Post by DarkestofDays on Dec 10, 2006 19:00:13 GMT -5
The writings of William Blake have always been enveloped in their own complex nature, the figures and events taking place left as ambiguous references of anything from historical events to traditional stories taken from the Bible itself. But while there is a certain method to his madness that can be seen when his works are properly analyzed, when the theories of Jacque Lacan are applied to his literature, there are other peculiarities that can be seen as well. Through the lack of the Symbolic Order in Blake’s world which leads to much of the chaos, to the presence of unfulfilled jouissance as it is described by Lacan, William Blake’s mythological world can suddenly be seen in a new light through the concepts that Lacan makes clear in his own writings. His theories allow us to see how the characters in Blake’s works may be operating on a mental level, and how their deficiencies and strengths in their state of mind are what lead to their different actions and what happens in the stories themselves.
The most noticeable aspect of Blake’s writing is that language appears to be used sparsely in some instances, and even with Blake does have his characters speak, the words aren’t labeled and seem to blend with the rest of the text. Even though some of the characters have embraced the ability of speech, they do not seem to have truly entered into the Symbolic Order because their language is never used to make any sort of connection to the other characters and thus prevent the chaos that envelopes them. Blake’s characters are forced to rely on simple barbaric actions and natural emotions in order to convey their feelings as a replacement for any true words that could be spoken. An example of the barbaric nature of expression can be said in the beginning of The Marriage of Heaven and Hell: “Rintrah roars & shakes his fires in the burdened air; / Hungry clouds swag in the deep.†(Blake 33) Here, the beast-like form of Rintrah has been robbed of any sort of language and instead can only express himself through the bestial roars and thrashing of a typical animal or mindless mythological monstrosity. Because of this, the reader is unable to truly grasp the motivations behind this creature. Yet another example where the lack of language is replaced by sheer emotion can be taken from The Four Zoas: “So saying in deep sobs he languishd till dead he also fell / Night passed & Enitharmon eer the dawn returnd in bliss / She sang Over Los reviving him to Life his groans were terrible / But thus she sang. I sieze the sphery harp I strike the strings.†(Blake 323) Again, we can see that there is no spoken dialogue, even at this climatic moment of death and rebirth, and that there is only expression through strong sorrow and suffering.
The later prophetic works do contain some forms of dialogue between the characters more so than the earlier prophecies do, but there is no indication textually where the spoken words are. An example of this can be seen within The Four Zoas: “Los answerd Therefore fade U thus dissolvd in rapturd trance / Thou canst repose on clouds of secrecy while oer my limbs…†(Blake 323) Even with this language, however, there appears to still be a lack of social order and the presence of chaos within these later works. The words spoken by Los and the other characters is so intermixed with the rest of the text that it feels encrypted and still detached from the characters in part. Even with the spoken text in these instances, their words still are unable to bring order to their world, and the apocalyptic air is still quite prevalent in the works. To put it simply, even in the instances where there is some form of language, it is not prominent enough for Blake’s characters to establish any sort of structure for themselves to follow by.
Relating to this, Lacan’s theory of the Symbolic Order could be an explanation at least in part behind the chaotic world that Blake has constructed because of this lack of language between his characters. Lacan’s Symbolic Order is defined as being “The social world of linguistic communication, intersubjective relations, knowledge of ideological conventions, and the acceptance of the law (also called the "big Other"). Once a child enters into language and accepts the rules and dictates of society, it is able to deal with others.†(Felluga 14) As Dino Felluga outlines in his summation of Lacan’s Symbolic Order, language was what Lacan considered to be the essential ability in order for people to relate and interact with others. Because Blake’s characters are unable to truly connect through language, what ensues instead is chaos and only mingled emotions and actions that give us any hint of what the characters are sensing or feeling. Lacan also associated language with the adherence to natural laws and order, and since there is no language present in any of his literary works there is a lack of any sort of organization within his world. Even in the instances where there is some spoken dialogue in the later prophecies, and sparsely in the earlier ones, it is still not a developed enough ability that it creates any sort of order in the world.
