.nr LL 6i
.nr PO 1i
.nr VS 24
.AM
.PP
A reoccurring element in Rousseau's play, 
.I "Pygmalion,"
is a tension between wanting there to be an absolute plenitude, a unity, (in
Lacanian terms) an imaginary state of being, and yet wanting this
absoluteness to be representable, and therefore accessible, while maintaining
its totality; this, of course, is impossible.  I will argue that the play
tries to resolve this tension by showing that the belief in a
representer-of-absolute is an illusion, a phantasy (in this case,
narcissistic).  In Lacanian terms, the play attempts to affirm the necessity
of the symbolic order and the signifying chain by dismissing the possibility
of an attainable absolute signifier.  But in its attempt to resolve the
tension, the play ends by recreating it through the audience.  The play
itself enacts the same yearning for an absolute signifier that it tries to
dismiss.\**
.FS
This should not be too surprising, since the symbolic order it tries to
confirm is based on the yearing for an absolute signifier; it must therefore
embody it.
.FE
.PP
Pygmalion is a sculptor, one who gives form to formlessness, one who tries to
imitate nature, one who tries to represent it.  His work is founded on the
symbolic world.  With his chisel he imposes structure and order on mere
stone.  When the scene opens we see him in a state of doubt.  He thinks that
his talent has left him and he is unable to create.  In particular, he
recalls the past and he sees it as a time when he was able to give life to
what he sculpted, when he was able to create gods.  But now, he says to
himself, \*QPygmalion, tu ne fais plus des Dieux.\*U\**
.FS
Page 1224 of Volume II of
.I 
Oeuvres comple\*`tes de Jean-Jacques Rousseau,
.R
Bibliothe\*`que de la Ple\*'iade, Editions Gallimard.  All further
references will be made in the text.
.FE
.PP
Pygmalion goes on in this manner, pitying himself (sometimes literally, by
naming himself as object of pity, either by name or second person pronoun),
bemoaning his artistic `muteness.' In short, he feels he has lost his
symbolic power.  But then he has a thought, \*QQuoi! dans la langueur d'un
ge\*'nie e\*'teint, sent-on ces e\*'motions, sent-on ces e\*'lans des
passions impe\*'tueuses, cette inquie\*'tude\*U (p. 1225).  He realizes that
these feelings of loss that he has are a sign that his artistic powers have
not yet competely left him.  (He then places his loss in the future, \*QQuand
mon esprit e\*'teint ne produira plus\*U (p. 1225).)  It is after he
realizes something vaguely artistic stirring inside him that he refers to one
previous work in particular; one that he saw worthy enough to need to be
veiled, so as not to distract him from his travail.  Feeling inarticulate in
the present, Pygmalion must go to his past masterpiece to spark
inspiration.  We see how much he has invested in the power of his sculpture
when he says, \*QO ma Galathe\*'e! quand j'aurai tout perdu, to me resteras,
et je serai console\*'\*U (p. 1225).  We start to get a sense that, in
Pygmalion's mind, Galathe\*'e holds a privileged position.  As the scene
progresses we see that its privileged position is that of an absolute
signifier.  Tension arises in the dichotomous situation of wanting this
signifier to exist, and fearing the consequences if it does (lack of all
sense and meaning).  This dichotomy is repeat constantly throughout the
scene, and in each repetition we are drawn into experiencing it more and more.
.PP
We get an indication of the power that Pygmalion gives to the statue when,
after claiming it his consoler, he approaches it, and then draws back: \*QIl
s'approche du pavillon, puis se retire, va, vient\*U (p. 1225).  It is as
though some mysterious force is holding him back.  But, then, as if to deny
the statue's absolute power, Pygmalion tries to find a fault in it, a lack
that would make it unworthy of veiling, \*QMais pourquoi la
cacher?...Peut-e\*^tre y reste-t-il quelque de\*'faut...pourrai-je encore
ajouter quelque ornement\*U (pp. 1225-6).  Already we see Pygmalion caught
between believing that there is power in the statue, and his need of having
it exist on the symbolic level where he can \*Ql'examiner\*U rather
\*Ql'admirer\*U (p. 1226).
.PP
The dichotomy becomes more apparent when Pygmalion goes to lift the veil.  A
terrible fear takes hold of him: \*Qje crois toucher au sanctuaire de
quelque Divinite\*'\*U (p. 1226), but then immediately he tries to dismiss
the effect: \*QPygmalion! c'est une pierre; c'est ton ouvrage\*U (p. 1226).
He is trying to dismiss the power of the statue through reason, a product of
the symbolic order.  Then, as if to try to prove that the statue is not
privileged, he removes the veil.  But this only serves to recreate the
Otherness of the statue because, after unveiling it, Pygmalion trembles with
fear and again he puts Galathe\*'e in a privileged position: \*QO
Galathe\*'e!...j'ai voulu vous faire Nymphe, et he vous ai fait De\*'esse:
Ve\*'nus me\*^me est moins belle que vous\*U (p. 1226).  And even after he
reproaches himself for believing that he, a mere mortal, could have made
something beyond the gods (\*QVanite\*', faiblesse humaine!\*U (p. 1226)),
he concludes with \*Qj'ai passe\*' l'ouvrage des Dieux\*U (p. 1226).
