First of all I would like to thank Ashley Sheldon for her post and helping us further understand Lacan and his works. There were a couple notable points from this post that I really took into thought, and I will take this opportunity to share these particular ideas with you.
Sheldon goes in to speaking of the mirror stage, emphasizing that symbolism and imagery are really the back bone to stability and understanding. The simple phrase “seeing is believing” sums up how one is to identify with the self and the world around him. This does not reach complete stability, but more the illusion of stability. People are constantly changing thus we are never really that stable. When Miles Green wakes up in Mantissa, he eventually is able to reach the idea of himself as stable. The muse serves as a distraction to him, tempting him and not really letting him keep his stability.
After imagery and symbolism comes language to help our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. Lacan believes that we are all constructed through language where meaning lies within the language itself. Without language there would really be know stability and meaning for people in the world to share. Language also corresponds with metonymy and desire, where stability is never reached. People are always wishing or dreaming of things they can’t have. Once the object is reached, it is natural to want more and create more desires. It never ends. If desire is never fulfilled, how are we able to reach complete stability?
damn
14 years ago
2 comments:
Interesting post! I must say that this part of the lecture was the one that made the most sense as I was reading it, because how many times do we desire something and once we finally get it are disappointed? How many times afterwards do we then immediately move on to our next want/desire? I don't know about you, but this used to always happen to me when I was little. You used to see the best commercials with the coolest toys which made you want them right in that moment. But then when it came down to getting it - whether it be for your birthday or Christmas - and you started playing with it, that you realized it wasn't exactly what you expected. So it was on to another toy.. and the cycle just kept on going.
great post! language is always something that fascinates me when we talk about it like this...we constructed language, but it constructs us now. and the issue of desire is really interesting as well. i think its a natural human instinct to keep desiring things that you may not ever be able to have/achieve.
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