So my thoughts on Mantissa ….
First off let me start by saying that it wasn’t quite what I expected. I can say that I was genuinely surprised to say the least, but intrigued as I get more and more into the novel.
But onto theory….
While I thought there many different aspects about theory in the novel – actually within the fist chapter alone – the one that I immediately realized was within the first sentence, “conscious of a luminous and infinite haze” – the mirror stage according to Lacan.
For those that don’t know, Lacan’s idea of the mirror stage, a stage at which someone – usually a baby – first realizes “itself,” that it is an “I.” After realization, the baby has a moment of jouissance or enjoyment and looks to in this case, the mother for confirmation. For this person or self in the story, “nothing seemed familiar.” Everything he once knew was now forgotten – “not language, not location, not cast.” I guess the best way to image this is when you wake up from a nap in which your dream throws your mind out of sorts. Where you wake up and you have to sit there and remember what exactly you were doing, but more importantly where you are. Except with that, imagine that you have no idea what anything is – everything that you thought you once knew, now makes no absolute sense. Welcome to his life.
First off let me start by saying that it wasn’t quite what I expected. I can say that I was genuinely surprised to say the least, but intrigued as I get more and more into the novel.
But onto theory….
While I thought there many different aspects about theory in the novel – actually within the fist chapter alone – the one that I immediately realized was within the first sentence, “conscious of a luminous and infinite haze” – the mirror stage according to Lacan.
For those that don’t know, Lacan’s idea of the mirror stage, a stage at which someone – usually a baby – first realizes “itself,” that it is an “I.” After realization, the baby has a moment of jouissance or enjoyment and looks to in this case, the mother for confirmation. For this person or self in the story, “nothing seemed familiar.” Everything he once knew was now forgotten – “not language, not location, not cast.” I guess the best way to image this is when you wake up from a nap in which your dream throws your mind out of sorts. Where you wake up and you have to sit there and remember what exactly you were doing, but more importantly where you are. Except with that, imagine that you have no idea what anything is – everything that you thought you once knew, now makes no absolute sense. Welcome to his life.
The scene that Fowles paints for us is the first stage in the mirror stage – the imaginary. In this stage, the self relates in terms of images. This is why when we reading the first few pages, all we are greeted with is descriptive language setting this image for us about a person who is trying to distinguish its own self.
As the man appears to awaken, he seems to move into the symbolic stage through which the self and the other attempt to identify through the idea of language. When this man hears his supposed wife “announce names, people’s names, street names, disjointed phrases,” he believes that he has heard him before but yet they have meaning to him. These words or phrases made by his wife are attempts for him to create an identity using this language. Creating a self symbolically through language.
I also thought that maybe this passage in the book could briefly touch on the idea that language has no meaning because of the fact that he feels as though he had heard the language mentioned to him before, but yet they have no meeting. I could be completely wrong on that idea, but I just thought I would throw it out there to see how everyone else felt about it.
Until next time…..
2 comments:
I really like your idea about language having no meaning. I was thinking a little bit about that as well but I couldn't really articulate what I wanted to say about it haha. Its interesting to think about someone not knowing what words mean, I think it gives them all of the power that language takes away from us, from experiences, etc. Great post!
I really liked the point that you made about Green constructing his identity through language. I think that this idea is carried throughout the first section as he begins to piece together bits of his identity through his conversations with Dr.Delphi. It is interesting to that he is only able to figure out who he is from what he knows he is not. For example he knows that he is not the type of person who would agree with the type of "treatment" that he is being perscribed. Great post!
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