ISSN 1751-8229 Volume Six, Number Three

The Anal Voice

James Michael Goodwin, Universit o! Mar land
"#e are ashamed o! shit $eca%se, in it, we e&'ose(e&ternali)e o%r innermost intimac *+ Slavo, -i.e/ "0%r asshole is revol%tionar + G% 1oc2%en3hem

0! all the $rie!, tort%o%s vi3nettes in #illiam S* 4%rro%3hs5s Naked Lunch 619597, readers most o!ten recall 8 and, accordin3 to the !ollowin3 essa 5s ar3%ment, !or 3ood reason 8 9r* 4enwa 5s tale o! "the tal/in3 an%s*+ In this vi3nette, his collea3%e, 9r* Scha!er, $emoans what he $elieves are the $od 5s %tterl ine!!icient methods, its lac/ o! econom , that is, its se'arate holes !or se'arate 'roced%res: "#h not one all-'%r'ose hole,+ he com'lains, "to eat and eliminate;+ Nat%rall , this reminds 9r* 4enwa o! an am%sin3 anecdote a$o%t a man who ta%3ht his an%s to tal/* <he man accom'lished this !eat thro%3h a series o! inverted !arts 6similar to 3%l'in3 air in order to !orce onesel! to $elch7, %ntil he had 'er!ected the s/ill well eno%3h to to%r, where he 'er!ormed an am%sin3 ventrilo2%ist act entitled "<he 4etter =0le*+ <he an%s, however, soon ac2%ired the a$ilit to s'ea/ on its own* >t !irst, the an%s5s a%tonom seemed to im'rove the act, !or now its owner 6or is the man now his an%s5s 'artner;7 co%ld im'rovise the ro%tine? $%t event%all , in increasin3 anthro'omor'hic !ashion, the an%s ac2%ired the a$ilit to eat and drin/,

and while this too was incor'orated into the act, the an%s also, and most 'ro$lematicall , develo'ed a massive in!eriorit com'le& and $e3an demandin3 civil ri3hts* Since s%ch ri3hts were not !orthcomin3, the an%s wo%ld 3et dr%n/@and have cr in3 ,a3s no$od loved it and it wanted to $e /issed same as an other mo%th* Ainall it tal/ed all the time da and ni3ht, o% co%ld hear Bthe manC !or $loc/s screamin3 at it to sh%t %', and $eatin3 it with his !ist, and stic/in3 candles %' it, $%t nothin3 did an 3ood and the asshole said to him: "It5s o% who will sh%t %' in the end* Not me* 4eca%se we don5t need o% aro%nd here an more* I can tal/ and eat and shit*+ 64%rro%3hs 199D: 12D7* #hat is this !antas 3one awr , this anecdote a$o%t an a33ressive an%s, this scatolo3ical master(slave dialectic; 9r* 4enwa intimates, !or e&am'le, that this anal co%' is a/in to the ra'id s'read o! 3overnmental $%rea%crac , !or it overwhelms its h%man host "$ t%rnin3 awa !rom the h%man evol%tionar direction o! in!inite 'otentials and di!!erentiation and inde'endent s'ontaneo%s action+ 64%rro%3hs 199D: 1227* #hile we sho%ld $e care!%l not to lea' too 'reci'ito%sl !rom considerations o! the an%s to theories o! 3overnmentalit 6it5s 9r* 4enwa 5s readin3, a!ter all, not 4%rro%3hs5s7, we sho%ld wonder wh 'olitical concerns 8 inters%$,ectivit , comm%nal relations, civil ri3hts 8 devolve into scatolo3ical m%sin3s on the interwor/in3s o! the an%s* Are%d o!!ers %s a cl%e when he o$served that "the relationshi' $etween the 'enis and the 'assa3e lined with m%co%s mem$rane which it !ills and e&cites alread has its 'rotot 'e in the 're3enital, anal-sadistic 'hase* <he !ecal mass, or as one 'atient called it, the !ecal =stic/,5 re'resents as it were the !irst 'enis, and the stim%lated m%co%s mem$rane o! the rect%m re'resents that o! the va3ina+ 6Are%d 1917: 1E17* Frevio%sl , Are%d had em'hasi)ed that children s%rmise that $a$ies are e&creted !rom the an%s? m alternative theor , however, '%ts this in!antile ass%m'tion aside and instead !oc%ses on what one mi3ht call "the 'henomenolo3 o! the $owel mo6ve7ment*+ <his scatolo3ical o$servation 'rovides m essa with its critical im'et%s, !or what I call "the anal voice+ is the meetin3-'lace o! shit and the rect%m, o! the !irst 'enis and the !irst va3ina* >t !irst 3lance, Are%d5s ima3er seems riddled with heterose&ist $ias, since it $orrows, 'res%ma$l , !rom strai3ht interco%rse* Sa in3, tho%3h, that the !irst 'enis is shit and the !irst va3ina is the rect%m hardl s%''orts the ori3inar stat%s o! heterose&%alit $eca%se, accordin3 to Are%d5s o$servation, it is act%all a co' , imitation, or re'rod%ction o! the $owel movement* So i! one is to s'ea/ o! an thin3 $ein3 %niversal, it is the an%s, and not the 3enital a''arat%s, $eca%se, as Are%d elsewhere o$served, "the 3enital a''arat%s remains the nei3h$o%r o! the cloaca, and act%all 6to 2%ote Go% >ndreas-Salome7 =in the case o! women is onl ta/en !rom Bthe rect%mC on lease5+ 6Are%d 19D5: 187n17* In a similar vein, Hve Ioso!s/ Sed3wic/ o$serves

