Representation of Violence from Imaginary to Symbolic: Identity Formation in John Banville’s The Book of Evidence

Oğuzhan Ayrım

Article Details

Representation of Violence from Imaginary to Symbolic: Identity Formation in John Banville’s The Book of Evidence

Authors:

Oğuzhan Ayrım

Publisher:

Mugla Sitki Kocman University

Main Topics:

İngiliz ve İrlanda Dili | Edebiyatı ve Kültürü

Journal:

Bitig Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi Vol.3 Issue 6, pp.14-27

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

12/2023

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001304897

pISSN:

2791-7908

Keywords:

Abstract:

 This article proposes to read John Banvilles The Book of Evidence, a crime story narrated from the protagonists first-person gaze, from a Lacanian perspective by referring to his mirror stage theory. As an extension of testimonial literature, the novel is deemed to be a narrative of introspective self-examination, thus introducing a creation of the self paralleling the text. The protagonists mnemonic narrative is accompanied by the idea of an alternative world of not only self-expression but also self-depiction and presentation as in Lacans Imaginary. This self-creation, however, may not be as innocent as it seems. The reason for this is that although the mirror phase involves a transition from the Imaginary to the Symbolic, it presupposes the role of the other, biologically mother, in order to accustom the subject to the law of society, the symbolic. However, just because the protagonist, Freddie, mentions his mothers presence as nothing, there is no soothing force for his adaptation to the societal laws. Here, Freddie is subject to what Lacan sees as a minor prototype who lives in a society, and yet, is attached to his own rules as the first principle of male violence associated with this novel. Therefore, this article also tries to find answers for Freddies performance of male violence within the axis of psychoanalytic postulations elaborated on Lacans identity theory.

 This article proposes to read John Banvilles The Book of Evidence, a crime story narrated from the protagonists first-person gaze, from a Lacanian perspective by referring to his mirror stage theory. As an extension of testimonial literature, the novel is deemed to be a narrative of introspective self-examination, thus introducing a creation of the self paralleling the text. The protagonists mnemonic narrative is accompanied by the idea of an alternative world of not only self-expression but also self-depiction and presentation as in Lacans Imaginary. This self-creation, however, may not be as innocent as it seems. The reason for this is that although the mirror phase involves a transition from the Imaginary to the Symbolic, it presupposes the role of the other, biologically mother, in order to accustom the subject to the law of society, the symbolic. However, just because the protagonist, Freddie, mentions his mothers presence as nothing, there is no soothing force for his adaptation to the societal laws. Here, Freddie is subject to what Lacan sees as a minor prototype who lives in a society, and yet, is attached to his own rules as the first principle of male violence associated with this novel. Therefore, this article also tries to find answers for Freddies performance of male violence within the axis of psychoanalytic postulations elaborated on Lacans identity theory.

 This article proposes to read John Banvilles The Book of Evidence, a crime story narrated from the protagonists first-person gaze, from a Lacanian perspective by referring to his mirror stage theory. As an extension of testimonial literature, the novel is deemed to be a narrative of introspective self-examination, thus introducing a creation of the self paralleling the text. The protagonists mnemonic narrative is accompanied by the idea of an alternative world of not only self-expression but also self-depiction and presentation as in Lacans Imaginary. This self-creation, however, may not be as innocent as it seems. The reason for this is that although the mirror phase involves a transition from the Imaginary to the Symbolic, it presupposes the role of the other, biologically mother, in order to accustom the subject to the law of society, the symbolic. However, just because the protagonist, Freddie, mentions his mothers presence as nothing, there is no soothing force for his adaptation to the societal laws. Here, Freddie is subject to what Lacan sees as a minor prototype who lives in a society, and yet, is attached to his own rules as the first principle of male violence associated with this novel. Therefore, this article also tries to find answers for Freddies performance of male violence within the axis of psychoanalytic postulations elaborated on Lacans identity theory.

 Bu makale, John Banvillein, kahramanın birinci şahıs bakış açısıyla anlattığı bir suç öyküsü olan Kanıt Kitabını Lacanın ayna teorisine atıfta bulunarak Lacancı bir bakış açısıyla okuma sunmaktadır. Tanıklık edebiyatının bir uzantısı olarak roman, içe dönük bir kendini inceleme anlatısı olarak kabul edilir ve böylece metne paralel bir benlik yaratımı ortaya çıkar. Kahramanın geriye dönük anlatımına, Lacanın İmgesel düzeninde olduğu gibi sadece kendini ifade etmenin değil, aynı zamanda kendini tasvir etmenin ve sunmanın da olduğu alternatif bir dünya fikri eşlik etmektedir. Ancak bu kendi kendini yaratma, göründüğü kadar masum olmayabilir. Bunun nedeni, ayna evresinin her ne kadar İmgesel düzlemden Sembolik düzleme geçişi içerse de özneyi toplumun yasası olan simgesel olana alıştırmak için Ötekinin, biyolojik olarak annenin, rolünü ön plana koymaktadır. Ancak başkarakter ve anlatıcı olan Freddie, annesinin varlığından hiçbir şey olarak bahsettiği için toplumsal yasalara uyum sağlamasını kolaylaştıracak hiçbir yatıştırıcı bulunmamaktadır. Burada Freddie, Lacanın toplumda küçük kesim olarak gördüğü, toplumda yaşayan ancak kendi kuralları doğrultusunda hareket eden prototipi temsil etmektedir, ki bu da romanla ilişkilendirilen eril şiddetin birincil ilkesidir. Dolayısıyla bu makale, aynı zamanda Freddienin eril şiddeti performansına Lacanın kimlik teorisi üzerinden geliştirilen psikanalitik önermeler doğrultusunda yanıtlar bulmaya çalışmaktadır.

Article Details

Representation of Violence from Imaginary to Symbolic: Identity Formation in John Banville’s The Book of Evidence

Authors:

Oğuzhan Ayrım

Publisher:

Mugla Sitki Kocman University

Main Topics:

İngiliz ve İrlanda Dili | Edebiyatı ve Kültürü

Journal:

Bitig Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi Vol.3 Issue 6, pp.14-27

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

12/2023

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001304897

pISSN:

2791-7908

John Banville

The Book of Evidence

Jacques Lacan

mirror stage

male violence

narcissism.John Banville

Kanıt Kitabı

Jacques Lacan

ayna teorisi

eril şiddet

narsisizm.

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Oğuzhan Ayrım

Publisher: Mugla Sitki Kocman University

Main Topics: İngiliz ve İrlanda Dili | Edebiyatı ve Kültürü

Journal: Bitig Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi Vol.3 Issue 6, pp.14-27

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 12/2023

Document Language: English

Document ID (Org No.): 2001304897

pISSN: 2791-7908

Issues

Authors:

Oğuzhan Ayrım

Publisher:

Mugla Sitki Kocman University

Main Topics:

İngiliz ve İrlanda Dili | Edebiyatı ve Kültürü

Journal:

Bitig Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi Vol.3 Issue 6, pp.14-27

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

12/2023

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001304897

pISSN:

2791-7908