Virtual Enjoyment - Close Reading

Neill, Calum

Abstract

This session will provide an opportunity to explore two chapters from Lacan’s Seminar XVII. The primary aim of the session is to engage collectively in a slow reading of the seminar working together to disentangle and shine some light on Lacan’s developing discourse. It should be kept in mind that Lacan’s seminars were unscripted, but not unprepared, which is to say that the seminar is itself an informed exploration. Towards the end of the seminar, Lacan explicitly makes the point that there is something here, in the context of this exploration, that “prevents us from concluding” (173). Our slow reading will respect this point and will seek to open up, rather than close down, the text.

The chapters upon which we will focus – chapters VII and XI - each concern the place and functioning of science, articulating our understanding of science as a societal phenomenon to notions of curated knowledge, mastery, identity, and the unary trait.

• Presentation Conference Type: Presentation / Talk
• Conference Name: Virtual Enjoyment
• Start Date: Jul 18, 2022
• End Date: Jul 21, 2022
• Deposit Date: Jul 18, 2023
• Keywords: Lacan discourse analysis