The Letter, Issue 45, Autumn 2010, Pages 1 - 16
L’étourdit by Jacques Lacan
A Bilingual Presentation of the Second Turn, Second Part [1]
Translated by Cormac Gallagher
Second turn, second part: the discourse of the analyst
Chapter 2: The discourse of the analyst
1. The psychoanalytic group is impossible (31a-32c)
I have the task of clearing the way for the status of a discourse, there where I locate that there is…something of discourse: and I locate it from the social bond to which are submitted the bodies that labitent[2] this discourse.
My undertaking appears hopeless (is so by that very fact, this is the result of hopelessness) because it is impossible that psychoanalysts should form a group.
Nevertheless, the psychoanalytic discourse (this is me clearing the way) is precisely the one that can establish a social bond cleansed of any group- necessity.
Since people know that I do not mince my words when it is a matter of putting into relief an appreciation which, though deserving a stricter approach must do without it, I would say that I measure the group-effect by the amount of imaginary obscenity it adds to the effect of discourse.