that "altho%3h there is no reason to s%''ose that women e&'erience, in some ima3inar 2%antitative wa , =less5 anal eroticism than men, there has been no important and sustained Western discourse in which womens anal eroticism means* Means an thin3+ 6Sed3wic/ 199E: 2DJ? em'hasis in ori3inal7* >nd a3ain, in the last article Sed3wic/ was to '%$lish, ">nalit : News !rom the Aront,+ she ret%rns to the s%$,ect 8 or, rather, to the lac/ o! meaning anything 8 o! women5s an%ses* In 'artic%lar, Sed3wic/ is res'ondin3 to clinical 's chiatrist Je!!er K* G%ss5s claim that "it seems o$vio%s to %s now that male anal erotic desire, !elt or acted %'on, does not destro the s%$,ect, $%t it does destro the con!lation o! 'hallic he3emon and masc%linit + 6G%ss 21D1: 1277* Sed3wic/ re'lies th%sl : "I h 'othesi)ed that ='hallic he3emon 5 mi3ht instead mean the 'enis('hall%s5s 'osition 8 as o''osed to that o! the male an%s 8 as the 3%arantor o! masc%linit * Still, what a$o%t male desire !or a woman5s an%s 8 is that anal desire; Ainall I saw that the onl condition that wo%ld ma/e G%ss5s contention tr%e, never mind =o$vio%s5 6to =%s57, wo%ld $e the 'rior and entire e&cl%sion o! women !rom the 3eneral 'o'%lation o! desirers, desirees, an%s-'ossessors, and even readers+ 6Sed3wic/ 2D11: 1727* #hat Sed3wic/ had earlier called this "o$vio%s as mmetr + is %ndone, I will ar3%e, i! the an%s is 'rimar rather than secondar * "<he si3ni!icant meanin3s o! analit emer3e+ both $ re!%sin3 "the 'rior and entire e&cl%sion o! women+ and $ re!%sin3 to 'rivile3e o! "male anal erotic desire+ $eca%se s%ch e&cl%sions and s%ch 'rivile3es are 'redicated on the demotion o! the an%s, on rele3atin3 the an%s to a non-'rimar 'osition* Im'licit in Are%d and Gacan, and et still lar3el im'licit in -i.e/, the anal voice is the Hvent 6das Ereignis7 that ina%3%rates the s%$,ect qua the s%$,ect o! disco%rse, the s'ea/in3-$ein3 or what Gacan sim'l calls parltre* <his im'ortant "mo6ve7ment+ s%mmons !rom inside the inci'ient s%$,ect the alien within, the o$,ect that is in the s%$,ect more than the s%$,ect itsel!* <his anal voice introd%ces the s%$,ect to the distinction $etween inside and o%tside $ wa o! the $owel movement, that is, $ wa o! the invol%ntar e&'%lsin3 o! the alien within* <he !ollowin3 essa see/s to esta$lish the anal voice5s central role in the creation o! the parltre $ re!%tin3 the rect%m5s terminal stat%s and $ ma/in3 an%s'ossession the essential attri$%te o! $ein3 h%man* In other words, this is wh 6to 2%ote -i.e/7 " o% should 3ive a shit+ 6-i.e/ 2DD1: 5L7 In History of Shit 619787, 9omini2%e Ga'orte asserts that shit5s histor mirrors the histor o! s%$,ectivit * 4e3innin3 his com'arative histor with the 15E9 Arench edict !orcin3 Faris residents to store their !ecal waste at home instead o! tossin3 it into the cit streets, Ga'orte notes that sanitation e!!orts coincided with the e!!ort to '%ri! the Arench lan3%a3e 6or ton3%e7 $ noted Arench intellect%als, es'eciall Joachim d% 4ella * M essa 5s 3oal, while similar to Ga'orte5s, ta/es not a diachronic a''roach to the relationshi' $etween !eces and s'eech, $%t rather a synchronic one, !or I am red%cin3 "the histor o! shit+ to its a%ditor instantiation, to the nodal-'oint that anchors the s m$olic order* <his s nchronic instantiation $e3ins with the

