First and foremost, thank you to Ashley for providing us with your thoughts and theories on Lacan and psychoanalytic theory. Your comparisons to Saussure and using Mantissa as an example helped tie everything together very nicely and cleared up psychoanalysis as a whole!

When reading the first section of Mantissa, the readers can consider the force of the death drive and jouissance and determine if the two can be traced together or separately throughout the book. The death drive, according to Lacan, is something that “occupies each of us; it is within each of us from the start.” Jouissance is defined as the “orgasmic shattering of the self for which the death drive aims.” It makes sense, to me anyways, that each of these terms is needed in order to complete the other. The jouissance is sparked by the death drive, and the death drive has a purpose because of the jouissance.

However, Lacanian theory states that only one of the two terms can be present at a given time. In Mantissa, Fowles therefore is refuting Lacanian Theory and shows that both the death drive and jouissance have a common objective of fulfilling a character’s personality. This is clear in Miles Green; his identity and his sexual desires go hand in hand, and even though he may not realize through the first section of the novel, Fowles created his character as such. Fowles wrote Miles Green’s character the way he did because that’s how he wanted his main character to be represented. He is showing the readers that one’s identity can help discover his or her sexual needs. One contributes to the other, despite Lacan’s best wishes.

Thank you again, Ashley! I feel like I have a solid grasp on Lacan and psychoanalysis, or at least I hope so!

La Sonrisita