The Elusive Nature of Meaning: An Illustrative Study of Language, Gaze, and Ideology in Lacanian Theory
Author : Saurav Kumar Pandey
Abstract :
This paper explores Jacques Lacan's conception of language as fundamentally flawed in its communicative function, akin to the ambiguity of the gaze. By examining the inherent failures of language to convey precise meaning, this analysis delves into the post-structural notion of an endless deferment of meaning that slides through the letters. It further draws a connection with Louis Althusser's theory of ideology, highlighting the metaphorical parallels between Lacan's unconscious language and Althusser's invisible ideology. The discussion encapsulates the perpetual slide from signifier to signifier, illustrating how language, like desire, perpetually chases an ever-elusive meaning, thereby challenging the traditional metaphysics of presence.
Keywords :
Language, unconscious, ideology, meaning, letter, gaze, signifier, signified