Gacanian s m$ol M, what -i.e/ calls "some m thical, 're-s m$olic intention+ 6-i.e/ 1989: 1D17* >t its most $asic, Gacan5s s m$ol 6M7 correlates with the !ollowin3 'assa3e !rom Nharles 9arwin5s he !escent of "an 618717: ">nimals o! all /inds which ha$it%all %se their voices %tter vario%s noises %nder an stron3 emotion@$%t this ma merel $e the res%lt o! nervo%s e&citement, which leads to the s'asmodic contraction o! almost all the m%scles in the $od + 69arwin 199D: 58D7* 9arwin 'rovides %s with three com'onent 'arts: 6i7 "vario%s noises,+ 6ii7 "nervo%s e&citement,+ and 6iii7 "s'asmodic contractions*+ 4e3innin3 with Gacan5s Gra'h o! 9esire 1, the 2%estion is:

#hat is di!!erent a$o%t the wa in which e&citement, contraction and noise are com$ined in h%man $ein3s that se'arates the s'ea/in3-$ein3 !rom the rest o! mammalian li!e; <he answer is intention: intention 6M7 'ierces the si3ni! in3 chain 6S-S57 and then, retroactivel , re-'ierces it at a tem'oral 'oint !arther down the chain* Until this second 'iercin3, however, the si3ni!ier is witho%t a si3ni!ied: it is ,%st a 'iece o! "vario%s noise,+ !or the si3ni!ied is determined not $ an o$,ect in the world 6the re!erent7, $%t $ the retroactive relationshi' $etween these two 'iercin3s, that is, $etween two si3ni!iers* <he si3ni! in3 chain or "vector o! s'eech+ 6S-S57 moves !rom le!t to ri3ht, even tho%3h !rom intention 6M7 to s%$,ect 6S7 it is the second 'iercin3 that determines the !irst 8 hence, the movement !rom ri3ht to le!t* Aor Gacan, what di!!erentiates the s%$,ect !rom the intention is that, when the latter 'asses twice thro%3h the vector o! s'eech, some-thing is irrevoca$l lost, which is wh in the second sta3e o! the 3ra'h the s%$,ect re'laces the intention at the $ottom ri3ht corner o! the 3ra'h* It is the ostensi$le sim'licit o! the !irst 3ra'h, o! the "horseshoe,+ however, that ma/es it so a''ealin3* 0nce we have the $arred(divided s%$,ect 6O7, we are hence!orth alwa s alread dealin3 with parltre? in the !irst 3ra'h, however, we are dealin3 with the ina%3%ration o! parltre* Aor the time $ein3, there!ore, we m%st stic/ with M* <his "some m thical, 're-s m$olic

intention,+ 4r%ce Ain/ ela$orates, "stands !or the h%man $ein3 as a livin3 or3anism, 'h sical, $iolo3ical, or animal $ein3: It re'resents o%r 'relin3%istic, 'res%$,ective, ve3etative state, so to s'ea/+ 6Ain/ 2DDJ: 11J-157* >t this earl sta3e, we are not et interested in "the elementar cell+ or the point de capiton 6"$%tton tie,+ as Ain/ translates it7? instead, o%r !oc%s is on what initiates the vector M-O in the !irst 'lace, that is, the tra,ector %' to its !irst 'iercin3 o! the si3ni! in3 chain* <he do%$le 'iercin3, the stitch in the !a$ric o! the si3ni! in3 chain, writes Gacan, "sto's the otherwise inde!inite slidin3 o! si3ni!ication,+ !or it "disconnectBsC the thin3 !rom its cr + 6Gacan 2DDL: L827* Frior to this 'iercin3, the thin3 and its cr are the same* #hat initiates their se'aration; #e $e3in with the in!ant, and with Gra'h 2

