All Writing is Drawing: The Spatial Development of the Manuscript
Author(s): Serge Tisseron
Reviewed work(s):
Source: Yale French Studies, No. 84, Boundaries: Writing & Drawing (1994), pp. 29-42
Published by: Yale University Press
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SERGE TISSERON
All WritingIs Drawing:The Spatial
Developmentofthe Manuscript
An author'smanuscripts
arerecognizedthesamewaywriting
is recognized,thatis, throughits stylistichallmarks:strickenwords,scholia
writtenin themargins,scribblings,
and quick memoslike "mustget
some milk." Such annotations,which are in manywayssimilarto
those studdingthe earlydraftof a comic strip,have done much to
disabuseus oftheillusionofa textimmediatelycastin itsfinalmaterialform.Anotherobstacle,however,
has arisen:whatsortofcriteria
are thereto evaluatethe workof the manuscript?Indeed,to what
extentis themanuscript
guidedbytheworkin progress(inwhichcase
thecompletedworkwouldthenbe thecriterium
bywhichsuccessive
draftsoughtto be measured)?Or to what extentis the manuscript
guidedbyotherforcesat work?Ifwe admitthatthewritingprocessis
not only the transpositionof a textwhich existedoriginallyin the
writer'smind,thenthe role ofthe inscriptivegesturein the writing
andmarkedly
processhas beengenerally
underestimated,
particularly
bylinguisticsand semiology.
I wouldliketo developsuchan approach
here.The genesisofthetext,as ofanywrittenmark(particularly
that
of drawing),must be consideredfromthe viewpointof the original
spatialplaywhichthehandstages.Neithertheparadigmoftheeyenor
that of language allows us to grasp the meaningof "firstdraft"
dynamics-the momentwhenits enunciationis bornin distinction
fromwhatit enunciates.The paradigmofthehand,however,
achieves
such an understanding.
Originallywhatis at stakein thehandis the
verynatureofthepsychicinvestments
whichareboundup in it.
The importancegivento hand gesturesdoes not excludethe increasinglylargeshareoftextualcreationwhichis performed
by ma& Drawing,ed.M. Reid,? 1994byYaleUniversity.
YFS 84,Boundaries:Writing
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chines,startingwiththehome computer.In fact,thecurrenttechnological evolution is drawingnoticeablycloser to the conditions
The computerhas
presidingoverthemanualcreationofa manuscript.
which excludesthe
gone beyondthe limitationsof the typewriter,
possibilityof manyoperationsquicklyand easilyperformed
by the
hand,suchas freeusageofthefullpageanda varietyofgraphicmarks.
The computerallowsforwordsand sentencesto be movedwitha few
tobe stored,formultipletypographical
briefcommands,forfragments
Whereasthe
fontsto be used,and evenforgraphicsto be introduced.
earliesttypewriter
technologyestrangedtheuserfromtheprocessof
tendtowardsa reconciliation
with
marking,
thecurrent
developments
it.
A. MANUAL PLEASURES
ofthetext,as wellas theintention
Althoughthenecessarybeginnings
of writingit, admittedlyare initiatedin the psychicsystem,the inthehand.The initialmoscriptionprocessinvolvesfirstandforemost
mentof writing,as of any marking,is when "something"(forwhat
does one call an originalnotion,an idea,an intuition,an inspiration?)
which has neitherextensionnor durationis givenboth-a spatial
existence(itsmarking)and a temporalexistence(thetimeit takesfor
the eye to run across it). While this momentmay entailnumerous
inscriptive
instruments,
rangingfroma merepencilto a computer,
its
actualrealizationis impossiblewithoutinvolvingthehand.Thismanual process has been overlookedby linguisticstudiesparticularly
whichare systematically
interestedin the end productofthemanuForinstance,
script.Yet the manuscripthas its own requirements.
insofaras it takes farmoretime to inscribewritingthanit does to
conceiveitmentally,
writingis oftenforcedto createthewholeproject
andeachofitscomponentsat thesametime.Thus,an erasurecanhave
meaningwithrespectto the wordor the sentenceit eliminates,but
also as an elementinscribedin a largerinvisiblenetwork,
thebreathing
ofthetextas itwere.Similarly,
thefactthatsomesentencesorpartsof
sentencesremain unfinisheddoes not necessarilymean that the
thoughtunderlying
theirinscription
was lostat thesametime.Indeed
units.
nothingprovesthatthoughttravelsalongin completesignifying
A pieceofa sentenceprovisionally
leftunfinished
can actas witnessto
thequestionproposedbythesuspendedending,a questionthatunderlies theparagraph
in whichit appears,eventhetextas a whole.Lastly,
SERGE
TISSERON
31
thehandimposesthelogicproperto theparticular
investments
standingat its origin.
