不要再去苛求愛情的形式而你的犧牲，應該是不要再去苛求愛情的形式耀輝：不耀輝：不 , , 你錯了，高尚的愛情就應該有純潔的形式你錯了，高尚的愛情就應該有純潔的形式這也是榮譽，愛的榮譽這也是榮譽，愛的榮譽我連這一點都沒有，我寧願不愛我連這一點都沒有，我寧願不愛耀華：太晚了，你既然選擇了這個愛，就愛下去，而且要愛出結果來耀華：太晚了，你既然選擇了這個愛，就愛下去，而且要愛出結果來

• 耀華：你不僅要愛她，甚至可以跟她生個孩子，一個容家的孩子耀華：你不僅要愛她，甚至可以跟她生個孩子，一個容家的孩子那這樣，容家的運道就不會沒落，就像那個算命先生說的，容家的基業就會飛那這樣，容家的運道就不會沒落，就像那個算命先生說的，容家的基業就會飛黃騰達黃騰達

• 耀華：大哥輸了，輸得很慘，其實大哥根本耀華：大哥輸了，輸得很慘，其實大哥根本 ......，就不能生孩子，就不能生孩子從來就不能，我根本稱不上是個男人從來就不能，我根本稱不上是個男人

• http://www.pts.org.tw/~web01/orange/words_17.htm

橘子紅了• 1. Identify the phallus in the TV dr

ama.• 2. What does 耀華 (Big Brother) an

d 耀輝 (the younger brother) want? Do they share the same desire? If so, what is it?

• 3. What makes 耀華 and 耀輝 split subjects?

•The End