The Ugly Side of Desire - Zizek and de Ventadorn

What are the ways in which the poetry and essay bring up themes we spoke about last week (problems of desire, imagery, alienation, etc.). What new ideas do you see here that further complicate or elucidate issues involving love and/or desire? Use specific quotes from the poetry and the essay to support your comments.

Thoughts on Zizek:

- The Zizek article definitely connects with the discussions we have had thus far about love and desire. It also connects strongly to the film we watched this week. When you desire someone, that person is immediately dehumanized and seen as an abstract ideal, something so great that it is entirely out of your reach. The quote in the beginning referring to the poetic depiction of this "abstract ideal" is entirely true- it does appear that all poets are addressing the same person, because they are not even speaking of an actual person, but this ideal. In "The Obscure Object of Desire", Conchina represents the courted Lady Zizek speaks of, the cold, distant, and ultimately inhuman partner. She "functions as an inhuman partner in the sense of a radical Otherness which is wholly incommensurable with our needs and desires." Conchina can never satisfy Mathieu's desires because she is the unreachable Other. The relationship, or lack thereof, that Conchina and Mathieu have represents the chaser-and-chased relationship- most of the time, you really don't know who you are desiring. Behind the inhuman Other lies an emotional human, someone that a "relationship of empathy" is possible with, but takes time to reveal itself. Zizek continues to talk about the "abstract Ideal" of the desired, saying that "it is a narcissistic projection whose function is to render her traumatic dimension invisible." If we were to truly feel the trauma of this idealization we wouldn't desire any longer, and to desire is to live. This is depicted brilliantly in Narcissus; once Narcissus realized the trauma of his desire he literally could no longer live. Our perception of our desire is an illusion, a narcissistic measure to protect ourselves. Our belief about the image we see in the mirror serves the same function- it is a coping mechanism. The object of desire reflects the narcissistic ideal. Bunuel, the director of "The Obscure Object of Desire", was fully aware of the function of desire in his film; he says his films always speak of "the non-explainable impossibility of the fulfillment of a simple desire." Also, it always seems as if we control our desire and believe that once the desire is somewhat fulfilled, that the relationship will get better. Only afterwards do we realize the true trauma of the desire we had- the desire leaves behind an empty void if there was no relationship to begin with. A relationship began by pure, physical desire leaves behind pure devastation and trauma, because the idealized other was not so ideal and you never really knew that person at all. It is always a bad moment when you see how blind you were to desire's true nature.

Thoughts on de Ventadorn

- The poetry reminded me of what Zizek was saying in the beginning of his essay about how all poets are writing about the same person, the "abstract Ideal." de Ventadorn is certainly speaking about this abstract Ideal, adding the proper amount of drama to the ordeal of desire. The line "a man is really dead when he does not feel some sweet taste of love in his heart" brings to mind my point about Zizek's essay- when you do not desire someone or something you are as good as dead. de Ventadorn depicts someone who is hopeless in love and tortured by it. Love hurts because it can never be fully yours, just like desire cannot be entirely fulfilled. However, this pain is seen as "beautiful", a pain that has equal parts pleasure which makes it worthwhile. Although we know we are driven mad by our desire, we don't stop, we can't stop, and we have to somehow justify this to ourselves. I found it ironic how de Ventadorn mentions "the love of a courtly man", because Zizek is constantly referring to the courtly lady in his essay. This poem and the essay speak to each other. Poetry always represents the one who desires in his/her finest, most elegant form, whether this person is suffering or swimming merrily in their desire. de Ventadorn's narrator desires so deeply that he is willing to die to fulfill his desire- but is that really his choice? No one knows.