The Freudiantheoryofpleasureis basedon thedistinction
between
"pleasureoffunction"and "pleasureoforgan."The former
is said to
involvethesatisfaction
offulfilling
a vitalfunction,
suchas quenching
one's thirst,satiatingone's hunger,and actingon sexual tension.On
theotherhand,thelatteris said to derivefromtheautoeroticsatisfaction ofa partialimpulse:the excitationofone erogenouszone finds
fulfillment
in theverysame spotwhereit occurs,withno directrelation to the fulfillment
ofa particularbodilyfunction,evenifit supportsit.
Moreover,
in Freud'sperspective,
theexternalworldis perceivedas
a projectionofone's own body.Consequently,
accordingto him,the
pleasureof manual activitycan only be consideredin referenceto
impulsessublimatedaftertheyhave been investedin thebodyitself
and bound to erogenouszones. In thisperspective,
manual pleasure
adheresto the economicrule by which a suddenrelease of energy
followsan accumulationphase experiencedas painful.This release
allowsfortheexcitationto settlebackdownto itspriorlevel.Manual
pleasureis, undersuch conditions,relatedto variouspleasurecenters
successivelyattachedto variouserogenouszones,oral,anal,andgenital. Indeed,the hand can communicatepleasureto all of themby
substitutingforthe primitiveobject of the impulse,such as when
fingersenterthe mouth to replacethe breastor enterthe anus to
replacethetubularturd,orwhentheybecomea penisforthevagina,or
whenthehandbecomesa vaginaforthepenis.Autoeroticsatisfaction
derivesfromthe abilityofhand to do onto oneselfwhatthe mother
initiallydid forthe infant.The varioushand-related
activitiesmay
thenbe said to derivefromthevariousinstancesofsublimatingtheir
originalimpulses.
Some authors,however,
questionthestatusofthepleasureprinciple as theessentialparadigmofpsychoanalysis.
Theyarguefora recognitionof the "bindingimpulse"whichparallelsthe sexual impulse
and yet is independentfromit. AlthoughEnglishpsychoanalyst
Bowlby(1978)givesthemostcogentdefenseofthisnotion,it is Irme
of
Hermann(1943)who shouldbe creditedforlayingthefoundations
the argument.Accordingto him, along with the genito-sexualimpulse, thereexistsa bindingimpulse(whichIrmeHermanncalls an
"instinct")characterized
bythedesiretoclingon tothemother'sbody.
Unlikemonkeyswho can fulfillthisinstinctthanksto theirpowerful
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tofulfill
lowerlimbsandthemother'sthickfur,similarefforts
gripping
thesame instinctremainfrustrated
amonghumanbabies.According
to IrmeHermann,a sizable numberofhumanachievementsare inforwhichtheysubstitute
tendedto signifythis essentialfrustration
Suchan approachno longerpresentsthe
compensatory
achievements.
worldas a projectionofthebodyitselfbutas a projectionofthematernal bodyfromwhicheveryhumanbeingis originallyseparated.
This lost dual unitythenfindsgenitaland nongenitalsubstitutes.
In theformer,
thechild'shandreplacessomepartsofthematernalbody
or hand and suppliesthepleasurewhichthemotherinitiallygaveto
the child. Those partsare soughtthroughcontactswith the world,
to thisview,thehandis no
nature,groups,andinstitutions.
