Friday, November 14, 2008

Lacan and Fowles

Thanks to Ashley Shelden for that wonderful post. It definitely was very informative! When reading her post, I found many connections between her explanation of Lacan’s ideas and Mantissa. What first stood out to me in Ms.Shelden’s post was her discussion of the “Mirror Stage” and identity according to Lacan. The example of the “mirror stage” that is most often used is the discovery of self as an infant and the realization of who he or she is. What I overlooked when understanding this theory was that at this point, we do realize who we are but we will never be complete, in other words the understanding of our being does not come at this point. In fact, it never does come, as pointed out very well in the post, there is no end of developing, and there is no point that the individual is fully complete. We see this in Mantissa when Miles Green experiences the “mirror stage.” Fowles writes that at this moment Green realizes that he is in fact a (he) self. Despite that Green discovers who he is, he still goes on a process to discover more about himself which is what the readers witnesses throughout the novel. The search for his identity does not have a true ending point because the notion that we achieve identity is an illusion.

With this in mind, I believe that Fowles intentionally ended the first section of Mantissa with a theme that could be referenced to the death drive. The notion that jouissance, a moment of pleasure that puts a hold on ones self making them lose their identity. We see this with Miles Green’s character as he refuses the treatment. There are many different varying reasons as to why he is refusing the treatment. However, there can be a connection drawn between Lacan’s death drive and Green’s fear of the treatment. Does Green fear the treatment because he knows by achieving sexual satisfaction (jouissance) he will lose his sense of self, which he had just come to terms with moments before? The same two individuals that helped Green with the mirror stage could also lead him to the death drive. I question if Fowles wrote the first section of Mantissa with those two theories in mind.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Mantissa

In the second part of Mantissa, Miles and the muse discuss sexuality and how it has defined and shaped them. It is interesting to look at this from Marxist Criticism. The muse points out the hegemony plays a larger role in society impacting both her and Miles.

“ Miles, I’d like to say one thing, while we are being more open with each other. I feel I was rather unnecessarily emotional and outspoken a few minutes ago. I do have some sympathy with your problems. Especially as I realize I constitute one of them. I know the overwhelming stress the prevailing capitalist hegemony puts on sexuality. How difficult it is to escape.” (103)

Fowles has the Muse use the word “escape,” in terms of breaking beyond roles imposed by society. The way in which this is articulated is interesting because the reader is called attention to more than the hegemonic control being imposed on the lesser in society but also on the ruling sex. Often times there is so much focus on the way hegemony impacts those that it works against, we forget that it also impacts those it works for in a negative way. Miles discusses prior to this quote that as a male he has a role in society to fulfill just as a woman does. The Muse does carry on throughout the second part of the book about how there is a natural female way that has been imposed upon her; a role that she feels is humiliating and one that she will not break free of. Miles does not deny that this is happening to her but points out that there are roles imposed on both of them in society whether they agree with them or not.