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(orevenlenientbecausepleasure-seeking).whatisthissuffocating
substancethatcauseshisdisappearance?Lacanianpsychoanalysis
callsitjouissance(theonlysubstancethatexistsforpsychoanaly-
sis),somethingthataccompaniesbutatthesametimeundermines
thesubject’simaginaryandsymbolicidentificationsoutofwhichthe
consciousego(whichiswhatinpsychologypassesforinteriority)is
constitutedandwhichitcannotreallygetridof:
Thetroublewithjouissanceisnotthatitisunattainable,thatit
alwayseludesourgrasp,but,rather,thatonecannevergetridof
it,thatitsstaindragsalongforever–thereinresidesthepoint
ofLacan’sconceptofsurplus-enjoyment:theveryrenunciationof
jouissancebringsabouttheremainder/surplusofjouissance.6
Toexplainthemeaningofsuchsurplus7wehavetogobacktothe
Lacaniannotionofthesubject,which,asiswell-known,isasplit,
barredsubject(S
│
),thatis,asubjectmarkedwiththesymboliccas-
trationinwhichthesubjectgivesupjouissance(e.g.ofapart-object
likethebreast,relatedtomother’sbody)tobeabletoaccedetolan-
guage:whatbarsthesubjectisthelackintroducedbythepaternal
No!installedintheplaceofjouissance(ofpart-object).Fortheearly
Lacan(1950s)theoutcomeofsuchconstitutionofthesubjectisthe
comingintobeingofthesymbolicpositionthesubjecttakes(e.g.
theMagistrate)andtheevacuationofthepossibilityofjouissance
reducedtosmallpleasuresobeyingthelogicofdesirewhichisfunda-
mentallymetonymicallystructured,thatis,alwaysmovingforward
tothenextobjectbecauseKthisisnotit!”(whatpsychoanalysiscalls
thepleasureprinciple).Sincethepleasuresareneverquitesatisfy-
ing,theyneverendangerthesubject’sposition,constitutedbyhis
imaginaryandsymbolicidentifications,andpreciselyforthisreason,
fromthesubject’sperspective,theycanbeprojectedbackwardas
fullysatisfyingonlyintheimaginaryregisterofthelostparadise
(thatis,asabsent).
However,inthelaterdevelopmentofhistheory,Lacannotices
theshadowthataccompaniessuchasubjectandhecomestocall
ittheobject-causeofdesireorobjecta.Itissomethingthatderails
6
SlavojŽižek,TheIndivisibleRemainder:AnEssayonSchellingandRelated
Matters(London:Verso,1996),93.
7
Thestatusofthissurplusisparadoxicalsinceitisatthesametimealack
–butalackthathaspositiveexistence(asinasymbolicchainalackoffeature
constitutesapositivedetermination):thelackisnotaholethatcanbeatevery
momentfilledwithsomething.
~23~