According
longerregarded
inrelationtoautoeroticpleasuresbutinrelationtothe
to reconstruct
thelost
specialroleit playsin attempting
symbolically
dual entity.At times,its actionscan be relatedto theepistemophilic
impulse(thehand is thenused to servethe desireforknowledge);at
othertimes,it is used forthe sexual impulse(in whichit acts as an
ofautoeroticfulfillment).
instrument
However,it can be drivenbyits
theend ofthedual unitywhich
ownneeds,namelythoseconcerning
has beenirretrievably
as a motionalforcedistinctfrom
lost.Gesturing,
theoriginalstageofimpulses,is a criticalmeansofbreaking
awayfrom
maternalsymbiosis.Gestureplaysjustsucha rolein theyoungchild's
development
includingthemodelofprocesseswhichchildhoodimplements,as wellas in anycreativeactivitywhichcallsforit,particularly
ofthe signifying
constraints
of
writing,althoughthisis independent
grammaticaland syntacticalrules.
B. THE HAND, BLIND NET
The signused in ancientChinesecivilizationto designatethegesture
ofmarkingshowsa handtracingoutthefourcornersofa square.Itthus
harksbackto thegesturewhichinitiallypartitionedofftheunbound
surfaceoftheearth,establishing
agricultural
property
andthebirthof
agrarianculture.Yettheoriginofthisgesturein a collectivehistoryis
whichbelongstoeachofus.
paralleledbyan individualpsychichistory
This historyplaces the gestureof markinginto a doubleprocessof
appropriating
space: thatofthephysical,as well as psychic,distance
separatingtheinfantfromthemotherafterbirth,and thatofthesurfaceofthebodyitself.In myopinionthisdoubleprocessmayaccount
forthe processesof workingthe manuscript,namely,the way it is
SERGE
TISSERON
33
treatedbyitscreator,
whetherhe orsheis a writerora graphicdesigner.
Those processesfindan origin,as wellas theirmostdelineatedexpression,in thefirstlineswhicha childdrawson paperoranyothermarkingsurface,aroundthesecondyearofhis orherlife.Thus thegesture
itself,not themarksorthegaze,is whatmattersmost.
A child's graphicactivitygoes throughseveral phases which
sharplydistinguishit fromtheadult'sgraphicactivity(Lurcat,1964).
When the child firstbeginsto scribble,betweenthe age of six and
twelvemonths,he has notyetacquiredvisualcontroloverhisgestures,
let alone the abilityto draw.Visual controlbeginsaroundthe age of
eighteenmonths:in such a case, it is controlafter-the-fact,
since the
eye followsthe hand withoutyet guidingit. Only afterthe age of
ofvisualcontrolovermarking
twenty-four
monthsdoesthepossibility
and gestureappear:the eyeno longerfollowsthehandbut guidesit.
Thus the earliestdrawingsare not guidedby a visual explorationof
ofmovement.Atitsorigin,graphicexpresspacebutbyan exploration
sion is blind.It is guidedbymuscular,tonic,and plasticsensations.
The earliestgestureswhich pertainto inscribing,however,are
movementsdrawingawayfromthe axis ofthebody,thatis withthe
righthand extendingawayfromthe bodilyaxis,fromthe leftto the
fromtherightto theleft.These are
right,and thelefthandextending
the verygesturesby whichthe babyis separatedfromthe mother's
bodyorfromanyotheradultwhosecontacthe mayhavesought.They
areconsequentlya wayforthechildto stagethemother'scomingand
going-really her frequentabsences-so as to tame and masterthe
as an earlyformofkinesicsymbolization.
experiencein theimaginary,
The earliestmarkings,
ofthosegestures,
area formof
theinscriptions
fromthekinetic
kineticsymbolization
whichguaranteesthetransfer
The new graphicforms
realm,the realm of visual representation.
whichthe childproducesclearlydemonstrate
thepossibilitiesofrethe child
centneuromusculargrowth.In the act oftracing,however,
actsoutmorethanitsgrowing
neuromuscular
possibilities.The child
createsa gameand thepracticeofthisgameproducesmeaning.Moreover,the appearanceof the child'sfirstmarkingscoincideswiththe
developmentofnewlyacquiredskills:walking(thesimultaneousappearanceofthefirststepsand thefirstmarkingshas beenpointedout
by Prudhommeas earlyas 1947),sphincteralcontrol,and language
All thoseskillshave somethingin common:theydemdevelopment.
an
onstrate activecontroloverseparationanxietyandopenthewayto
thechild'sindependence.
