AUGUSTINE IN CONTEXTS: LACAN'S REPETITION OF A SCENE FROM THE CONFESSIONS
Shuli Barzilai
Literature and Theology June 1, 1997 DOI: 10.1093/litthe/11.2.200 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 3 |
| Key points | Argues that Lacan repeatedly used Augustine's anecdote of infant jealousy as an exemplary representation of the emergence of human consciousness, and proposes that it may also read as a 'screen memory' carrying diverse personal significances for Lacan. |
Abstract
Jacques Lacan never seems to exhaust the full significance of a bnef scenario from Saint Augustine's Confessions: ‘I have myself seen jealousy in a baby and know what it means. He was not old enough to talk, but, whenever he saw his foster-brother at the breast, he would grow pale with envy’ (Bk. i, Ch. 7). References to the anecdote appear in Lacan's writings from The Family Complexes (1938) to Encore (1973). He repeatedly asserts its exemplary representation of the emergence of human consciousness. But why Augustine's ‘Vide ego …’ elicited and sustained his attention over so many yean presents a nddle. My examination of the privileged status of this scenario of sibling jealousy takes several factors into account: the specific content of the passage, its wider context in the Confessions, and its contextualizanon in Lacan's writings. Moreover, in addition to the theoretical relevance of Augustine's exemplum, it may also read as a substantive screen memory that, for Lacan, resonates with diverse personal significances. Where could such a living creature come from if not from you, O Lord' Can it be that any man has skill to fabricate himself?