.PP
Even at this point in the scene we cannot simply dismiss Pygmalion's
experiences as phantasy since he makes us identify with his struggle.  We see
him thinking about the same questions that we are thinking about, `How could
a human make something something divine,' etc.  In this way he confirms that
his world and ours are similar; he thus draws us into his world.  Through
our `suspension of disbelief' we believe ourselves what he is experiencing.
We take his word for reality, and in so doing we give up part of our
objectivity of an audience and experience through him.  (Yet part of us still
remains as something outside of the play.)  It is because of this
identification that we get more and more drawn into Pygmalions world,
seduced by it, just as he is seduced by his statue.
.PP
Immediately after concluding that his work surpasses the work of gods he is
shocked back into `reality' when he realizes how much he has been seduced
by the desire to be so powerful; in his delirium he imagines kissing
something divine: \*Qtant de beaute\*'s sortent de mes mains?...Ma bouche a
donc pu...\*U (p. 1226).  When he realizes his seduction by the statue he
can no longer see it as something divine (of the Other), he must find a
fault in it, he must bring it back into his world to master it.  The fault
is, again, that the statue is veiled, but this time the veil is part of it,
inherent to it.  Pygmalion attempts to confirm that the statue is in the
symbolic world by chiseling away the veil, by `castrating' it, thus bringing
it into the symbolic order.  He also wants to remove the seductive element
of the statue (that which hides).  This veil is more `powerful' than the
previous veil in that it is part of the statue; it gives power to the statue
through its necessary veiling much like the phallus is given power in that
it is always veiled.  It is this inherent veil that makes the statue
seductive as the absolute signifier.  If Pygmalion can remove the veil the
statue will lose its phallic power and the phallus will go elsewhere.  He
needs this to happen, since a physical signifier-of-the-absolute would
mean the destruction of his symbolic world and the loss of all meaning.  As
long as the phallus is elsewhere, Pygmalion can go on sculpting.  He has
been shocked into realizing the danger of his seduction, so now he must
remove the seducing element and confirm his symbolic world by castrating
Galathe\*'e.
.PP
But Galathe\*'e resists being brought into the signifying chain: \*Qje sens
la chair palpitante repousser le ciseau!\*U (p. 1227).  It is as though the
phallus is resisting the repression necessary to instantiate the symbolic
order.  We only know of her resistance through Pygmalion, but we believe
him, as the play demands.  We thus feel, as does Pygmalion, the mysterious
force and power that she carries.  (Yet part of us is still able to
rationalize the situation, and say that it is all in Pygmalion's head.)
Pygmalion, yet again, tries to reduce the importance of his statute by
finding a fault.  But this time he has more difficulty rationalizing, as he
is seduced more and more, and he produces an enigmatic phrase: \*Qc'est la
perfection qui fait son de\*'faut.... Divine Galathe\*'e! moins parfaite, il
ne te manquerait rien\*U (p. 1227).  We see here that symbolic reasoning
fails in a more or less circular fashion; her perfection is her fault, less
perfect she would lack nothing, thus she would be perfect? and we start over
again.  The sentence itself embodies the self-reflexivity of the imaginary
stage, and is thus a (symbolic) representation of it.  Because it is
referring to Galathe\*'e, it supports the growing sensation that she has some
kind of phallic power.  The symbolic seems less and less appropriate here.
.PP
Pigmalion's attempts at symbolic rationalization become more and more
futile.  He tries to reduce Galathe\*'e to mere, unformed stone (p. 1227),
but he quickly abandons that approach.  We see the urgency with which he
needs to confirm the symbolic order when he cries, `impetuously', \*QNon, je
n'ai point perdu le sens\*U (p. 1227).  He then tries to say that it is not
statue which attracts him, but some \*Qe\*^tre vivant\*U (p. 1227) that
resembles it, not imaginary unity.  This justification he quickly abandons
as well.  It then seems as though he accepts Galathe\*'e as a privileged
signifier, he seems transported to some Other realm: \*QJe crois, dans mon
de\*'lire, pouvoir m'e\*'lancer hors de moi\* (p. 1228).  He wants to give
her life, to live in her, to be one with her.  But then immediately he
realizes that to do that would be to destroy his symbolic world; he decides,
instead, that he must be able to look on her and want her: \*Qque je sois
toujours un autre, pour vouloir toujours e\*^tre elle\*U (p. 1228).
Pygmalion appears to have accepted that Galathe\*'e has phallic powers.
.PP
But this apparent acceptance throws Pgymlion into a highly emotional and
confused state: \*QTourmens, voeux, desirs, rage, impuissance\*U (p. 1228).
