Talking-to-brick-walls-a-series-of-presentations-in-the-chapel-at-sainteanne-hospital-Jacques Lacan

126 Pages·2017·1.295 MB·English

by  Jacques Lacan, Translator- Adrian Price

Talking to Brick Walls
A Series of Presentations
in the Chapel at
Sainte-Anne Hospital
Jacques Lacan
Translated by A. R. Price
polity
fine publisl,eJ in l;rc:-nch as Jr p11rlr 1111:< mun.
E111u1ir,u dr /.,, rh,iptllt dr Smntr-Amtt, © Edilions <lu Scuil, 2011
This English edi1ion © Polity Press, 2017
roli1y Prl!SS
65 BriJgc Strc:-ct
Cambridge CB2 I UR. UK
Polity Press
IO I Sut ion L,n<ling
Suiu: 300,
M,-dfor<l. MA 02155, USA
All rights reserved. Exccp1 for the quo1:11ion of short pa.-.s,.1ics for thL' purp,1~c
of criticism and u. .- vicv.·, no part of thi\ publio.tion m:I)' lx.· reprutluccJ. MutL"J
in 3 rctriC\"31 s:y51cm or 1ransmitted, in any form or by any mt.-;1ns, ekxuunic.:,
mcchanic:J, photocopying, recording or othcrwisc, wi1hou1 1hc pfiur pcrn1i\~iun
of 1he publisher.
ISBN-I 3, 978-0-7456-6242-6
A c::11:i.logue record for this book is :1..-.1ib.blc from the Bmi,h I ihr:try.
Typeset in 12.s on 15 pt Adobe G.uamon<l b)·
Sc:rvis Film!>C'ctins Lid, Stockport. Clu.--shirc
P,imed and bound by Cb>-s LrJ, St Ives PI.C
The publisher hJ.S wed i1.s be.st cndt.'"J\'Ours to cruurc that tht.· UIUs for cx1nn:tl
websites referred 10 in thi~ book ate ,orrcct and active :11 1hc: time of 1,oin~ Hl
prc:s.s. l-lowcvcr, lhe publi\hcr has no responsibility for the wc..·hsi1c5 !lnJ 1.-!ln
m:ikc no guar;;a.n1ce th:11 :i si1c will remain live or th:i1 1hc c.:01uem is or will
rcm:Un :appropriate.
Every effort h:is been m:ide to trace ,1II copyright holders, but if :my have bct·n
in:advertently overlookc:d 1he pubfoher will be plc:-.i.scJ to includt.· :In)' nt.-ccss:try
cn .. Jiu in :iny ~ubscquent reprint or cJi1ion.
for fun her informJtion on Polity, vi.sit our website: poli1yl>ook.s.com
Contents
Note on the Text vii
I. Knowledge, Ignorance, Truth and
Jouissance I
II. On Incomprehension and Other
Themes 35
III. I've Been Talking to Brick Walls 71
Appendix 105
Translator's Notes III
V

Note on the Text
Having been invited ro deliver a series of monthly
seminars for junior psychiatrists at the Sainte
Anne Hospital in Paris, Lacan chose the title The
Psychoanalysts Knowledge. Some of his pupils,
perhaps inspired by reading Bataille, had at the
time been waving the banner of'non-knowledge'.
While the first three of these entretiens, as
Lacan called them, corresponded roughly ro
his initial idea, the next four revolved around
questions that were being discussed in his main
Seminar held in the Law Faculty on the place du
Pantheon under the title ... or Worse.
I have respected this caesura by inserting these
four sessions in their chronological position in
Book XIX of the Seminar, where they would
vii
NOTE ON THE TEXT
have been a conspicuous omission had they not
been included. The first three talks, on the other
hand, would be distracting there, and so I have
grouped them together in this short book.
They were delivered in the hospital chapel on
4 November 1971, 2 December of the same year,
and 6 January 1972.
Jacques-Alain Miller
viii
I
Knowledge, Ignorance,
Truth and Jouissance