Without a strong sense of language there to guide them for the most part in the earlier prophetic works, his characters are left without any way to understand one another, or with any ability to find a middle ground when conflictions and confusions break out. The lack of language can also be associated with the level of difficulty that is sometimes experienced when readers are committing themselves to his later prophetic works. They are extensive writings, but there is no dialogue that the reader can make any connections to, and this can result in their misunderstanding of the motivations of Blake’s characters. Lacan simply points out that language can be a binding connection between people or beings, and that without it everything else becomes lost and unraveled. The Symbolic Order is a development that people are supposed to make as infants, but even as seemingly immortal beings none of Blake’s characters seem to have reached this stage in his works.
Blake’s characters can be analyzed further by regressing to an earlier stage of development that Lacan described as “the mirror stage.†Jane Gallop describes Lacan’s “mirror stage†as being “…‘decisive.’ It is a turning point that ‘projects’ the individual into ‘history,’ that is into the future project.†(Gallop 83) To simplify what Gallop is describing in this passage, Lacan’s theory of the “mirror stage†is the point in an infant’s existence where they become aware that they are a part of something larger than a simple progression through life. The mirror stage is a complex development that humans undergo when they recognize themselves, as well as begin to understand their part in the larger picture, the environment and world around themselves. In Blake’s works, there are indications that his fictional characters have not fully passed through this stage of development as well. There are hints of a progression of time within his works; his earlier prophetic works do feel as though they precede the later works that are unveiled to us soon after in the collection. Yet the events that take place in both works seem eerily identical and almost repetitive; taking this into account, Blake’s characters could potentially be repeating themselves in their actions because they have no understanding outside the world they live and interact within.
Another aspect of the “Mirror Stage†that Lacan discusses is “The human being is always divided between something that it is not or does not have and something that it will never be or have…†(Barnard and Fink 135) As opposed to Gallop’s perception of the “mirror stage,†this aspect can be applied quite readily to many of Blake’s characters. Because of the lack of connection to others, as well as the lack of social order and uniformity, many of Blake’s characters are constantly plagued by discontent and frustration. An instance where this theme can be easily seen is in The Book of Urizen when Los has managed to forge Urizen a new form, and then is horrified at the formation of the female entity of Pity: “But the space undivided by existence / Struck horror into his soul. / Los wept obscur’d with mourning / His bosom earthquak’d with sighs; / He saw Urizen deadly black, / In his chains bound, & Pity began, / In anguish dividing and dividing / For pity divides the soul…†(Blake 77) Here, the misery that Los suffers at the flaws in Urizen’s creation is apparent in the strong imagery that Blake utilizes, and this realization is comparable to an aspect of Lacan’s mirror stage. The horror that Los undergoes can be paralleled to the truth that humans must face, which is that we cannot have or produce everything we desire to. The human condition itself, in Lacan’s view, is our inability to live life without obstacles that may prevent us from ever becoming or having what we want. In Blake’s world, many of the characters are also predisposed to face many trials and hardships and do so; even with their inhuman status they have not been spared this very human reality.
The stage of development that precedes the “mirror stage†is the first that we as humans undergo according to Lacan; the stage of the Real. The Real is described as being “The state of nature from which we have been forever severed by our entrance into language. Only as neo-natal children were we close to this state of nature, a state in which there is nothing but need.†(Felluga 12) Though most of Blake’s characters appear to have advanced beyond this State through some form of language, there are still instances where the Real comes into play with some of his characters in the early stages of their creation. An example of this can be seen in Orc’s creation within The Book of Urizen: “Yet helpless it lay like a Worm / In the trembling womb / To be moulded into existence / All day the worm lay on her bosom / All night within her womb…†(Blake 79) Though Orc is being described as an unformed worm in this passage, there is the presence of the primal and sheer wants of an infant that he displays while in this state. Orc is described as “helpless,†just as an infant is before it learns language in order to communicate and learn its place in society. Also, Orc is described as always being with Enitharmon, which shows another infantile want, to always be near his mother. The animalistic state he seems trapped within during these early days of his existence also seems to allude to the separation of language since infants are unable to speak; in later passages, Orc is still only able to make hissing and howling noises and does not seem to possess any language of his own.
