Jessica

The Lover and Barthe's

2002-12-18T16:47:43Z

"A Lover's Discourse" can plainly be noted within the text of "The Lover." The usage of the body (when describing the narrator's first intercourse with the Lover, and in describing the characters), and especially love, is seen here. The narrator and the Lover obviously have the obstacle of love to overcome (with marriage), but the subject of love from Barthe's can also be read when the reader finds out the narrator loves to be loved by the Lover.

Body Content

2002-12-18T16:36:26Z

For Duras, the body is the main focus; it gives rise to her explanation of characters. However, the body as described by Duras does not, as some would perceive it, act as a "temple." The quote given states, "the body is not a mode of self-identity: the body is a figure of madness, not self-possession . . . ." This is highly relevent to Duras because while the narrator of the novel, along with her Lover, is discovering her body, the narrator feels no emotion with it. It is merely something physical being done. There is no self-possession because she clearly does not feel a certain attachment to it.

Homosexuality: Always a Challenge

2002-12-18T14:18:42Z

When reading this book, one comes across many different examples of erotica, obscenity and straightforwardness (homosexually, of course). These all acted as challenges for me to read, due to my lack of interest in reading pornography. Homosexuality does not bother me, but it was a shock to be reading so intimately about it with Genet. It was definitely something to get used to, but after reading the novel for a while, I became numb to the kind of obscenity in the book.

However, I will speculate that I am not the only reader of this book that will agree with the fact that this book is, in fact, shocking. Not everyone in society agrees with homosexuality, and therefore could be offended by the novel all-together. Like me, the audience could be shocked at the kind of passion and pornography offered by Genet. Not only does the novel bring out the eroticism of homosexuality, but Genet is (in my opinion) trying to make homosexuals equal to heterosexuals through society. This is a very hard task to overcome, and the challenges that were to me reading the book, I feel, will also pertain to a vast majority of his readers.

The Outcast

2002-12-17T05:14:16Z

"What do we call that subject who persists in an 'error' against and counter to everyone, as if he had before himself all eternity in which to be 'mistaken'?" Why, Jean Genet, of course. The above quote from Barthe's Definitions could not fit more perfectly with the novel, "A Thief's Journal." Written by Jean Genet, it is an erotic and nonconformist autobiography. The narrator depicts his life of "luxury" that would to normal society members seem dull, impoverished, and disgusting. However, Genet thrives in this style of living.

Genet is homosexual, and is therefore automatically considered an outcast from the start. He chooses to openly exist in his lifestyle, living on the streets and taking turns with his partner begging for food and money. Even though he is accompanied by his lover(s), when speaking through society, he is alone in the world; unaccepted and exiled. However, Genet feels his is reaching spiritual truth through his lack of material needs, and being extremely open (very graphic) about his sexuality. He sometimes refers to his actions as "evil"; wanting to enhance his ability to be evil and therefore gain spiritual truth. By doing so, he is reclusive from society and alone, but loving every minute of it.

Homosexuality----Right or Wrong?

2002-12-17T05:05:09Z

After reading "The Immoralist," one can conclude two things:
(1) Michel loves Marceline very deeply, and
(2) Michel has a secret desire for men.

Obviously, this clash of interest can create a dilemma, and does; for, Michel does not know how to interpret his emotions. On the one hand, he is just married to a beautiful woman whom he loves and apparently cherishes. However, on the other hand, Michel discovers he has underlying desires for some of the men he meets. What is Michel to do? Is he to forget about Marceline and fulfill his homosexual desires, or is he to block his desires and stay with Marceline?

Barthe's definition of night ("And the night illuminated the night" page 171) clearly parallels Michel's feelings. At the beginning of Barthe's passage, it states, "I experience two nights, one good, the other bad." This can be linked to his feelings: good=Marceline, bad=homosexuality. Again, the passage goes on to read, "Most often I am in the very darkness of my desire, good itself is an evil to me . . . I live between blows, my head ringing . . . ." Michel feels trapped. He feels somewhat guilty for feeling the urge while married and in love with his wife, Marceline, but at the same time, he can't cease his emotions. Therefore, he is left to living "in the very darkness of [his] desire," not knowing how to feel, but never leaving the side of his tuberculosis-plagued wife, either.

