The Post Card: From Socrates to Freud and Beyond (English and French Edition)

551 Pages·1987·7.639 MB·English, French

by  Jacques Derrida

T·H·E
P·O··S·T
C·A·RD
FromS ocratteos
• • • •
Freuadn d Beyond
• • • •
JACQUES
DERRIDA
Translawtiethd.,aI nn troducantdi on
AdditiNoontaelbs y,Al an Bass
THEU NIVERSOIFT CYH CIAGOP RESS
CHICA&G LOO NDON
JacquDeesrr idiasp rofesastto hre E coldee sH autes
EtudeensS ciencSeocsi alePsa,r iasn.dh oldvsi siting
professorastth hieUp nsi verosfiC tayl ifornIirav,i ne,
anda tC ornelUln iversity.
AlaBna srse ceihviePsdh .Df.r omt hJeo hnHso pkins
Univerasnidtt yh ewne notn t op sychoanalytic training
inN ewY orkC ityw,h erhee i sn owa practiacnian­g
lysHte. hasp ublisahneddl ecturoneb do tdhe con­
structiaonndp sychoanatlhyetoiracyn dp ractice.
TheU niverosfiC thyi caPgroe sCsh,i ca6go6o3 7
TheU niverosfiC thyi caPregso s,L td.L,o ndon
© I98b7 yT heU niverosfiC thyi cago
Allr ighrtess er.vP eudblisIh9e8d7
Printientd h eU nitSetda toefsA merica
969 59 49 39 29 I9 08 98 88 7 54 3 2 I
Thiboso k wasfi rsptu blisuhneddet rh tei tLlaec arle
postaD/eSe o:c rda tFer euedta u-de©l Id9,8 o,
Flarnmarion, Paris.
Illustrcaotuirotnoesfst yh Beod leiaLni braOrxyf,o rd.
Cover illuPsltartaaont diS oocnr:a tetsh,fe r ontispiece
ofP rognoSsotcircbaaat siisalf oerit,u ne-botoekl.l ing
Englisthh,i rteceenntthu rtyh,ew orko fM atthew
PariMsS.. A shmol3e0 4f,o l3.I v( detail).
LibroafCry o ngrCeastsa loging-iDna-tPau blication
DerriJdaac,q ues.
Thep oscta rd.
TranslatoifoL:na c artpeo stale.
Inclubdiebsl iograrepfheirceanlc es.
I.P hilosop2h.Py oe.t ry3.· P sychoanaalnyds is
philosop4h-Lyi.t erature-PhiIlo.Tsi otplhey..
B2430.D483C3I79I837 I90 86-27259
ISBNo -226-I4320-I
ISBNo -226-I43(2p2b-k8. )
CONTENTS
TrasnlatIonrt'rso duLc betfioorKne :
vii
Glossary
xiii
Envois
I
ToS pecualte-o"nF reud"
257
Noti(cWeasr nings)
259
2 FreuLde'gsa cy
292
3 Paryaslis
338
4 SevePno:s tscript
387
Lef cateduerI a v erite
41 I
Dut out
497