Thus,marking,
preciselybecauseit emerges
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at thistime,has a privileged
relationwiththepsychicprocessinvolved
in the firstseparation,the separationof any humanbeingfromthe
motheror surrogate
adult.
Consideredin thecontextofseparationprocesses,bothactivelyor
passivelyexperienced
bythechild,theearliestmarkings
areexplained
by Freud'sfamous"fort-dagame" which he observedhis grandson
Ernstplaying.The parallelbetweenthetwoturnsouttobe particularly
significant.
The childtraceshis firstmarkingswitha gesturehe does notyet
control,andit is onlylaterthathe visuallydiscoversitsp-oduction.In
otherwords,withthefort-dagame,thetimeofvisualreunionfollows
a muscularaction,whetherit is throwingthe spindleor drawinga
mark.In bothcases,thegreaterpleasureis boundto thesecondphase:
theone whichcorresponds
to thereturnofthespindlein one case and
thediscovery
ofa graphicconcentration
theactofscribbling.
following
Whatare,then,thepsychicprocessesinvolvedin thosedistinctmoments?
In the time when he carriesout the markinggesture,the child
identifieshimselfwith the departingmother;later,consideringthe
outcomeofhis gesture,thechildidentifieswiththetracewhichthis
movementleavesbehind.Simultaneously,
however,
thechildis freeto
be the one who also rejectsthe mother,as the tracewhichhe sees
it is clear
becomesthemotherseparatedfromhim.In thistransaction,
thatwhatis at stakeis thestructural
ratherthananyofits
relationship
representations,
a structure
whichis organizedaroundseparation.The
drawnmarkis thefirstmode ofimageproductionin theindividual's
history,
actuallythefirstin thehistoryofhumanity.
It stagesthesymmetricalseparationprocessfrombeginning
to end:thechildpassively
separatedfromthemotherwhopusheshimawayfromher,butalso the
childcomingawayfromherbypushingheraway.This wholesceneis
mentalseparation,evenifverballanparalleledbythe corresponding
guagecannotyetexpressit.
However,the role of tracingin creatingthe separationdoes not
ofthemarkbutalso to thediscovery
of
pertainonlyto theorigination
thetrace.Everygapin drawingis also a bridgeand vice versa.A trace
simultaneouslyseparatesand bindsthe pieces of space whichit delimits,much like the leaden line which separatesand binds the
stained-glass
pieceson a latticedwindow.The traceis thereifiedsymbol of separation.Hence, the choice of drawingoverotherformsof
suitedto thevisual and mentalexploration
expressionis particularly
SERGE TISSERON
35
ofthespacewhichsimultaneously
separatesand bindsthemotherto
the child.Moreover,the possibilityoftransforming
a separatinggap
(acrossthree-dimensional
space)intoa bridging
space(acrossthetwodimensionalpage)is a property
characteristic
ofdrawing.
Tracingis the
ofmuscular
privileged
wayofturning
thepluridimensional
experience
and tactileactivityinto a two-dimensional
experiencecontrolledby
the eye; only in this way is the separationgraduallyacceptedand
symbolized.Repeatingthe gesturereinforces
the psychicpostureof
thedepressiveposition(MelanieKlein,1968)whichhas alreadybeen
inscribedthroughthedynamicrelationwiththeworldfromtheageof
six and a halfmonths.Althoughgraphicactivitygivesgreater
strength
at workin therelationsto themother
andstabilitytotheintrojections
orthesurrogate
adult,it is notin a positionto replacethoserelations.
Each typeofinvestments
at playin graphicactivityrequiresthatthe
corresponding
psychicphenomenaalreadybe constituted.
Graphicactivityonlyoccursand developsonce therelationbetweenmotherand
child alreadyhas been internalized.Only thencan drawinghelp the
childsettlehisrelationtothemotherintoa psychic,ratherthanphysical, space and intoa different
duration,thatofhis ownhistory.