Madame Bovary: Unknowable

2002-10-17T04:01:08Z

Upon meeting Charles, Emma is intrigued by him and isn't entirely against the thought of marrying him. In fact, not really having an opinion of the matter, her father gives her away to Charles for the sole reason that she is of "no use" to him. However, after the honeymoon, she soon realizes that while she has everything she desires material-wise (due to Charles' fortune from being a doctor), she is not in love with Charles. Meanwhile, she encounters someone who strikes her interest, Monsieur Leon Dupuis.

Her relationship with Charles could be compared to the excerpt from "A Lover's Discourse" entitled "The Unknowable." Part 3 of the excerpt states,

"What do I want? What would happen if I decided to define you as a force and not as a person? And if I were to situate myself as another force confronting yours? This would happen: my other would be defined solely by the suffering or the pleasure he affords me."

This statement parallels Emma's feelings toward Charles. She battles with herself during her marriage to him in the fact that she doesn't know how to categorize her feelings toward him. She can't call it love, so what should she label it? The particular quote, " . . . my other would be defined solely by the suffering or the pleasure he affords me," directly relates to Madame Bovary. Where she has Charles's love and all the material items she needs and wants, she cannot return his love and therefore must base her relationship with him on the "pleasure" or material things he gives her.

The Thunderstruck Sorrows of Young Werther

2002-10-17T02:37:00Z

When reading "The Sorrows of Young Werther," one should notice a definite change in Werther's opinion and attitude towards nature and his environment. One also notices his obsession with Lotte, who is engaged and eventually is betroved in the novel. Neglecting to come to grips with reality, Werther continues to believe that someday he might possess the love of Lotte. Because of the above statement, the excerpt entitled, "The World Thunderstruck; disreality" in Barthe's "A Lover's Discourse" is a valid correlation.

Without even reading the text that follows, the title "disreality" alone directly connects with Werther. Due to his blind inhibitions, Werther cannot see past---or just chooses not to---the fact that Lotte is taken and that she is happy with Albert. After their marriage, he is still in a "disreality" of believing that maybe somehow he and Lotte might end up together, happily ever after.

When the reader goes on to read the entire excerpt, one comes across the quote,

"I am waiting for a telephone call, and this waiting makes me more anxious than usual. I try to do something, but without much success. I walk back and forth in my room: the various objects---whose familiarity usually comforts me---the gray roofs, the noises of the city, everything seems inert to me, cut off, thunderstruck---like a waste planet, a Nature uninhabited by man."

The above quote clearly parallels Werther's feelings after he discovers that Lotte intends to follow through with her marriage to Albert. When introduced to Werther in the beginning, the reader takes notice of his apparent delight with his surroundings in his new-found residence, Walheim. In his entry on 10 May, Werther writes, "A wonderful serenity has taken possession of my entire soul, as these sweet spring mornings have, which I am enjoying with my whole heart." However, he eventually comes to the conclusion that "everything is conspiring against" him and cannot see nature as it was before. Just as in the above quote where "everything seems inert," Werther describes Nature on 18 August as "an unbearable torment, a demon that goes with me everywhere, torturing me." Both passages show that due to some irrelevent event, the subject changes opinions and becomes morbid toward everything.

Werther vs. Pop Culture

2002-09-20T17:09:15Z

"Your Body is a Wonderland" by John Mayer directly correlates to the novel "The Sorrows of Young Werther" by Goethe. The mere title of the song relates to the novel and Werther's opinion of Lotte. Throughout the song, John Mayer is elaborating on how beautiful and perfect the woman is; quoting, " . . . your skin like porcelain . . . one pair of candy lips . . . something about the way your hair falls in your face . . . ." The above quote(s) can be assumed to have been said/thought by Werther pertaining to Lotte. Through the evidence of his letters during the novel, one can conclude that Werther puts young Lotte up on a pedestal; the perfect place to keep her because he can't (have her for himself). Failing to admit to himself that he cannot have her, he views her as a goddess, something of rare and indescribable beauty, that deserves the utmost care and pampering. Werther is convinced he is the man for the job.

"Take all your big plans and break them" is another quote that can be related to Werther. Even though Lotte is married to a man whom she loves named Albert, Werther expects her to see past her own "love," break up with Albert, and go to him. Werther again fails to see past his own wants.