TRANSLATOR'SI NTRODUCTION
L BEFORE K

L BEFOREK
... andb efotrheee pigratpoht sh iisn troducttihoean c,k nowledg­
mentIn. thec oursoefa na nalyosfit sh eb ooky ouh avein y our
handSsa,m ueWle berh asv erhya ppislpyo keonft he" owinagtt he
hearotfk nowinga,n"do ft he" peculiinadre btedantte hsesv ery
coroefp sychoanaltyhtiinckailSn og,.t "ou set hveo cabulwahriyc h
Iw ilalt temtpoit n trodhuecreet ,h ter anslaactkonro wletdhgaehtse
owesa nu npayadbelbett ot haeu thfoorhr i hse l(ph ihse lph?i gsi ft?
"his" "time"t?h)et rwaintshl aotf"i Eonnv oisIt. h"a nJka cques
Derrifdoarh isg eneroausss istaInr ceeg:a trhdi tsr anslaatsai on
particuplraorvliys ioonneba,ul t w ithoDuetr ridhae'lisptw oulndo t
havbee epno ssiabtla el l.
By placitnhgia sc knowledgbmeefnottr heee pigrapIah msd ,e ­
liberatpellayy iwnigt thh eu suasle quenocfte h et ranslaitnotrr'os­
ductiTohni.ts o oi sp arotfm y acknowledgmOenneot f.t hem ajor
concernosf T he Positst hCepa orsdsi sbulbev ersoifow nh ati s
usualtlayk eansa f ixesde quence-Seo.cgr.a tbeesf oPrlea ttoh,e
passionfga ni nheritfraonmc ae p riogre nerattioao snu cceeding
onet,h ed eatohft heo ldb efotrheey oungW.h ati ft heu suaaln d
seeminfigxleysd e quenwceer ree versiWbhlaeti? fe acthe romf t he
sequenccoen taiwnietdh iint setlhfep rincitphlaest u bverts the
usuaplr ogressWihoantc? o ultdh erbeeb etweeeanc the ramn di t­
seltfh awto ulodp erattheis su bversion?
Fore xamplietu, s ualgloye wsi thosuaty itngh atth et ranslator
makehsi asc knowledgmaett nhtees n odfh iisn troducMtyi goens.­
turhee ries t op utt hea cknowledgbmeenttw teheetn i talned e pi­
grapIhhs a vceh osefnotr h is introBduuttc otp ioosni.tt ihoetn r ans­
latoarc'ksn owledgbmeenttw teietnaln ed e pigrahpahsa formal
analowgiyt thh ues uaplo sitoifot nh et ranslator'Osf tentnah,me e .
translantaomret' osoc omebse tweteint alned e pigraopnth h e title
pageo fa translatio'n.-'eS.igg. mFurnedu dT.h eI ntperretation
'
X TRANSLATORS INTRODUCTION
oDfr !amTsr.a nslaanteded di tbeyJd a meSst racFhleeyc.ts eir e
nequeo sAucpheerromoson,vt oea".b I a mm akitnhgi" sf ormal"
poiinnol r dteojr u xtatphoiesn ed ebteadttn heceso sro efp sycho­
analytic thtihinenk dienbgt eawdttin htceehos rsoe ft ranslIfa tion.
thter ansalnadtt hoaern alsyhsatar nei ndeedbnteassst ,h eet y­
mologsiacmaeln oefts rsa nsfaenrdte rnacnes lUabteirotnr,a gung,
indicwahtyei sst, h iisn debteudsnueaaslcslk yn owloendlgayet d
"theen d"I?st hesroem etahtti hn"egc orteh"ta htoe n oert hoet her
woulpdr enfoettrot hianbko ut?
Thiqsu esttioooin,sp arotfm ya ckwnloedgmfeonDrte ,r rida
askismt antyi mtehrso ughTohuPeto sCta rWdh.y d oeas" trans­
latoFrr,e"u fdo,er x ampolfet,he anv seu cdhi fficumlatkyi ng
acknowledgWmheogn atvsFe?r euhdit si mhei,hs e lhpi,gs i ft,
witthh "et ranslNaiteitozns"Hc?eh ied?e gAgnedrw ?h or elayed
thgei fSto?c raPtleastH?oo ?p efuslulcqyhu, e stwiiolbnlesm ore
meaninagftfeuyrlo u h avree aTdh Peo st CFarrodm: Sotcor ates
Freuadn Bde yoNnodr.a r seu cqhu estwiiotnhsro eulta ttoit ohne
plaocfte h ter anslator's naanmedep ibgertaawnpetdheo t,n h et itle
"olcatiooftn h"e in"dceobrtoeefp"d s ychoantahliyntkAiiscn g.
Derrpiodian otuset l sewhtehroeer ,i gtienxaitlsa lsion debttoe d
thter anslfaoitrti ssou nr viWvhaalwt.e c alatl e xatl waiymsp lies
supplemeunntpaaryyad,be lbetA su.t haonrdt ransnlaamtteoh re
signers/sopfae nno dtehredsre 'bstt h,ce o ntrfaocirtn solvency
signoentd h tei tplaegu en,d erlbiytn ietadln eedp igraPpshysc.h o­
analyass"i tsh,e oorr"y t"h e,r"ai psamy editaotnti aronns laitti on:
