Date: Sun, 22 Oct 2000 22:01:06 -0400
Subject: Jouissance in the Dark


Fred wrote:

>(I.e. "an irony which destroys its negation and, 
>hence, returns in the affirmative.") von Trier's last movie Dance in the 
>Dark could perhaps ce read along these lines - I cried more, not less, 
>because of the (brechtian epic) 'distance' - precisely the irony was 
>what made the film so sad. 

At 12:41 PM 22/10/00 -0400, Ottie wrote:

>>         I haven't been but will probably see this film.  Though, I  
>absolutely detested "Breaking The waves" and I hear this one is even more  
>provocative in exactly the same way, female sacrifice.

Ken wrote:

>I think there is an archived debate about BtW for the M&T list. Zizek's review 
>of BtW can also be found in The Zizek Reader and Chris Brittain has published 
>an article on it (a critical review) which can be found somewhere on the net 
>(google search Brittain and Zizek might work). Of course, my position defends 
>the film (along Zizekian lines) - not in terms of feminine sacrifice - but as 
>revealling and illustrating (and therefore providing a critique of) the 
>psychotic demands of masculinist desire.



Thanks, Ken, for mentioning an article you think is profoundly erroneous.
The essay in question can be found at:

http://www.gradnet.de/pomo2.files/pomo2.frames/ep2Frame.htm

Unfortunately, Ken's protests to the contrary, I continue to be disturbed by
von Trier's manipulative use of the suffering of women with questionable
mental states, in order to turn them into emblems of saintliness. 'Breaking
the Waves' (the first and best film of the three), 'the Idiots' (a film
largely considered by critics to be a failure), and now 'Dancer in the Dark'
all share this astonishing plot line. Von Trier's fascination with the "Gold
Heart" children's story, in which a little girl enters the woods, and
gradually gives everything she carries with her away, until she is left
naked and alone, lies behind the inspiration for BtW, and vT can't seem to
leave this theme behind.

The "irony" of the films is a manipulative one, developed at the expense of
the characters - playing with them to purposely manipulate the audience's
response. Von T is more interested in his theme of "Goodness" than the
content of his stories, with leaves me with the impression of a director
testing the martyr-potentiality of his female characters, like God tested
Job (don't get me started on the notion of "feminine jouissance"!).

So, I share the same concern as Ottie RE von Trier's work (although "the
Kingdom" is much fun).

As for Ken's remarks on jousissance:

Ken wrote:

>There is 
>always the danger, however, that this approach paints consumers merely as 
>dupes, which I strongly think we need to avoid. Rather, this lack, the lack 
>which actually fuels desire, is not so much a dupe as it is inherent to 
>desiring itself. 

<snip>

<In effect, one does not 
>desire a commodity or consumer good for oneself, but for the Other - which the 
>consumer good is supposed to satiate --> I buy a book for my Library (so my 
>Library can enjoy it or I tape a TV show that I never intend to watch so my
VCR 
>can enjoy watching it for me). If we are going to talk about "my desire" this 
>has to do with fantasy - the way in which a subject (uniquely) organizes their 
>enjoyment. So I'd make that distinction: desire is always the desire of the 
>Other, but enjoyment is always *my* enjoyment.

Hmmmmm. So, we should avoid suggesting that consumers are duped? Perhaps
this is wise, as it is rather simplistic to state it so bluntly, but is
their belief that they NEED the new kitchen appliance not the result of a
successful manipulation on the part of the advertising industry? I suppose
you might suggest here that this is "desiring for the Other."

Ken continues:

>The Lacanian insight 
>here is to recognize that the Ikea duvet does not cover over the lack which is 
>constitutive of both the subject qua subject and the object... and that the 
>promise of wholeness is, in fact, nothing more than a fantasy. In effect: 
>"there is no consumer relationship" - no particular good can 'fix' the subject.

By this, do you mean to suggest that the consumer is not duped by the
advertizer, but rather by the impression that the shopping spree will
finally satisfy the desire?
 
>As far as I can see, the power of Capitalism has to do directly with its 
>capacity to mimic the way in which we desire - in the form of reproducing 
>itself. Ironically, the logic of Capitalism contains its own seeds of 
>disintegration. The only "real thing" which can satisfy the consumer is 
>"No-thing." In short: if we take consumerism at its word, that products
satisfy 
>our desires, then we should buy nothing.


Interesting, but it is, of course, rather meaningless, unless one chooses to
become "Golden Heart" and give everything away......

It seems that "desire" here is a rather large concept that blurs some key
distinctions. My desire for a DVD player or a Pentium III is not the same as
my desire for a roof over my head or three meals a day. Yet, the advertizing
industry attempts to influence the consumer's decision making (and to
encourage certain fantasy structures - eg lottery jack-pots) in ways that
blurs this distinction. Is that not manipulation, and, in a sense, an
attempt to "dupe" the consumer?

Yes, I realize that I'm not employing my terms in a strict Lacanian fashion,
but am simply trying to make a point quickly. I had trouble following Ken's
examples of items 'enjoying' for me (the VCR, the library, etc), although
perhaps merely because I'm a bit light-headed today - I skipped eating today
because I'm saving up for a new Diskman  ;)

Which gets me back to the "ironic/subversive" acts of von Trier's female
martyrs: who "enjoys" their actions? who "trangresses" the fantasy? It seems
to me that this would be only possible for the Transcedent Director and his
disciples the audience - an enjoyment purchased by the suffering of the the
saintly women. But, then again, we're supposed to be consoled by the song
that Selma (Bjork) sings: "You'll always be there to catch me."

Chris