LuceIrigaray THISSEXWHICHISNOONE TranslatedbyCATHERINE PORTER withCAROLYNBURKE CORNELL UNIVERSITYPRESS NewYork Originally published inFrenchunderthetitleCeSexequin'enestpasun, 1977byEditionsdeMinuit. Copyright1985byCornellUniversity Allreserved.Exceptforbrief quotationsinareview,thisbook,or must notbereproducedin anyformwithout permission in fromthepublisher.Forinformation,addressCornell Press,124RobertsPlace,Ithaca,New York14850. FirstpUOllsneo985CornellPress. InternationalStandard Book Number 0-8014-1546-2 InternationalStandard Book Number 0--8014-9331-5 Libraryof CongressCatalogCardNumber 84-23013 PrintedintheUnitedStatesof America Librarians:Libraryof Congress appearsonthelast pageof thebook. Thepaperinthisbookisacid-Jreeandmeetsthe guidelines for permanenceanddurabilityof theCommitteeonProductionGuidelines forBookLongevityof theCouncilonLibraryResources. Contents 1.TheLookingfromOther Side 2.ThisSexWhichIsNot One 3.PsychoanalyticTheory:AnotherLook 4.The Power of DiscourseandtheSubordination of theFeminine 5.COStFanTutti 6.The"Mechanics"of Fluids 7.Questions 8.Women on the Market 9.CommoditiesamongThemselves 10."Frenchwomen,"StopTrying 11.WhenOur LipsSpeakTogether Publisher'sNote andNoteson SelectedTerms 9 23 34 68 86 106 119 170 198 205 219 5 1 THISSEXWHICHISNOTONE TheLookingGlass, fromtheOtherSide ... she suddenly began again."Then it really has happened,afterall!Andnow,whoamI?Iwill remember,ifI can!I'm determined to do it!"But being determined didn't help her much,and all she could say,after a great deal of puzzling,was:"L, I knowit beginswith L." ThroughtheLooking-Glass Alice'seyesareblue.Andred.Sheopenedthemwhilegoing throughthemirror.Except forthat,shestill seemstobeexempt foom violence.Shelivesalone,inherhouse.Sheprefersitthatway,her mothersays.Sheonly goesouttoplayherroleasmistress.Schoolmistress,naturally.Whereunalterable factsarewritten downwhatever theweather.Inwhiteandblack,orblackandwhite,dependingon whetherthey'reputontheblackboardorinthenotebook.Without color changes,in anycase.Thoseare saved for thetimeswhen Alice is alone.Behind the screen of representation.Inthe houseor garden. But justwhenit'stimeforthestorytobegin,beginagain,"it's autumn. JJThatmomentwhenthingsarestillnotcompletelycongealed,dead.It oughttobeseized sothatsomethingcanhappen.But everythingis forgotten:the((measuringinstruments, JJthe"coat, JJthe "case,"andespeciallytheUglasses. JJ"How cananyonelivewithout Thistextwasoriginallypublished as"Le miroir,del'autre cote,"inCritique,no.309(February1973). 9 - - - ~ . - - -SexWhichIsNotOne allthat? JJUptonow,that's what hascontrolled the limits of properties,distinguishedoutside ftominside,differentiatedwhatwaslooked onwithapproval ftomwhat wasn't.Madeit possibletoappreciate,to recognizethevalueof everything.Tofitinwithit,asneeded. Theretheyare,alllost,withouttheirfamiliarreferencepoints. What'sthedifferencebetweena ftiendandno ftiend?Avirginanda whore?Yourwiftandthewomanyoulove?Theoneyoudesireand theoneyoumakelovewith?Onewomanandanotherwoman?The onewhoownsthehouseandtheonewhousesit forher pleasure, oneyoumeetthereforpleasure?Inwhichhouseandwithwhich womandoes-did-williove happen?And whenisittime forlove, anyway?Time forwork?Howcanthestakesinloveandworkbe sorted out?Does"surveying" have anything todowithdesire,or not? Canpleasurebemeasured,bounded,triangulated,ornot?Besides, autumn, JJthecolorsarechanging.Turningred.Thoughnot for long. NodoubtthisisthemomentAliceoughttoseize.Nowisthetime forhertocomeonstageherselfWithherviolet,violatedeyes.Blue andred.Eyesthatrecognizetherightside,thewrongside,andthe side:theblurof deformation;theblackorwhiteof alossoj identity.Eyesalwaysexpectingappearancestoalter,expectingthat onewill turnintotheother,isalreadythe other.But Alice isat school. She'llcomeback fortea,whichshealwaystakesbyherselfAt least that'swhathermotherclaims.And she'stheonlyonewhoseemsto whoAliceis. Soat four o'clock sharp,the surveyor goesintoher house.And since asurveyorneedsa pretexttogointosomeone'shouse,especiallya lady'S,he'scarryinga basketojvegetables.FromLucien.Penetrating into"her" placeundercoverof somebodyelse'sname,clothes,love. Forthetimebeing,thatdoesn'tseemtobotherhim.Heopensthe door,she'smaking a phone call.Toher fiand:.Onceagainhe slipsin between them.thetwothem.Intothebreachthat'sbringinga TheLookingGlass,ftom OtherSide womananaa