Slavoj Žižek also did extensive research into the works of Jacque Lacan and explored Lacan’s stage of the Real in detail. Žižek, however, considers the Real to be the state that lies beyond the Imaginary and Symbolic. As an example, Žižek uses Lacan’s own reading of Freud’s dream of Irma’s injection and analyzes Lacan’s own take on this specific stage. After taking this into consideration, Žižek describes the Real as being “…not only death, but life: not only the pale, frozen, lifeless immobility but also ‘the flesh from which everything exudes,’ the life substance in its mucous palpitation.†(Žižek 22) In Žižek’s perspective of the Real in this context, it still appears to pertain to a stage where there is no language, but instead of being caught in infancy the body is instead caught in the grips of death instead. Žižek, however, argues that this state of the Real also helps to give life through what is given from the now lifeless body. Žižek chooses to use the word ‘exude’ in this quotation, but appears to be alluding to the body’s decomposition as a form of life that the body is still exhibiting, whether it is through giving life to plants or simply acting on its own free will now without the mind to govern it. This state of the Real that lies within the realm of death can be see as well within Blake’s writings; we see an instance in this within his later prophecy Milton, when Blake’s personification of Milton looks upon the dead form of Albion: “First Milton saw Albion upon the Rock of Ages, / Deadly pale outstretchd and snowy cold, storm coverd; / A Giant form of perfect beauty outstretchd on the rock / In solemn death: the Sea of Time & Space thundered aloud / Against the rock, which was inwrapped with the weeds of death.†Even in death, Albion’s lifeless form appears to have painted a tremulous scene for Milton to behold in this passage; the weeds that have wrapped themselves around his body could potentially be plants that are given life through his death. There is also the cataclysmic atmosphere that seems to have formed around Albion’s body; the storms and thunder that Blake describes appears symbolic of the life and activity that can be brought about even after death has struck.
The most noticeable aspect of Blake’s writing is that language appears to be used sparsely in some instances, and even with Blake does have his characters speak, the words aren’t labeled and seem to blend with the rest of the text. Even though some of the characters have embraced the ability of speech, they do not seem to have truly entered into the Symbolic Order because their language is never used to make any sort of connection to the other characters and thus prevent the chaos that envelopes them. Blake’s characters are forced to rely on simple barbaric actions and natural emotions in order to convey their feelings as a replacement for any true words that could be spoken. An example of the barbaric nature of expression can be said in the beginning of The Marriage of Heaven and Hell: “Rintrah roars & shakes his fires in the burdened air; / Hungry clouds swag in the deep.†(Blake 33) Here, the beast-like form of Rintrah has been robbed of any sort of language and instead can only express himself through the bestial roars and thrashing of a typical animal or mindless mythological monstrosity. Because of this, the reader is unable to truly grasp the motivations behind this creature. Yet another example where the lack of language is replaced by sheer emotion can be taken from The Four Zoas: “So saying in deep sobs he languishd till dead he also fell / Night passed & Enitharmon eer the dawn returnd in bliss / She sang Over Los reviving him to Life his groans were terrible / But thus she sang. I sieze the sphery harp I strike the strings.†(Blake 323) Again, we can see that there is no spoken dialogue, even at this climatic moment of death and rebirth, and that there is only expression through strong sorrow and suffering.
