Silence of a Feminine 'jouissance'

• Authors: Salecl R.
• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

Nobody actually knows what was the melody the Sirens sang to Odysseus. Some even claim that they remained silent. Some identify they singing with poetry in general, and their song with the Odyssey itself. For psychoanalysis, the Sirens, as they are both terrifying and irresistible, serve as a fruitful metaphor for femininity. Their song which is impossible to describe stands for unspeakable bliss of female orgasm. The authoress focuses on the personage of Odysseus as having exceptional courage to 'know the real' - yet she questions his success in this knowledge. She points out that, from the psychoanalytical point of view, his encounter with Sirens concerns the logic of desire and drive. The Sirens express their desire openly and therefore incite horror and anxiety. Possible interpretations of how Odysseus deals with his anxiety recall strategies the hysterics and the obsessive undertake in front of a wanting Other.

Keywords

EN

ODYSSEUS ENCOUNTER WITH SIRENS - INTERPRETATIONS

Discipline

• PHILOSOPHY: PHILOSOPHY

• Publisher: Warsaw University, Institute of Philosophy, Institute of Polish Literature and Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw
• Journal: Przegląd Filozoficzno-Literacki
• Year: 2007
• Issue: 2(17)
• Pages: 367-386
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Salecl R.

• R. Salecl, Uniiversity of Liublana, Faculty of Law, Liublana, Slovenia

Identifiers

CEJSH db identifier

07PLAAAA02605369