He is unable to comprehend the existence of an absolute signifier, and he
is forced to call upon the gods to save him, to confirm the symbolic order:
\*Qje n'attends point un prodige; il existe, il doit cesser; l'order est
trouble\*', la nature est outrage\*'e; rends leur empire a\*` ses loix\*U
(p. 1228).  He wants Galathe\*'e to disappear, he wants the phallus to be
repressed and the symbolic law and order to be reinstated.  But then he
closes his prayer with a lilne that seems perfectly to describe the privileged
signifier of the absolute: \*Qe\*'pargne cet affront a\*` la nature, qu'un
si parfait modele soit l'image de ce qui n'est pas\*U (p.  1229).  In his
delirious state has Pygmalion asked the gods for both the existence of the
symbolic order
.I "and"
that an absolute signifier exist (despite \*Qil doit cesser\*U)?  This seems
to be the case, for he soon reproaches himself for his \*Qveux
insense\*'s\*U (p. 1229), and he realizes the absurdity of his hopes:
\*QL'espoir qui nous abuse est plus insense\*' que le desir\*U (p. 1229).
Pygmalion (and we, too) still seems to be in a strange situation, somewhere
between the symbolic and the imaginary, for when he looks at the statue he
still has fear.
.PP
It is at this point that the statue moves.  Now, as Pygmalion sees things,
all meaning and sense is gone, \*Qton de\*'lire est a\*` son dernier terme;
ta raison t'abandonne ainsi que ton ge\*'nie\*U (pp. 1229-30).  His
`ge\*'nie,' his mastery over the symbolic is gone, and he seems now to be in
the realm of the imaginary.  Indeed, when Galathe\*'e touches herself and
says, \*QMoi\*U (p.1230), he too says
.I
(`transporte\*''),
.R
\*QMoi!\*U (p. 1230).  Galathe\*'e and Pygmalion seem somehow to be joined
(at least in Pygmalion's mind).  But Galathe\*'e seems also to exist in the
signifying chain, for she delimits herself (to the stone, \*QCe n'est plus
moi\*U (p. 1230)), and reflexively identifies herself.  Indeed, she speaks,
and because of this it seems that she has gone through a kind of `mirror
stage'.  We might consider that it is due to his delirium that Pygmalion
believes he has achieved imaginary unity.  Yet she confirms the unity when
he kisses her and she says, \*QAh! encore moi\*U (p. 1231).  And although
the last word spoken by Pygmalion is \*Qtoi\*U (p. 1230), which would seem
to separate, it can be thought of as confirming his joining with
Galathe\*'e, since throughout the scene he refers to himself in the second
person.  But even though she confirms their unity, couldn't her animation
simply come from Pygmalion's imagination, couldn't she be a \*QRavissante
illusion\*U (p. 1230) in his mind?  We cannot say, since we, too, see it.
.PP
If this was not a play, something to be presented, and was only something to
be read (like Ovid's myth), we might read it in the following way:
Pygmalion wants to be able to represent the object of his desire, that which
motivated \*Qcette agitation secrete que lui tourmente et dont [il] ne
[peut] de\*'me\*^ler la cause\*U (p. 1225).  The cause, of course, was his
`castration', his entry into the symbolic world which he wishes to master
through the constant repetition of the event through his sculpting.  But he
feels unable to sculpt, and he doubts his artistic mastery; he feels that
his motivating passion is gone.  In his state of doubt he makes the
sentimental mistake of elevating his previous work to a privileged level of
representing the absolute height of beauty, the ultimate masterpiece.  He
falls so deeply in love with his own work, that in some sort of narcissistic
phantasy he makes it come to life.  In this way it would be a warning
against believing in a representable absolute.
.PP
But we cannot end simply by saying that this is narcissistic, since we see
it, as a third party, in front of our eyes.  We see it, and further more we
believe it (in the same way that Pygmalion does) because we have been drawn
in and seduced by the rhetoric (Pygmalion's rhetoric), so we must somehow
reconcile our belief and what we see in the notion that we are seeing a
privileged representation of imaginary unity.  We have let the play to do us
what Pygmalion let the statue do to him.  But we are seeing a physical
scene; \*QLe The\*'a\*^tre repre\*'sente\*U (p.  1224), true, but as our
objectivity tells us, the representation cannot be privileged and cannot be
absolute.  The tension which the play tries to make disappear by denying an
absolute signifier (repressing the phallus) is exactly the tension it
creates
.I
in that it is a play, a representation through repression.
.R
What is being
.I "denied"
(repressed) 
.I "in"
the play is an absolute signifier.  What
is being 
.I "represented"
(repressed) 
.I "by" 
the play is an absolute signifier
(imaginary unity).
One has the impression that we would find out in the next scene what has
really happened here, but we never see the next scene and we are left in
this ambivalent state, not knowing quite what to think.