Finally,whenplayingthedrawinggame,thechildis notalone.Not
as thoughtheywerereallive
onlydoeshe treatthoseearlyinscriptions
imprints(he talksto them,names them,etc.)buthe also developsa
deep and originalrelationshipwith the page. Withhis or her every
gesture,the page answersback as his motherwould,and evenbetter
thanshe since it does so in a religiouslyexactmanner(au doigtet a'
the
l'ceil).The childchangeshishandmovementandthepaperreturns
changesbackto thechild'seyes,likean "idealmother,"as itwere.Yet
is thepageable to gainthechild'strust(withoutthisinitialcontactof
trusttherewouldbe no "inscriptive
game")?It canonlycomefromthe
child itself.Thus the child truststhe page with the internalized
motherwhich inhabitshim. Throughhis or her gesture,the child
secures her echoing answerthat is the processesinvolvedin the
and theinternalized
mother-child
relamother'sprimary
introjection
tion.At the same time,such echoingguaranteeshim thathe is held
withinthe maternalpsychicsystem,whichhis own developingpsychic systemcannotforego.
The child'searliestgraphicactivitythusconstitutesa placewhere
relationare reproducedand
the processesof the earlymother-child
a firstcontainingstructure
forthechild,while
stabilized.It represents
movementsservethe processof earlysymbolization.Wordsappear
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laterin gesture.Indeed,justas in thefort-dagame,thechildmayadd
onomatopoeiato themarkshe traces.Actingfirstas a "magicword,"
thiswordbringstogetherthe body,thegesture,and the affectin the
same movement,just like the traceon the paper.Only later,when
thoseconnectionshaverecededsomewhat,or evenare discontinued,
can the act of namingoccur.The child names the contentsof his
drawingafterthefact.This,however,
doesnotinvolvetheprocessesof
tracingperse but other,later,formsofsymbolization.
THE WRITER AT GRIPS WITH HIS OR HER TRACES
cl. Tracing,Separationand Attachment:The Dual Space ofWriting
Justas the childdrawsoutward,pullingthetraceawayfromhimself,
theadultdrawsoutwardandpushesawaywhathe writes.In writingas
in drawing,the "thrown-out"
gestureconjuresup a trace,a line.This
"line,"whichseemstiedto his movement,
is used bytheinscriberto
pull back thethoughtthathas been cast out in theact ofinscription.
Evenbetterthanthespindletiedto a stringin thegamedescribedby
Freud,armand hand assistedby thepencilallow fora movementof
ofseparatingand binding.This back-and-forth
castingand retrieving,
motion,this tossingand retrieving,
givesnew lifeto the processes
theseparationofmotherandchildandcontributes
symbolizing
to the
constitutiona mentalframework
capableofcontaining
The
thoughts.
hand's drawinggestureis an essentialmovementby whichthought
learnshow to thinkitselfthrough.At firstit dartsout like an unruly
horse,whichis laterled backand tamed,boundto theline whichthe
handholdsfastuponthepaper.Onlyoncethispriorconditionhas been
fulfilled
can theproductionofmeaningoccur,withtheebbandflowof
thoughtas it gets on and getswaylaid,multiplies,fades,and backs
away.
thesubjectofall thisthrowing
However,theinscriber,
andpulling
also becomes its object. He is not only the one who casts out his
mark-his thought-acrossthepaper;he is also castoutbyit,thusat
the riskof losinghis identity.The movementby which the author
disinvestshimselffromthe selfand transfers
it to the textturnsthe
textintotheprimitivemotherto whomthechildtriesto standcloser
as she representsforhim the springof life. The feelingsof being
"playedout," "beat,"or "undone"whichthewriterexperiencesafter
SERGE
TISSERON
37
intenseefforts
comefromthismotionofebbandflow,fromthiscastingand retrieving;
he or she willingassumesthepositionofa swimmer,washedawayfromthe boat by a wave while tryingto hold on,
pullingon thetowlineofwritingjusttoremainafloat.Suchis thetrial
ofwriting.Whereasthe one who refusesto relinquishthoughtto it
maycontinueto believethathe is stilltightly
securedtohis thinking,
theone who venturesintothistrialagreesto lose,ifonlytemporarily.
castshimawaylike a swimmertrying
to
Writingsevershis moorings,
pull his wayback to the shipwitha ropewhilewavesdraghim away
fromhisgoal.As soonas we starttracing,
onlythetraceguidesus,what
we call in its sophisticatedform,"the threadof writing"(le filde
1'&criture).
