Sinthome
Encyclopedia
The sinthome is a concept introduced by Jacques Lacan
in his seminar Le sinthome (1975-76). According to Lacan, sinthome is an archaic way of spelling the French word symptôme, meaning symptom
. The seminar is a continuing elaboration of his topology
, extending the previous seminar's focus (RSI) on the Borromean Knot
and an exploration of the writings of James Joyce
. Lacan redefines the psychoanalytic symptom in terms of his topology of the subject.
In "Psychoanalysis and its Teachings" (Écrits) Lacan views the symptom as inscribed in a writing process, not as ciphered message which was the traditional notion. In his seminar "L'angoisse" (1962-63) he states that the symptom does not call for interpretation: in itself it is not a call to the Other
but a pure jouissance
addressed to no one. This is a shift from the linguistic definition of the symptom - as a signifier
- to his assertion that "the symptom can only be defined as the way in which each subject enjoys (jouit) the unconscious in so far as the unconscious determines the subject." He goes from conceiving the symptom as a message which can be deciphered by reference to the unconscious structured like a language to seeing it as the trace of the particular modality of the subject's jouissance. Sinthome then designates a signifying formulation beyond analysis: it is what allows one to live by providing the essential organization of jouissance. The aim of the cure is to identify with the sinthome.
This shift from linguistics to topology constitutes the status of the sinthome as unanalyzable. The seminar extends the theory of the Borromean Knot, which in RSI (Real, Symbolic, Imaginary) had been proposed as the structure of the subject, by adding the sinthome as the fourth ring to the triad already mentioned, tying together a knot which constantly threatens to come undone. Since meaning (sens) is already figured within the knot, at the intersection of the Symbolic and the Imaginary, it follows that the function of the sinthome - knotting together the Real
, the Imaginary
and the Symbolic
- is beyond meaning.
According to Lacan, faced in his childhood by the absence of the Name of the Father
, Joyce managed to avoid psychosis by deploying his art as suppléance, that is a supplementary cord in the subjective knot. Lacan emphasizes Joyce's epiphanies as instances of radical foreclosure (foreclusion
) in which the real forecloses meaning. Joyce's texts entailed a special relation to language, its destructive refashioning as sinthome: the invasion of the Symbolic order by the subject's private jouissance. The concept of sinthome in its particular relations to creativity is connected to the late Lacanian concept of "feminine supplementary jouissance". To Lacan, topology is conceived as a form of writing, aiming to figure that which escapes the Imaginary. Thus Joyce becomes a saint homme who by refusing any imaginary solution, was able to invent a procedure of using language to organize jouissance.
Jacques Lacan
Jacques Marie Émile Lacan was a French psychoanalyst and psychiatrist who made prominent contributions to psychoanalysis and philosophy, and has been called "the most controversial psycho-analyst since Freud". Giving yearly seminars in Paris from 1953 to 1981, Lacan influenced France's...
in his seminar Le sinthome (1975-76). According to Lacan, sinthome is an archaic way of spelling the French word symptôme, meaning symptom
Symptom
A symptom is a departure from normal function or feeling which is noticed by a patient, indicating the presence of disease or abnormality...
. The seminar is a continuing elaboration of his topology
Topology
Topology is a major area of mathematics concerned with properties that are preserved under continuous deformations of objects, such as deformations that involve stretching, but no tearing or gluing...
, extending the previous seminar's focus (RSI) on the Borromean Knot
Borromean rings
In mathematics, the Borromean rings consist of three topological circles which are linked and form a Brunnian link, i.e., removing any ring results in two unlinked rings.- Mathematical properties :...
and an exploration of the writings of James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
. Lacan redefines the psychoanalytic symptom in terms of his topology of the subject.