manclosertogether,todayatjouro'clock.Sincethe relationshipbetweenLucienandAliceliesinthezoneoj the yet."Or"never."Pastandfoturebothseemsubjecttoquitea "That'swhatloveis,maybe?"And hisinterventioncutsback acrosssomeotherin-betweens:mother-Alice,Lucien-Gladys,Aliceher ftiend("She alreadyhas aftiend,one'senough"),tall-short(surveyors).Tomentiononlywhatwe'vealreadyseen. Doeshisinterventionsucceed?Or doeshebegintoharbora suspicion that she is not simply herself? Helooks fora light.Tohide confosion,fillintheambiguity.Distractherbysmoking.She doesn't seethelighter,eventhoughit's right in ftont ofher; instead she callshimintothefirstbedroomwheretheremustbealight.His familiaritywiththehousedispelstheanxiety.He goesupstairs.She invites himtoenjoy her,ashelikes.They separateinthe garden.One of themhas Jorgotten"her" glassesbythetelephone,theother"his" onthebed.The"[if!ht JJ haschangedplaces. Hegoesbacktotheplacewhereheworks.Shedisappearsinto nature.IsitSaturdayorSunday?Isittime Jarsurveyingor He'sconfosed.There's only one thing todo:pick ajight with a "cop." desireiscompellingenoughtomakehimleaveatonce. Nomoreaboutcops,atleast forthetimebeing.He findshimself (theyfindeachother)nearthe garden.Amaninloveanda manin love with a woman wholives in the house.The first asks the second,or ratherthesecondasksthe jirst,if hecan go(back)andseethewoman heHe isbeginningtobe ftightened,and begstobeallowed. Afterward. Good(commonorproper)sense-anysenseof proprietyor property-escapes Lucien.He givesthingsout,setsthemin motion, withoutcounting.Cap,vegetables,consent.Aretheyhis?Dothey totheothers?Tohiswift?Tosomebodyelse's?As forwhatis his,itcomesbacktohiminthedance.Whichdoesnotpreventhim fromallowingotherstotakeit.Elsewhere. ... ---..---.11 ThisSexWhichIsNotOne Sohe comes(back)itl.It's teatime.She... She?She who?Who's she?She(is)another...lookingforalight.Where'salight? Upstairs,inthebedroom,thesurveyor,thetallone,pointsoutcheer-Pleased atlasttocomeacrossa specific,unquestionable,verifiable fact.Pleasedthat hecanproveit (himself)usinga + b,or1 + 1, thatis,anelementthatrepeatsitself,onethatstaysthesameandyet produces a displacement inthe sum; pleased that it's a matter oja series, oJa sequence.In short,ofa story.Might aswell sayit's true.That he had alreadybeenthere.That he... ?That she?Was?Wasn't?She. Forthevegetablesnolongerproveanything.{'Imusthaveeaten them.""1" who?Only the"light" is left.But it isn't thereto shoreup theargument.AndeveniJ itwere,notraceoj whathashappened wouldremain.As forattestingthatthelighthasmoved fromhereto there,orstatingthatitscurrentwhereaboutsareknown,ornaming Alice'sroomastheonlyplaceitcanbe found,theseareall just claims thatdependon"magic." Alicehasneverlikedoccultism.Notthattheimplausiblesurprises Sheknowsmore thananyoneabout fobulous,fantastic,unbelievablethings... Butshe'salwaysseenwhatshetalksabout.She's observed allthemarvels first-hand.She'sbeen"inwonderland."She hasn'tsimplyimagined,"intuited.}}Induced,perhaps?Moreover, froma distance.Andacross partitions? Going through the lookingglass,that'ssomething elseagain. Besides,therearenotracesojsuchanadventureinthat gentleman's eyes.It'sa matteroJnuances.Soit'surgentJorhimtogetoutof the houseatonce.Hewon't?Thenshe'stheonewho'llleave,who'll desertit.Theout-of-doorsisanextraordinaryreJuge.Especiallyin thisseason,withallitscolors.toogoesintothe garden.Right up Soone nolonger hasthe right tobe alone?Whereisone to go?If and gardenareopentoallcomers.Omniscient surveyors, for example.It's imperativetohurry and invent a retreat theycan't get to. Curlupsomewhereprotectedfromtheirschemingeyes,fromtheir inquiries.Fromtheir penetration.Where? TheLookingGlass,fromtheOtherSide Lucienknowshow towait,even forquitea longtime.His patience outattheedgeof thevegetablegarden.Installed outsidetheproperty,hepeels.Prejerablybeetstalks,whichmake little girls growup.And leadthemimperceptiblytomarriage.Froma longwayoff,verycarefully,he'spreparinga foture.Improbable. That'snottheonlythinghe'speeling.Perhapsthataccountsforhis arrival.Empty-handed.Hedoesn'teventakethepath,likeeveryone else.Hecomesacrossthegrass.Alwaysa littleunseeml Alicesmiles.Luciensmiles.Theysmileateachother,complieitously.Theyareplaying.Shemakeshima gijtoJthecap."What willGladyssay?"Thathehasaccepteda gift fromAlice?Thatshe has offeredhimthat cap?A"dragon.fly" whose Jurtive flightvolatizes