The later prophetic works do contain some forms of dialogue between the characters more so than the earlier prophecies do, but there is no indication textually where the spoken words are. An example of this can be seen within The Four Zoas: “Los answerd Therefore fade U thus dissolvd in rapturd trance / Thou canst repose on clouds of secrecy while oer my limbs…†(Blake 323) Even with this language, however, there appears to still be a lack of social order and the presence of chaos within these later works. The words spoken by Los and the other characters is so intermixed with the rest of the text that it feels encrypted and still detached from the characters in part. Even with the spoken text in these instances, their words still are unable to bring order to their world, and the apocalyptic air is still quite prevalent in the works. To put it simply, even in the instances where there is some form of language, it is not prominent enough for Blake’s characters to establish any sort of structure for themselves to follow by.
Relating to this, Lacan’s theory of the Symbolic Order could be an explanation at least in part behind the chaotic world that Blake has constructed because of this lack of language between his characters. Lacan’s Symbolic Order is defined as being “The social world of linguistic communication, intersubjective relations, knowledge of ideological conventions, and the acceptance of the law (also called the "big Other"). Once a child enters into language and accepts the rules and dictates of society, it is able to deal with others.†(Felluga 14) As Dino Felluga outlines in his summation of Lacan’s Symbolic Order, language was what Lacan considered to be the essential ability in order for people to relate and interact with others. Because Blake’s characters are unable to truly connect through language, what ensues instead is chaos and only mingled emotions and actions that give us any hint of what the characters are sensing or feeling. Lacan also associated language with the adherence to natural laws and order, and since there is no language present in any of his literary works there is a lack of any sort of organization within his world. Even in the instances where there is some spoken dialogue in the later prophecies, and sparsely in the earlier ones, it is still not a developed enough ability that it creates any sort of order in the world.
Without a strong sense of language there to guide them for the most part in the earlier prophetic works, his characters are left without any way to understand one another, or with any ability to find a middle ground when conflictions and confusions break out. The lack of language can also be associated with the level of difficulty that is sometimes experienced when readers are committing themselves to his later prophetic works. They are extensive writings, but there is no dialogue that the reader can make any connections to, and this can result in their misunderstanding of the motivations of Blake’s characters. Lacan simply points out that language can be a binding connection between people or beings, and that without it everything else becomes lost and unraveled. The Symbolic Order is a development that people are supposed to make as infants, but even as seemingly immortal beings none of Blake’s characters seem to have reached this stage in his works.
Blake’s characters can be analyzed further by regressing to an earlier stage of development that Lacan described as “the mirror stage.†Jane Gallop describes Lacan’s “mirror stage†as being “…‘decisive.’ It is a turning point that ‘projects’ the individual into ‘history,’ that is into the future project.†(Gallop 83) To simplify what Gallop is describing in this passage, Lacan’s theory of the “mirror stage†is the point in an infant’s existence where they become aware that they are a part of something larger than a simple progression through life. The mirror stage is a complex development that humans undergo when they recognize themselves, as well as begin to understand their part in the larger picture, the environment and world around themselves. In Blake’s works, there are indications that his fictional characters have not fully passed through this stage of development as well. There are hints of a progression of time within his works; his earlier prophetic works do feel as though they precede the later works that are unveiled to us soon after in the collection. Yet the events that take place in both works seem eerily identical and almost repetitive; taking this into account, Blake’s characters could potentially be repeating themselves in their actions because they have no understanding outside the world they live and interact within.