It is the only tie connectingthe lone swimmerwho has
agreedto dive into the unknown,tryingto reachthe hypothetical
targetat theendoftheway,notknowingwhetherhe will eversucceed
or whetherthe stakesare worththe effort,
not knowingwhetherthe
threadleads to a treasuretroveora wreckage-no matter.The creator
is theonewhoagreestoventureforth
withno certainty
andfollowthis
threadunwindingahead ofhim like Ariadne'sthread,and fallingbehindhimlikea spider'sweb.The anxietyoftheblankpagemayjustbe
theanxietythatthereis no threadtopullorfollow,theapprehension
of
beingleftbehind,withno link to anyoneorwithouteventhefirsthalf
ofthethread.
Fromthisperspective,
the act ofcreatinga manuscript-withall
its scribbling,
its crossed-outwords,and sometimesits memos-has
the same functionforthe writeras it does forthe cartoonist.Such
workis themeanswherebythecreatortriesto escapethefateofinexorable distance opened by the tracinggestureand simultaneously
openedand closedbythetrace.Whereastheparallelbetweenreading
a textand readinga drawingremainslargelyunresolved,
thefactthat
writingand drawingfollowthe same creativelogic at the time of
tracingis a matterbeyonddoubt.Modelledafterthechild'searlytracings,the inscriptive
processesare alwaysofa sensory,
emotionaland
motionalsort.Theyare also involvedin the symbolizationofa containingformpotentiallycapable of receivingthe thoughtcontents.
Withoutthe earlysymbolizationof "casting-out"and "pulling-up"
establishingtheinscriptive
gesture,theprocessofinstillingmeaning
in thetrace,eitherdrawnorwrittenwouldbe impossible,particularly
theproductionofmeaningwhichrevolvesaroundthemirroring
function of the traceand the variousrepresentations
of the bodyitself.
The sensoryand motiveprocessesat stakein theinscriptive
gesture
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precedeall its otherprocessesand accompanythemthrougheach of
theirphasesas a necessarycondition.
c2. Tracesand ProperBodies
a farmorediverseand
Once thechildleavesthewomb,he experiences
violent group of stimulationsthan before.The digestivesystem
awakenstheerogenouszonesaroundthemouthandtheanus,whileat
the same timeit bringsalonga groupofotherstimulations,thoseof
smoothinternalmuscles,and sensationsofhungerand satiety.Also
theexchangeswiththesurrogate
motherandwiththeprimary
maternal environment(involvingpeople, culturalhabits, climatic conontootherareasofthebody
straints,etc.),workto focusinvestments
proper.Once investedwiththecontactsto theprimary
maternalenvironment,thoseareasbecometheobjectofan autoeroticstimulation
in whichthehand"plays"thepartoftheMotherandtheChild,stimulatingotherpartsofthebody,basedon themodeloftheinitialstimulationscomingfromtheearlysurroundings.
One ofthefirsttasksofthenew-bornchild'spsychicsystemis to
gatherthosescatteredareasofsensoryfocalizationsbyascribingeach
partofhis body,whichhas beenfeltand investedin andforitself,to a
single group.A subsequenttask involvesbringingeach partof the
groupwhichhas beenthusconstitutedto a specificfunction.In other
words,thechildwillhaveto givemeaningto thepart.Throughout
the
task,thechildis helpedalongbyhis environment
whichis instrumental in totalizingthevariousareasofthebodyandgivingmeaningtothe
sensationsexperienced
bythenewborn:forinstance,a mothercoveringup herchildbecausehe is cold teacheshimhow to recognizeas a
feelingof coldnesswhat had been only an undifferentiated,
uneasy
sensation,disconnectedfromanyparticularcause. The child'shands,
however,play a criticalrole in this achievement.Exploringhis own
body,grabbingand touchinghis variousbodyparts,the childthrows
hithertomissingbridgesacrossthe scatteredsensorycenterswhich
tomorelooselyinnervated
correspond
areasofthebody,orpartswhich
havejustbeenneglectedbythemother'shands.The child'shandsglide
overthebody,exploring
itslimits,bringing
thescattered
together
parts
and then,moredaringly,
slowlyreplacethe adult'shandsin bringing
thepleasurewhichthe childoriginally
receivedfromthem.