"Damn, baby, you frustrate me . . ." is an excellent quote because it parallels Werther's emotions perfectly. He is frustrated with Lotte and the love between her and Albert due to his insane jealousy. "You look so good it hurts sometimes" also parallels his feelings when he leaves Lotte because he can't stand being around something he can't possess. So, the old addage "love hurts" could definitely be applied to Werther in the novel. This analysis between an eighteenth century novel and urban pop-culture brings up a relevant point: time has no relevancy to emotions.

Symposium/Lover's Discourse Comparison

2002-09-15T23:31:32Z

Throughout a passage in Plato's "Symposium," it is argued by Aristophanes that the two sexes created by Zeus have an ultimate goal, which is to be completely and literally together again. The union of the two is hence called "Love," however, Aristophanes continues with his statement, "Mankind, judging by their neglect of him, have never, as I think, at all understood the power of Love." Later in "Symposium," Diotima explains her theory of Love; simply stating that Love is not a god, really, but a medium between mortality and immortality. She also implies the absurdity of Aristophanes's theory of physically-joined bodies by elaborating more on her point of view (pgs 26-29).

Paralleling Diotima's perception of Love, "A Lover's Discourse" provides another opinion on the opposite sex composite. Number 2 in the "Union" section of "A Lover's Discourse" (pg 226), states, "The hermaphrodite, or the androgyne, figure of that 'ancient unity of which the desire and the pursuit constitute what we call love,' is beyond my configuration . . . ." This explains that the speaker is having great difficulty drawing up the unification; also implying its imposibility. The speaker also quotes, "I perisist, but get nowhere, being a poor draughtsman or an even poorer utopianist . . . or atleast all I could achieve is a monstrous, grotesque, improbably body."

Personally, I have to agree with Diotima and this particular excerpt from "A Lover's Discourse" due to the improbability of physical unification between two sexes permanently, without them fully understanding what Love is all about.

fyi

2002-09-13T14:32:50Z

*for all who don't know already, I use this for personal reasons and also for my french lit class, so that's why some entries differ from others.....

Laundrey Horrors

2002-09-13T14:08:48Z

NEVER DO LAUNDREY IN A DORM!!!!

Okay, here's my story:

I wanted to do my laundrey Tuesday so that
a) I could have clean scrubs for work the next day
b) it just needed to be done

So I collect my clothes and detergent and head down to the dorm washers/dryers. I brought with me $.75 in quarters and a couple dollar bills (b/c we have coin machines in the lobby). I start my load of normal darks (including all 3 pairs of my jeans, all 3 pairs of my scrubs, some gym shorts and some shirts) with the $.75 of quarters and went to go get some change for the dryer when my clothes were done, when I find out that the coin machine doesn't work (damn). So I end up asking everyone for change and NO ONE has any.....so I have to go to class. Everyone leaves their laundrey in the room anyway b/c you need a slide-card to get in, so I left for class. Well, I come back from class about 5 hours later (I had a 2-hour class and a 3-hour lab), and my clothes are gone. GONE. I mean, they weren't in the washers, any of the dryers, in the trash can or anything.

My clothes have been stolen.

So, I went to go file a police report with my RA (she's really cool and sweet) and the woman behind the counter could really give 2 shits about my clothes, and was open in saying so. Great.....and not to mention, she tells us that what happened wasn't a "theft" technically b/c I left them in a public place. Although, I can see how it's public, but it's not like I left them on a park bench....I left them in a room where you had to have some sort of key to get into. I think they categorized it as lost/missing. Great.

So the dorm staff and police are looking at the video tapes from the security cameras in there and checking the record of who slid their cards to get in during that time. Hopefully something will turn up. Meanwhile, I have no jeans. lol, I took a trip to WallyWorld that night and bought a jean skirt, a pair of cotton, comfy pants and a new pair of scrubs b/c I had to work the next day. I swear, if I see someone walking down the street in my clothes, that's it! lol

So anyways, there's my story. lol, go figure. That night I swore off doing laundrey ever again, but I've reconsidered......and I think a lot of people will probably thank me for not smelling. =)

On a happier note: my work's increasing my training days and hopefully I'll be top tech as soon as possible. =) I never thought I'd like working so much. It's kinda scary, actually.

gimme a few

2002-08-29T16:04:47Z

Just checking out some new stuff, excuse me while I experiment....

vettech21 @ 2002-08-29T12:02:00

2002-08-29T16:01:28Z

thanks, manda, for helping me with my pics and all this confusing LJ stuff!!!! =)