Another aspect of the “Mirror Stage†that Lacan discusses is “The human being is always divided between something that it is not or does not have and something that it will never be or have…†(Barnard and Fink 135) As opposed to Gallop’s perception of the “mirror stage,†this aspect can be applied quite readily to many of Blake’s characters. Because of the lack of connection to others, as well as the lack of social order and uniformity, many of Blake’s characters are constantly plagued by discontent and frustration. An instance where this theme can be easily seen is in The Book of Urizen when Los has managed to forge Urizen a new form, and then is horrified at the formation of the female entity of Pity: “But the space undivided by existence / Struck horror into his soul. / Los wept obscur’d with mourning / His bosom earthquak’d with sighs; / He saw Urizen deadly black, / In his chains bound, & Pity began, / In anguish dividing and dividing / For pity divides the soul…†(Blake 77) Here, the misery that Los suffers at the flaws in Urizen’s creation is apparent in the strong imagery that Blake utilizes, and this realization is comparable to an aspect of Lacan’s mirror stage. The horror that Los undergoes can be paralleled to the truth that humans must face, which is that we cannot have or produce everything we desire to. The human condition itself, in Lacan’s view, is our inability to live life without obstacles that may prevent us from ever becoming or having what we want. In Blake’s world, many of the characters are also predisposed to face many trials and hardships and do so; even with their inhuman status they have not been spared this very human reality.
The stage of development that precedes the “mirror stage†is the first that we as humans undergo according to Lacan; the stage of the Real. The Real is described as being “The state of nature from which we have been forever severed by our entrance into language. Only as neo-natal children were we close to this state of nature, a state in which there is nothing but need.†(Felluga 12) Though most of Blake’s characters appear to have advanced beyond this State through some form of language, there are still instances where the Real comes into play with some of his characters in the early stages of their creation. An example of this can be seen in Orc’s creation within The Book of Urizen: “Yet helpless it lay like a Worm / In the trembling womb / To be moulded into existence / All day the worm lay on her bosom / All night within her womb…†(Blake 79) Though Orc is being described as an unformed worm in this passage, there is the presence of the primal and sheer wants of an infant that he displays while in this state. Orc is described as “helpless,†just as an infant is before it learns language in order to communicate and learn its place in society. Also, Orc is described as always being with Enitharmon, which shows another infantile want, to always be near his mother. The animalistic state he seems trapped within during these early days of his existence also seems to allude to the separation of language since infants are unable to speak; in later passages, Orc is still only able to make hissing and howling noises and does not seem to possess any language of his own.
Slavoj Žižek also did extensive research into the works of Jacque Lacan and explored Lacan’s stage of the Real in detail. Žižek, however, considers the Real to be the state that lies beyond the Imaginary and Symbolic. As an example, Žižek uses Lacan’s own reading of Freud’s dream of Irma’s injection and analyzes Lacan’s own take on this specific stage. After taking this into consideration, Žižek describes the Real as being “…not only death, but life: not only the pale, frozen, lifeless immobility but also ‘the flesh from which everything exudes,’ the life substance in its mucous palpitation.†(Žižek 22) In Žižek’s perspective of the Real in this context, it still appears to pertain to a stage where there is no language, but instead of being caught in infancy the body is instead caught in the grips of death instead. Žižek, however, argues that this state of the Real also helps to give life through what is given from the now lifeless body. Žižek chooses to use the word ‘exude’ in this quotation, but appears to be alluding to the body’s decomposition as a form of life that the body is still exhibiting, whether it is through giving life to plants or simply acting on its own free will now without the mind to govern it. This state of the Real that lies within the realm of death can be see as well within Blake’s writings; we see an instance in this within his later prophecy Milton, when Blake’s personification of Milton looks upon the dead form of Albion: “First Milton saw Albion upon the Rock of Ages, / Deadly pale outstretchd and snowy cold, storm coverd; / A Giant form of perfect beauty outstretchd on the rock / In solemn death: the Sea of Time & Space thundered aloud / Against the rock, which was inwrapped with the weeds of death.†Even in death, Albion’s lifeless form appears to have painted a tremulous scene for Milton to behold in this passage; the weeds that have wrapped themselves around his body could potentially be plants that are given life through his death. There is also the cataclysmic atmosphere that seems to have formed around Albion’s body; the storms and thunder that Blake describes appears symbolic of the life and activity that can be brought about even after death has struck.
Looks good. . .only spelling errors in this section are the code errors for the apostrophes. . . lolua found a mistake in the middle of the third paragraph, but I can't seem to find it again .. it's a typo where you wrote the wrong ending on a word