Lacan’s Return to Antiquity: Between nature and the gods

289 Pages·2016·16 MB·English

by  Oliver Harris

OLIVER HARRIS
LACAN'S RETURN TO
A N T I Q U I T Y
BETW
Lacan's Return to Antiquity
Lacan's Return to Antiquity is the first book devoted to the role
of classical antiquity in Lacan's work. Oliver Harris poses a
question familiar from studies of Freud: what are Ancient
Greece and Rome doing in a twentieth-century theory of
psychology? In Lacan's case, the issue has an additional edge,
for he employs antiquity to demonstrate what is radically new
about psychoanalysis. It is a tool with which to convey the
revolutionary power of Freud's ideas by digging down to the
philosophical questions beneath them. It is through these
questions that Lacan allies psychoanalysis with the pioneering
intellectual developments of his time in anthropology,
philosophy, art and literature.
Harris begins by considering the role of Plato and Socrates in
Lacan's conflicted thoughts on teaching, writing and the process
of becoming an intellectual icon. In doing so, he provides a way
into considering the uniquely challenging nature of the Lacanian
texts themselves and the live performances behind them. Two
central chapters explore when and why myth is drawn upon in
psychoanalysis, its threat to the discipline's scientific
aspirations, and Lacan's embrace of its expressive potential.
The final chapters explore Lacan's defence of tragedy and his
return to Ovidian themes. These include the unwitting
voyeurism of Actaeon and the fate of Narcissus, a figure of
tragic metamorphosis that Freud places at the heart of infantile
development.
Lacan's Return to Antiquity brings to Lacan studies the close
reading and crossdisciplinary research that has proved fruitful in
understanding Freud's invention of psychoanalysis. It will
appeal to psychoanalysts and advanced students studying in
the field, being of particular value to those interested in the roots
of Lacanian concepts, the evolution of his thought, and the
cultural context of his work. What emerges is a more nuanced,
self-critical figure, a corrective to the reputation for dogmatism
and obscurity that Lacan has attracted. In the process, new light
is thrown on enduring controversies, from Lacan's
pronouncements on feminine sexuality to the opaque drama of
the seminars themselves.
Oliver Harris is a novelist and academic. He holds an MA in
Shakespeare Studies from UCL, and a PhD on classical myth
and psychoanalysis from the London Consortium (Birkbeck). He
has taught at Birkbeck, London Metropolitan University and
Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education.
'This book makes a compelling case for returning, with Lacan,
to antiquity, and by doing so Oliver Harris shows the reader how
it is possible to open up and thereby also lay anew the
foundations for an innovative reading of Lacanian
psychoanalysis. Lacan's Return to Antiquity accomplishes its
task with clarity and energy, bringing a writer's craft to bear on
telling us what we should already have known, and thereby
striking a conceptual blow apres-coup for antiquity with Lacan.'
- Ian Parker, psychoanalyst, Professor of Management,
University of Leicester
'Much like Freud, Lacan had a lifelong "compulsion for
antiquity", although in his case it was definitely more focused on
hommelettes than on statuettes. In this brilliantly researched
and masterfully written book, Oliver Harris explains why the
study of Plato and Aristotle is as important for the development
of Lacan's thought as the reading of Freud himself, and he
shows how key Lacanian notions cannot be fully understood
without a return to classical antiquity. Avoiding the Bacchic
frenzy that often accompanies the contemporary Lacan-cult, this
book stands out as a new beacon, which will cast its light on the
roots of Lacanian psychoanalysis for many years to come.'
- Dany Nobus, Professor of Psychoanalytic Psychology and
Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Brunel University London; chair of the
Freud Museum London
'The exploration of Lacan's engagement with the Classics
sheds a novel and appealing light on his thinking. In this
sparkling study, Oliver Harris shows how fruitful for Lacan's
ideas, no less than for Freud's, were the writings of classical
authors from the Presocratics and Plato to Plautus and Ovid.
The deep-rooted connections of ancient myth, philosophy and
literature with Lacan's insights into sexuality, creativity and
