Date: Sat, 24 Feb 1996 14:58:23 -0700
Subject: Re: MB: 2-things


In your last posting, you wrote:

 yesterday, in discussing "The Essential Solitude" from EL
>with some bright, advanced undergraduates (a combination of English and
>philosophy majors) who were having considerable difficulty in fathoming the
>image-fascination relation (especially as this bears on solitude), I found
>myself resorting to the notion of fetish.  This recourse seemed to work
>(well, sort of), but I found myself quite uneasy about making this parallel,
>nevertheless drawn toward it (worst of all, I was aware of these
>'doublings').  I was wondering what thoughts others might have on this
>parallel.

 I really don't think that the parallel is correct, and actually it goes
against blanchotian discourse:  for once, the notion of "fetish" implies
the idea of substitution, while the blanchotian "image" doesn't replace an
originary object. Also, the notion of "fetish" would render the image a
mere "object" of desire, while the image has a sense only within the
"rapport" established by "fascination", or the "gaze".  But the "image" has
a gaze too, while the fetish is just looked upon.

I am eager to continue the discussion.  
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>Subject: MB: 2-things
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Giuseppina Mecchia
gmecchia-AT-rikki.cc.colorado.edu