Thus,thehandreachesouttotakeholdofspaceandoftheworld.In
some respects,theinitialbuildingofthetextis similarto theinitial
SERGE TISSERON
39
processofgathering,
bymeansofthehand,thesensationswhichare
fornow scatteredacrossthe body.Forinstance,the writerfirstjots
downhis ideas on different
partsofthepage.Or else he dividesupoftenbymeansofa colorindex-groupsofwordsrecallingthoughts,
sensations,and feelingsintoseparateblocks.And evenwhenwriting
startsout on a seeminglyorganizedthread,oftentimes
duringtheprocess, the writerfeelsthe need to breakoffwritingto scribbledown
ideasandthoughts
whichspringup withno apparent,
oratleastimmediate,connectionto theobjectofhis workand withouthis yetknowingtheiruse and positionin theoverallconstruction.
In anycase, do we notspeakof"thebodyofthework"?An artist's
variousintuitionsandperceptionsareassembledtogether
on thepage
in much the same wayas thevariouscutaneous,muscularand aural
sensationsare progressively
integratedinto coherentunits.In both
cases, the gathering
involvesa movementfromthe depthup to the
surface.The innermost
bodyis heldouton thesurfaceperiphery
ofthe
psychicsystemwhileinnersensationsarepulledout ofthedeeponto
the body's surface(internalperceptions,particularlypain, are perceivedas beingsurfacepain preciselybecausetheyareprojectedonto
stimthesurfaceofthebody).Similarlythewriter'svariousintuitions,
ulations,perceptions,and thoughtsare projectedontothe surfaceof
nota staticsurrogate
totheartist'sskin
thepage.The workis,however,
(itsmereprojectionontothesurfaceofthepage)insofaras it doesnot
theskin.Nonetheless,the
reproducethesensorypointscharacterizing
workis a dynamicsurrogateinsofaras the processesregrouping
the
workintoa continuouswholeparallelthosesmoothingoverthesurfaceofthebodilyshell: each sensationis firstinscribedand precisely
identifiedforits own sake; thoseinscriptions
are thenconnectedtogether;finallytheprocessoftheirconnectionbringsout channelsof
forsubsemeaningwhich receivefavoredstatus as starting-points
quentdevelopments.
My hypothesisis that each of those threemoments,which are
buildingblocksin thecreationofthepsyche,corresponds
to a groupof
specificpracticesin thecreationofthetext.
Out ofthosethree,thefirstmomentwould correspond
to theinscriptiverhythm(fast,slow,even,or erratic)and to the mannerof
writing(smooth,hurried,or erratic,riotouseven)whosepatternsreproducethoseofthevarioustypesofphysicaland psychicalstimulation. At this time, the muscularand cutaneousaspects of writing
would operateas a way of symbolizing,
by means of the hand,un-
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intorepresentafocusedbodilysensationswhicharenotyetidentified
tions. Parallelto the explorationofscatteredcentersof thoughtand
use of different
pages
thereexiststhe corresponding
representation
in themarginsandthecorners
markedbyjusta fewwords,scribblings
of the text,puzzlingscholia (designedto avoid losingthe particular
threadof writingthe writeris followingat the time,and the correspondingtrainof thoughtoccurringthen),ellipsesdesignedto point
out that thoughtis still to followa logical developmentwhich is
eclipsedforthe moment,while somethingrequiresthe author'sundividedattentionelsewhere,etc.
The time when the originallyscatteredsensorycentersare connectedtogether
on thesurfaceofthebodyandin itsdepthcouldcorrepostponedordisthe
arrows,to theparagraphs
in
manuscript's
spond,
whichareaddedin themarginsorbetween
placed,tothedevelopments
whicharestillfar
identified
fragments
thelinestobindtwoseparately
apart.
and in the same wayas the child
At last,in a thirddevelopment,
himselfin
wholeofthebodyuponperceiving
firstgraspstheimaginary
unity,it is possiblethatthe
themirror
beforehe realizesitsperceptive
writeranticipatesthe imaginarywhole ofhis text,createdafterthe
imageofhis own bodyas a whole. The outlineofhis work-or fragto variouspartsoftheproject-fulfill,
mentsofdraftscorresponding
even if theyremainincomplete,the functionof anticipatingfantasmaticallytheprojectedtotality.
