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NarcissusandNarcissisminEarlyPsychoanalysis…
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Ifallintoapuerilitywhichmaybeinnocentorvicious,Icannotde-
cide.Ionlyknowthatitisapurelycontemplativeact,adisinterested
admirationofbeauty.Itisnotcoarsesensuality,butæstheticplatonism.
IimitateNarcissus;andIapplymylipstothecoldsurfaceofthemirror
andkissmyimage.[OnesentenceelidedbyEllis.]Itistheloveofbeau-
ty,theexpressionoftendernessandańectionforwhatGodhasmade
manifest,inaningenuouskissimprintedontheemptyandcorporeal
reflection.12
incurroenunapuerilidadquenodecidirsiesinocenteóviciosa.Sólo
queesactomeramentecontemplativo;queesdesinteresadaadmi-
racióndelabelleza;Noesgroceríasensual,sinoplatonismoestéticolo
quehago.ImitoáNarciso;ysobreelhazfríadelespejoaplicoloslabios
ybesomiimagen.Estoqueesplatonismo,medigoentonces.Estoes
elamordelahermosuraporlahermosura:laexpresióndelcariñoydel
afectohacialoqueDioshizomanifestadaenunbesocandorosoqueen
elvanoéincorpóreoreflejoseestampa.13
Itisquiteclearalreadyfromthequotedpassagethattheconceptonlyscratches
thesurfaceofthemeaningproducedhere.TenameNarcissusactivatesaref-
erencesystemwhichmultipliesthesemanticcontentofthepassage,invoking
Romanticaestheticsaswellasneo-Platonicmetaphysics.Toselevelsofmeaning
byfarexceedtheexplanatorycapacityof“thetendencyforthesexualemotionto
beabsorbedandofenentirelylostinself-admiration.”
Furthermore,Ellisbeginsthequoteinthemiddleofasentenceandleavesout
averyrelevantcontext,namelythattheself-admirationofRafaelaisprecededby
theadmirationofherbyhermaid:
ButIdonotthinksheflattersmewhenIgetoutofmybathandshe
driesmeandlooksatmewithathrillofpleasureandsays:“Ah,my
child,everydayyougrowmorebeautiful.Luckythemanwhomaylook
atyoulikethis!”TefactisthatIalsolookatmyselfwithmuchcompla-
cencyinlargeoppositemirrorsandfeelinfullagreementwithPetron-
ila)sopinion.Iwillconfessall:whenPetronilahaslefmealone,14
peronocreoquemeadulacuandosalgodelbañoymeenjugayme
miraconagradablepasmo,ysueledecirme:
-.Ay,niña,niña!,cadadíaestásmáshermosa.
.Bienaventuradoelque
asítevea!
12Ibid.
13JuanValera,Genioyfgura(Madrid:FernandoFé,1897),181.
14Ellis,StudiesinthePsychologyofSex.Vol.VII,351.