as i was reviewing the chapter on the key principles of Lacanian psychoanalysis today i had a revelation! i suddenly realized why i am learning French. it is not to understand Lacan better but to fill my lack. it was the same with the English language: i decided to study American and English literature because English gave me the feeling to be more complete, to be able to express myself better and to get a better understanding. but somehow this feeling subsided and was replaced by French a few months ago. this is what Lacan calls “objet a”, the cause of desire. it is impossible to have the “objet a”; it is dynamic, moving from one real object or thing to another, always in search for even greater desire (and jouissance). desire per se can never be satisfied - it keeps us (and our life) going.
i do not know for certain what i actally see in French or the french culture. however, it has a certain “surplus-value”, something that makes it desireable for me. you could also say it has a certain “factor” that is appealing to me. the most obvious answer would be to say, “it is a beautiful language”. but there is more to it and this “more” cannot be attributed to a single aspect; it evades our language because it is located in the psychic register of the Real — the place of ultimate jouissance.
