Representation of Violence from Imaginary to Symbolic: Identity Formation in John Banville’s The Book of Evidence
Öz
This article proposes to read John Banville’s The Book of Evidence, a crime story narrated from the protagonist’s first-person gaze, from a Lacanian perspective by referring to his mirror stage theory. As an extension of testimonial literature, the novel is deemed to be a narrative of introspective self-examination, thus introducing a creation of “the self” paralleling the text. The protagonist’s mnemonic narrative is accompanied by the idea of an alternative world of not only self-expression but also self-depiction and presentation as in Lacan’s Imaginary. This self-creation, however, may not be as innocent as it seems. The reason for this is that although the mirror phase involves a transition from the Imaginary to the Symbolic, it presupposes the role of the other, biologically (m)other, in order to accustom the subject to the law of society, the symbolic. However, just because the protagonist, Freddie, mentions his mother’s presence as “nothing”, there is no soothing force for his adaptation to the societal laws. Here, Freddie is subject to what Lacan sees as a minor prototype who lives in a society, and yet, is attached to his own rules as the first principle of male violence associated with this novel. Therefore, this article also tries to find answers for Freddie’s performance of male violence within the axis of psychoanalytic postulations elaborated on Lacan’s identity theory.
Anahtar Kelimeler
John Banville The Book of Evidence Jacques Lacan mirror stage male violence narcissism.
Kaynakça
- Banville, John (2001), The Book of Evidence. New York: Vintage Books.
- Beard, Laura (2000), “Giving Voice: Autobiographical / Testimonial Literature by First Nations Women of British Columbia.” Studies in American Indian Literatures, vol. 12, no.1, 64-83.
- Benson, Peter (1994), “Freud and the Visual.” Representations, vol. 45, no.1, 101-116.
- Benvenuto, Bice and Roger Kennedy (1986), The Works of Jacques Lacan: An Introduction. London: Free Association Books.
- Feldman, A. and Richard Jenkins (1992), “On Formations of Violence.” Current Anthropology, vol.33, no. 5, 595-597.
- Freud, Sigmund (2012), On Narcissism: An Introduction. London: Karnac Books.
- Gugelberger, Georg and Michael Kearney (1991), “Voices for the Voiceless: Testimonial Literature in Latin America.” Latin American Perspectives, vol. 18, no.3, 3-14.
- Hatipoğlu, Gülden (2023), “Trauma of the Gaze in John Banville’s The Book of Evidence.” Mediterranean Journey of Humanities, vol. 13, no. 1, 193-204.
- Julien, Philippe (1994), Jacques Lacan’s Return to Freud: The Real, the Symbolic, and the Imaginary. New York: New York University Press.
- Lacan, Jacques (2001), Écrits: A Selection. Trans. Alan Sheridan. London: Routledge.
- –––––– (2006), The Seminar, Book XVII, The Other Side of Psychoanalysis. Trans. Russell Grigg. New York: Norton.
- Lanser, Susan (1992), Fictions of Authority: Women Writers and Narrative Voice. London: Cornell University Press.
- Licitra Rosa C. et al. (2021), “From the Imaginary to Theory of the Gaze in Lacan.” Frontiers in Psychology, vol.12, no.1, 1-7.
- McMinn, Joseph (1999), Supreme Fictions of John Banville. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
- Mulvey, Laura (1975), “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.” Screen, vol. 16, no. 3, 6-18.
- Nicol, Bran (2004), Iris Murdoch: The Retrospective Fiction. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
- O’Connell, Mark (2013). John Banville’s Narcissistic Fictions. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Segal, Hanna (1988), Introduction to the Work of Melanie Klein. New York: Routledge.