alsiom plsiuecsahc ontract.
Thee pigraphFsr,o Fmtr heeuHnde.,i degagneDdre ,r rida.
Dec9.-C heerfiuslf ,a lliinnlg o vwei tthh gei rl-talkatdirveea-ma
witah n eologigsemn,e rsatla mffa po fWLK (Poliwsohr d)W.e must
goi nttoh itso morr.o.w.
Dec1.0 -Het olmde thew holder eamb,u tu nderstnaontdhsi anbgo ut
ito;n t heo thehra nhd eg avmee af ewa ssociattoiW oLnKs . ..T heK
correspotnotd hse" viel[kprao"n ounacsEe ndg li"svhe e-el-=k a"]
"old.I"ta lsroe mindheidm o fh iasn xiewthye na ts chootlh el ettKe r
[i.beo.y sw hosnea meb egawni tahK ]w asb einegx aminesdi,n ciet
meantth ahti Ls wasg ettivnegr nye arI.tw oultdh ucso rresptoona d
wisthh aKt s houlcdo mea fteLr ...
-Freud," OrigiRneaclo rodf t he' RaMta n'C ase"( Editor's
interpoliantb iroancsk eStst)a,n dEadridt 1i0:o2 9n4 -95.
Int heb eginnoifnW ge stetrhni nkiBnegi,ni gst hougbhut,tn ott he" It
gives("e gsi batss) u chT.h el atter withdfraavoworsf t ihneg ift
L BEFOREK xi
whicIhtg iveTsh.a gtif ti st hougahntdc onceptuaflriozmte hde onn
exclusiavsBe eliyn wgi trhe gatrod beings.
A giviwnhgi cghi veosn liyt gsi ftb,u ti nt hgei vihnogl dist sbealcfk
andw ithdraswusc,ahg iviwnegc alsle ndiAcncgo.r ditnotg h mee an­
ingo fg iviwnhgi cihst ob et hougihntt h iwsa yB,e ing-thwahti cIht
gives-wihsa it ss enEta.c ho fi ttsr ansformraetmiaoindnses s tined
int himsa nneWrh.a ti sh istoriinct ahleh istoorfBy e inigs d eter­
minebdy w hati ss enfto rtihnd estinniontbg ,ya ni ndeterminately
thouguhpto ccurrence.
Theh istoorfBy e inmge andse stionfBy e inign w hosse endings
botthh see ndianngdt hIet w hicshe ndfso rhtohl bda cwki tthh eir self­
manifestTaoth ioolnbd.a ciks i,n G reeke,po chHee.n cwee s peaokf
thee pochosft hed estionfBy e inEgp.o cdho enso tm eanh eraes pan
oft imei no ccurrenbcuet,r athtehref undamencthaalr acteorfi stic
senditnhgea, c tuhaoll ding-obfia tcskei lnff a voorft bdei scernibility
oft heg iftth,a its o,f B einwgi trhe gatrodt heg roundoifn g beings.
Thes equenocfee p ochisnt hed estionfBy e inigsn ota ccidental, nor
cani tb ec alculaastn eedc essary.
-HeideggOernT, ime Baenidnp gp,.8 - 9;m y ital.i cs
. .b ym .e anosf a s witpcohi nIwt i lsle ntdh eme lsewhere.
-Derrida",E nvoiso,n"eo ft hel ettoefrF se brua1r9y7 9.
Thec itatifornoFsmr eundo'tsoe nst hRea Mta nc aslei,kt eh e
"Envoairswe,h" a rte maoifna ds a tseedr oifes su ppospervdialtye
textthsaa trn eo wp ublic-alp ikueb licsohrerde spoonrda e nce,
seroifei sn tercpeopscttae rddF su.r thienFr r,e ntchhRe,a t Man's
mapi sa lsaco aradc ,a r.Int eas enstehR,ea Mta np uhti rse turn
addroents hsce a ritnhe i dsr eam.n aHmwieas Ps a uLlo reannzid,n
thsee ctiooftn h cei tatthiIaoh tna veel idFerde,su ady tsh haeta sso­
ciattheledo f" vieltkoLa o"r eTnhzre. o olefp ropnearm eisn" pri­
vattee"x itses x amitnherdo ugthh"oeEu tn voTihse.ir"sea nother
caritnte h "ep ublviecr"s oifto hnce a steh,me a po ft hreo ubtee­
tweaet nr asitna tainoadpn o sotffi ceD.e rrriedfate otr hsci sa ritne
onoef t hlee ttoef7r S se ptem1b9e7r7 -whiiswc hhyI c hotshei s
epigrHaopwhe.v tehrpe,a ssraagiesm easn y other questions that
beaorrit h"eE nvoiFso.er" x ampilnte h,ee n torfy9 D ecember,
Freduode nso tte ulsla botuhtre e labteitownef eanl liinln ogva en d
thcea r:yt oeuwi lfiln dm ucohn t htiosp hiecr Feu.r thIae mri ,n ­
trigbuyeF dr eudde'dsu ctthiatothnd e r earme preasw einstthsh at
K shouclodm aetf eLr.W hyW?h yn oLt b feorKe? I na neyv ent,
whyd oeLso rewnizst hoc hantghoeer doeftr h ael phaTbore etd?u ce
thaen xioefwt ayi ttiobn ecg a lledt oau npsowtneh erex amiAnnedr ?