Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
Therefore,perhaps,thereissomereasonforthestrangelackof
anyfactualinformationabouttheEmpire,apoweraboutwhichwe
neverlearnanything.PerhapswhatwewitnessinWaitingforthe
Barbariansisnotastoryaboutsomeupstartsfromthecapital,cor-
ruptedbypowerandwreakinghavocintheidyllic(organic)frontier
societyruledbyawiseandliberalMagistrate,butanallegoryabout
thenatureofimperialpoweritselfpresentedinthemicrocosmof
thefrontierfort,apowerwhichalwayshastwofaces(thebenevo-
lentsymbolicfatherandtheobsceneenjoyeroftorture)andwhich
tellsitselfstoriesaboutthemilk-and-honeypasttodissimulatethe
antagonismswithinitandprojectthemasacontingentdangerin-
vadingfromtheoutside.Onthisreading,thereisnothingbuttruth
inJoll’sretorttotheMagistrate’soutragedcry:KYouaretheenemy,
youhavemadethewar,andyouhavegiventhemallthemartyrs
theyneed–startingnotnowbutayearagowhenyoucommitted
yourfirstfilthybarbaritieshere!Historywillbearmeout!”(114);
Joll’sansweris:KNonsense.Therewillbenohistory,theaffairis
tootrivial.”Orrather:yourpleawillnotbeincludedinthehistory
oftheEmpirebecausethewarwiththebarbariansispreciselythe
waytheantagonismofoursociety(theantagonismbetweentheold
familiesandtheyoungupstartjackals)isbeingnarrativisedinorder
todissimulateit.
Ofcourse,theMagistrateinhismoresobermomentsisconscious
ofthelinkthatconnectshimtothesecurityofficersastheother
faceoftheEmpire:KForIwasnot,asIlikedtothink,theindul-
gentpleasure-lovingoppositeofthecoldrigidColonel.Iwasthelie
thatEmpiretellsitselfwhentimesareeasy,hethetruththatthe
Empiretellswhenharshwindsblow.Twosidesofimperialrule,no
morenoless”(135).Butthereisafurthersteponeshouldtakehere
–onemayask:thelietheEmpirebelieveswhentimesareeasyfor
whom?Preciselyforthosewhocanfeeltheyliveinparadisebecause
ofwealth,patronageandplentyofeducation–forotherstheindul-
gentpleasure-lovinglifeissimplyinaccessible,andthetruthofthe
Empireforthem,regardlessoftimes,istherigidruleoftheColonel.
AlthoughtheMagistrate’srelationtohimselfhastobenegoti-
atedbymeansofhisrelationtothesecurityofficers,theKobject”
throughwhichthisrelationismediatedisthebarbariangirlwho
confrontationwiththegirlcanbesaidtodissolveintheMagistratethegenitalor-
ganisationofthedrives,thatis,thehierarchyofthedrives(incarnatedinthegenital
organisationoferogenouszones)basedonthesuccessfulintroductionofthepaternal
metaphor(themastersignifier)andreturnshimtopolymorphoussexualityoforal
andanalstagesinwhichthegenitals(thepenis)losetheprivilegedrole.
~19~