Öz
Bu makale, John Banville’in, kahramanın birinci şahıs bakış açısıyla anlattığı bir suç öyküsü olan Kanıt Kitabı’nı Lacan’ın ayna teorisine atıfta bulunarak Lacancı bir bakış açısıyla okuma sunmaktadır. Tanıklık edebiyatının bir uzantısı olarak roman, içe dönük bir kendini inceleme anlatısı olarak kabul edilir ve böylece metne paralel bir “benlik” yaratımı ortaya çıkar. Kahramanın geriye dönük anlatımına, Lacan’ın İmgesel düzeninde olduğu gibi sadece kendini ifade etmenin değil, aynı zamanda kendini tasvir etmenin ve sunmanın da olduğu alternatif bir dünya fikri eşlik etmektedir. Ancak bu kendi kendini yaratma, göründüğü kadar masum olmayabilir. Bunun nedeni, ayna evresinin her ne kadar İmgesel düzlemden Sembolik düzleme geçişi içerse de özneyi toplumun yasası olan simgesel olana alıştırmak için Ötekinin, biyolojik olarak annenin, rolünü ön plana koymaktadır. Ancak başkarakter ve anlatıcı olan Freddie, annesinin varlığından “hiçbir şey” olarak bahsettiği için toplumsal yasalara uyum sağlamasını kolaylaştıracak hiçbir yatıştırıcı bulunmamaktadır. Burada Freddie, Lacan’ın toplumda küçük kesim olarak gördüğü, toplumda yaşayan ancak kendi kuralları doğrultusunda hareket eden prototipi temsil etmektedir, ki bu da romanla ilişkilendirilen eril şiddetin birincil ilkesidir. Dolayısıyla bu makale, aynı zamanda Freddie’nin eril şiddeti performansına Lacan’ın kimlik teorisi üzerinden geliştirilen psikanalitik önermeler doğrultusunda yanıtlar bulmaya çalışmaktadır.
Anahtar Kelimeler
John Banville Kanıt Kitabı Jacques Lacan ayna teorisi eril şiddet narsisizm.
Kaynakça
- Banville, John (2001), The Book of Evidence. New York: Vintage Books.
- Beard, Laura (2000), “Giving Voice: Autobiographical / Testimonial Literature by First Nations Women of British Columbia.” Studies in American Indian Literatures, vol. 12, no.1, 64-83.
- Benson, Peter (1994), “Freud and the Visual.” Representations, vol. 45, no.1, 101-116.
- Benvenuto, Bice and Roger Kennedy (1986), The Works of Jacques Lacan: An Introduction. London: Free Association Books.
- Feldman, A. and Richard Jenkins (1992), “On Formations of Violence.” Current Anthropology, vol.33, no. 5, 595-597.
- Freud, Sigmund (2012), On Narcissism: An Introduction. London: Karnac Books.
- Gugelberger, Georg and Michael Kearney (1991), “Voices for the Voiceless: Testimonial Literature in Latin America.” Latin American Perspectives, vol. 18, no.3, 3-14.
- Hatipoğlu, Gülden (2023), “Trauma of the Gaze in John Banville’s The Book of Evidence.” Mediterranean Journey of Humanities, vol. 13, no. 1, 193-204.
- Julien, Philippe (1994), Jacques Lacan’s Return to Freud: The Real, the Symbolic, and the Imaginary. New York: New York University Press.
- Lacan, Jacques (2001), Écrits: A Selection. Trans. Alan Sheridan. London: Routledge.
- –––––– (2006), The Seminar, Book XVII, The Other Side of Psychoanalysis. Trans. Russell Grigg. New York: Norton.
- Lanser, Susan (1992), Fictions of Authority: Women Writers and Narrative Voice. London: Cornell University Press.
- Licitra Rosa C. et al. (2021), “From the Imaginary to Theory of the Gaze in Lacan.” Frontiers in Psychology, vol.12, no.1, 1-7.
- McMinn, Joseph (1999), Supreme Fictions of John Banville. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
- Mulvey, Laura (1975), “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.” Screen, vol. 16, no. 3, 6-18.
- Nicol, Bran (2004), Iris Murdoch: The Retrospective Fiction. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
- O’Connell, Mark (2013). John Banville’s Narcissistic Fictions. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Segal, Hanna (1988), Introduction to the Work of Melanie Klein. New York: Routledge.
Ayrıntılar
| Birincil Dil | İngilizce |
|---|---|
| Konular | İngiliz ve İrlanda Dili, Edebiyatı ve Kültürü |
| Bölüm | Araştırma Makaleleri |
| Yazarlar | |
| Yayımlanma Tarihi | 29 Aralık 2023 |
| Gönderilme Tarihi | 15 Kasım 2023 |
| Kabul Tarihi | 12 Aralık 2023 |
| Yayımlandığı Sayı | Yıl 2023 Cilt: 3 Sayı: 6 - CUMHURİYET'İN 100. YILINA İTHAFEN |
Kaynak Göster
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