In "Psychoanalysis and its Teachings" (Écrits) Lacan views the symptom as inscribed in a writing process, not as ciphered message which was the traditional notion. In his seminar "L'angoisse" (1962-63) he states that the symptom does not call for interpretation: in itself it is not a call to the Other
Other
The Other or Constitutive Other is a key concept in continental philosophy; it opposes the Same. The Other refers, or attempts to refer, to that which is Other than the initial concept being considered...
but a pure jouissance
Jouissance
The term jouissance, in French, denotes "pleasure" or "enjoyment." The term has a sexual connotation lacking in the English word "enjoyment", and is therefore left untranslated in English editions of the works of Jacques Lacan. In his Seminar "The Ethics of Psychoanalysis" Lacan develops his...
addressed to no one. This is a shift from the linguistic definition of the symptom - as a signifier
Sign (linguistics)
There are many models of the linguistic sign . A classic model is the one by the Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure. According to him, language is made up of signs and every sign has two sides : the signifier , the "shape" of a word, its phonic component, i.e...
- to his assertion that "the symptom can only be defined as the way in which each subject enjoys (jouit) the unconscious in so far as the unconscious determines the subject." He goes from conceiving the symptom as a message which can be deciphered by reference to the unconscious structured like a language to seeing it as the trace of the particular modality of the subject's jouissance. Sinthome then designates a signifying formulation beyond analysis: it is what allows one to live by providing the essential organization of jouissance. The aim of the cure is to identify with the sinthome.
This shift from linguistics to topology constitutes the status of the sinthome as unanalyzable. The seminar extends the theory of the Borromean Knot, which in RSI (Real, Symbolic, Imaginary) had been proposed as the structure of the subject, by adding the sinthome as the fourth ring to the triad already mentioned, tying together a knot which constantly threatens to come undone. Since meaning (sens) is already figured within the knot, at the intersection of the Symbolic and the Imaginary, it follows that the function of the sinthome - knotting together the Real
The Real
The Real refers to that which is authentic, the unchangeable truth in reference both to being/the Self and the external dimension of experience, also referred to as the infinite and absolute - as opposed to a reality based on sense perception and the material order.-In psychoanalysis:The Real is a...
, the Imaginary
The Imaginary
The Imaginary order is one of a triptych of terms in the psychoanalytic theory of Jacques Lacan, along with the symbolic and the real. Each of the trio of terms emerged gradually over time, and underwent an evolution during the development of Lacan's thought...
and the Symbolic
The Symbolic
The Symbolic is a part of the psychoanalytic theory of Jacques Lacan, part of his attempt 'to distinguish between those elementary registers whose grounding I later put forward in these terms: the symbolic, the imaginary, and the real - a distinction never previously made in psychoanalysis'.-The...
- is beyond meaning.
According to Lacan, faced in his childhood by the absence of the Name of the Father
Name of the Father
The Name-of-the-Father is a concept that Jacques Lacan developed over time, beginning in his Seminar The Psychoses...
, Joyce managed to avoid psychosis by deploying his art as suppléance, that is a supplementary cord in the subjective knot. Lacan emphasizes Joyce's epiphanies as instances of radical foreclosure (foreclusion
Foreclusion
Foreclosure is the English translation of a term that the French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan introduced into psychoanalysis to represent a defence mechanism which he considered central to the development of psychosis....
) in which the real forecloses meaning. Joyce's texts entailed a special relation to language, its destructive refashioning as sinthome: the invasion of the Symbolic order by the subject's private jouissance. The concept of sinthome in its particular relations to creativity is connected to the late Lacanian concept of "feminine supplementary jouissance". To Lacan, topology is conceived as a form of writing, aiming to figure that which escapes the Imaginary. Thus Joyce becomes a saint homme who by refusing any imaginary solution, was able to invent a procedure of using language to organize jouissance.
Sources
- The Seminars of Jacques Lacan
- An Introductory Dictionary of Lacanian Psychoanalysis - Dylan Evans
- Jack W. Stone's Joyce/Lacan/Sinthome
- The Nora whom Joyce Knew - David Hayman Lacanian Ink 13
- Joyce through the Lacan Glass - Patrick Healy Lacanian Ink 11
- From Joyce-the Symptom - Slavoj Zizek Lacanian Ink 11