fantasy allow Harris to present an original and engaging
exploration of key texts for both psychoanalysis and the
Classics.'
-Armand D'Angour, Associate Professor of Classics,
Oxford University
LACAN'S RETURN TO ANTIQUITY
Between nature and the gods
Oliver Harris
11
Routledge
I llii.,
ID)'ior & ~rilnrn Groop
LONDON AND Nl:W YORK
First published 2017
by Routledge
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© 2017 Oliver Harris
The right of Oliver Harris to be identified as author of this work has been
asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Names: Harris, Oliver, 1978-author.
Title: Lacan's Return to Antiquity : between nature and the gods I Oliver Harris.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY: Routledge, 2016. I Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016001406 (print) I LCCN 2016009826 (ebook) I ISBN
9781138820371 (hardback) I ISBN 9781138820388 (pbk.) I ISBN
9781315743929 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Lacan, Jacques, 1901-1981.1 Psychoanalysis and philosophy.
I Civilization, Classical.
Classification: LCC BF109.L23 H37 2016 (print) I LCC BF109.L23 (ebook) I
DOC 150.19/5092--dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016001406
ISBN: 978-1-138-82037-1 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-82038-8 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-74392-9 (ebk)
Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction: The meaning of a return
1 'Surprised by truth': Socrates, Plato and the Lacanian
seminar
2 The myth of sexual reproduction
3 Creation and castration: Making something out of nothing
4 Exploiting tragedy: Psychoanalysis, fate and free will
5 Unknown pleasures: Orgasms and epistemology
Index
Acknowledgements
I'd like to thank Steve Connor for sharing his knowledge,
irreverence and intellectual excitement, offering supervision with
equal measures of support and trust. The London Consortium
provided an astonishing academic environment in which to
enjoy three years of research: thank you to all who made it
happen, friends and faculty. More broadly, it was a privilege to
be part of Birkbeck's inspiring nocturnal community. Big thanks
to Matt Taunton, without whose encouragement I would never
have found my way there, and who has offered continuing
support over the years.
Dany Nobus provided insight and expertise when it was
needed most. Parveen Adams was generous with both
conversation and resources at a seminal stage. Lionel Bailly
contributed multiple suggestions and a most uplifting
interrogation as part of the final examination. A very large thank
you to Ian Parker, who not only saved the day but proved to be
an invaluable person to meet, lending assistance ever since.
Not least of his contributions was an introduction to Armand
D'Angour, who shared his classical knowledge with generosity
and tolerance. Needless to say, any errors remain my own.
The Arts and Humanities Research Council fully funded the
PhD on which this book is based. With an invitation to the
conference, 'Classical Myth and Psychoanalysis', Vanda Zajko
and Ellen O'Gorman provided the opportunity to share work with
an incredible group of people at a formative moment. At the
other end of the process, Kristopher Spring responded with
enthusiasm, stamina and sharp-eyed attention to a somewhat
chaotic manuscript.
I am grateful to Oxford University Press for permission to
reproduce parts of my essay, 'The Ethics of Metamorphosis',
from Classical Myth and Psychoanalysis: Ancient and Modem
Stories of the Self, and to the Random House Group, VVVV
Norton, Polity Press and the State University of New York Press
for allowing use of the quotations that stand at the head of
chapters 1 and 2.
A belated but important thank you to everyone in the UCL
English Department for starting off the adventure. Special
thanks to Henry Woudhuysen for two unforgettable years of
supervision, as well as words of encouragement at more than
one difficult moment of transition; and thank you to Rene Weis
for his inspirational scholarly passion and for offering a warm
welcome back to UCL as I embarked on a very privileged year
studying Shakespeare.
Thank you to my parents, Charles and Elaine, for
wholehearted support every step of the way. Final, inestimable
thanks to my wife, Emily Kenway, for putting up with more years
of tuches and homelettes than any partner should have to
endure. Maybe Aristophanes was right after all.