confirms,
and objectifieshis
The writerat workthus reinforces,
his
relation
to the primitive
and
psychical
own mentalframework
of the workcontents,
mother,and he or she does so independently
solelybyvirtueoftheprocessesinvolvedin creatinga text.The spatial
flatsupportenablesvarious
lay-outofthe texton a two-dimensional
investments
to come intoplay:thereleaseof
seriesofsupplementary
the connectionof those
threateningstimuli and representations;
stimulito a gestureleavinga trace,(thatis theearliestformofsymbolof
izationwhichsubstitutesthemerekineticreleaseforthepossibility
its representation);
theconstitutionofa thoughtcontentthroughthe
metaphoricabilityforthe white page to take it in and containits
traces;theexplorationofthegapseparatingthechildfromhis mother
which the traceseeks to fill in throughits hallmarkmovementof
awayand
bindingandbreakingaway,ofcomingandgoing,ofthrowing
of
the
text
the
process
back.Onlythencan
signifying
grabbing
occur,
SERGE
TISSERON
41
accordingto the grammaticaland syntacticalrules of the language
beingused.
These steps do not occur in successionbut simultaneously.
The
processof turningthoughtsinto formsrequiresthe possibilityof a
containingformin whichthe creator'sthoughtcan be cast and then
retrieved.
Such mechanismrequiresthepossibilityforthecontaining
formto be investedbothas: a) a metaphorofthemother'sbody,which
is everyone'sprimalcontainer,psychicallyas well as physically(the
realmofbondinginvestments);
andas b) a metaphorofone'sownbody
(therealmofnarcissisticand sexualinvestments).
These variousfunctionsofwritingexplainwhyseeminglyuseless
andinterfering
activitiestakeplaceunderthecreator'spen,parallelto
the processof producingmeaningitself.These occurrencesare the
necessarymomentswhenthesupportofwritingandtheactofwriting
ofmeaning.Such
arereinvested
so as toallowfora renewedproduction
activitiesas theauthor'sdarkening
certainlettersinhistextandintroare not onlyproceducingrepetitivegraphicpatternsor scribblings,
duresof waitingforinspirationor ways forthe mind to findsome
distraction.
Theyarewaysofinvestingthepageas a metaphorforthe
to
containerofthoughts.In otherwords,theyarea wayforthescriptor
theirroles,and that
make surethepage and his gestureare fulfilling
the
theprocessofbringing
meaningupon thoughtmayenjoyfurther
supportof the morearchaicproductionof meaningwhich is repreofthepageas a metaphoric
containerofone's
sentedbytheinvestment
own bodyand the mother'sbody.In thisrespect,anxietybeforethe
whitepagemayjustbe an anxietyabouta lackofa containertoreceive
the contents.It is not thewhitepage thatis used to containthetext,
butrathertheoutlinedpagewhichis alreadyinscribed,
be itbya trace,
a word,or a drawing.The habitof drawingor writing,calligraphied
to processesofappropriating
wordsin themarginscorresponds
space.
Andtheadviceaboutwritingjustanything-aslongas yougetsomeoffthewriting
thingwritten!-in ordertotrigger
processcanbe understoodas thenecessityofcreatinga firstcontainereveniflaterit must
submitto considerablemodifications.
Contentsandcontainerarecreatedin mutualreference
throughout
thetext.Infact,linguisticmodels
areoftenruffled
in theearliestdrafts
and,hereagain,thewriting
guideofsyntaxand grammarreston goodintuilines advocatingdisregard
tion.
a given
Thus,theinscriptive
processis aboveall thehandexploring
42
Yale FrenchStudies
it accordingto its ownpossibilities.The process
space and organizing
of the inscriptivemovementfirsttransforms
physicalstimulusinto
imageand intorepresentation;
it thengathersthoserepresentations
intoa wholeandhierarchizes
themin ordertoconnectthemtoa single
ofthewhole:sensationin
purposewhichwill providethecornerstone
thepoem,illusionin thenovelisticstory,
idea in theessay.
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