This seminar is dedicated to the presentation and reading through of a recently achieved paper by A. Lotfalian. This paper is a presentation of a detailed reading of the linguist J. C. Milner’s article “Antithetical senses and indiscernible names” (translated from French by A. Lotfalian) as a pretext for an entry into the psychoanalytic theory of signification. It attempts to demonstrate that a core thesis of such a theory is that the structure of signification (or structure simply) necessarily involves a hole or void the necessity of whose signification gives rise to an involution in signification. Hence the effect of antithetical senses.
This seminar will be organized primarily to gauge the effectiveness of the transmission of the paper. Consequently it will be a reading seminar where the task of the seminarist will be more to frame and conduct the reading and less to present the argument of the paper itself. That is, participants should be prepared to read through relevant texts and present what is and is not followable for them.
The prerequisite readings for this semester (texts to be provided by the seminarist on the virtual classroom):
J. C. Milner’s “antithtical senses and indiscernible names” (especially section 1-2) (1908)
A. Lotfalian’s paper (yet to be titled) (especially sections 0 and 1)
Freud’s article and footnote on antithetical meaning of primal words (1911)
Additional readings for this semester:
Freud’s section in the interpretation of dreams entitled “The Means of representation in dreams”
Benveniste’s “Remarks on the function of language in the Freudian discovery” (1956)