which is a re!orm%lation o! Gacan5s mirror sta3e* Ain/ writes: "sel!-conscio%sness arises@$ internali)in3 the wa the 0ther sees one, $ assimilatin3 the 0ther5s a''rovin3 and disa''rovin3 loo/s and comments+ 6Ain/ 2DDJ: 1D87* #e are not, however, an where near Gra'h 2 et, !or %ntil M twice crosses the si3ni! in3 chain and $ecomes the $arred(divided s%$,ect 6O7, there is no 0ther* <he easiest wa to sa this is "we see the trans!ormation o! need into need addressed to another 'erson+ 6Ain/ 2DDJ: 1187* >3ain, 9arwin said "vario%s noises %nder an stron3 emotion,+ and it is !or this reason that we sho%ld re'lace "need+ with "an stron3 emotion+: we witness the trans!ormation o! an stron3 emotion into an stron3 emotion addressed to another* #itho%t the address, we are le!t with "an stron3 emotion,+ and we 3et closer to "some m thical, 're-s m$olic intention,+ or what I will rename a meanin3less intention, or even the intentionless intent* 1%n3er is the archet 'ical e&am'le: the in!ant !eels h%n3er 'ains and cries* Since the in!ant is not a parltre, we sho%ld $e care!%l not to ascri$e to it an intention li/e, !or instance, it !elt h%n3er 'ains and cried in order to $e !ed which in t%rn ass%a3es the h%n3er 'ains* <he relation $etween the 'ain and the cr is m%ch more

s'ontaneo%s, es'eciall $eca%se the cr si3ni!ies onl to its 3%ardian that the cr means@the in!ant needs 6some-thin37* <he in!ant is not addressin3 6another 'erson7? rather, a stron3 emotion !orces the in!ant, in its ve3etative state, to %tter vario%s noises* Need, sim'l '%t, is not eno%3h !or M to re'ierce the si3ni! in3 chain* Are%d st%m$led %'on this idea 'recisel $eca%se he was si!tin3 thro%3h n%mero%s wa s o! e&'lainin3, !rom the in!ant5s 'ers'ective, the e&ternal mani!estation o! shit, $e it $a$ , 'enis, or mone * Are%d reali)ed that he was 3ettin3 ahead o! himsel!, that concern with the e&ternal mani!estation o! shit was 'redicated on somethin3 internal, which Are%d calls a 'rotot 'e* #here shit reaches the rect%m, the $irth'lace o! the anal voice, is the closest a''ro&imation that the parltre has to an ori3in, and this occ%rs 6in Are%dian terms7 in the anal-sadistic 'hase* 4e!ore the in!ant is ca'a$le o! decidin3 whether shit is an o$,ect o! sel!-love or o$,ect-love, that is, $e!ore the in!ant crosses the threshold o! 'rimar narcissism, this !orced choice 6shit $ecomin3-'resent as the intentionless intent7 is 'receded $ an act, man acts, o! anal eroticism in which the in!ant necessaril 'la s the role o! 'assive reci'ient to the !irst 'enis, where it is !%c/ed into e&istence $e!ore it qua s%$,ect is there to $e !%c/ed* 9%rin3 the oral sta3e, the in!ant is 'assivit incarnate, !or it is ve3etative* I! we !ollow Iarl >$raham5s 3%idance, as Are%d does, and identi! an "oral-sadistic+ sta3e, we come to %nderstand the latter hal! o! the oral sta3e in terms o! "incor'oration*+ Aollowin3 a lo3ic a/in to 1e3el5s conce't o! #ufhebung, Jean Ga'lanche and J*-4* Fontalis note that incor'oration "contains three meanin3s: it means to o$tain 'leas%re $ ma/in3 an o$,ect 'enetrate onesel!? it means to destro this o$,ect? and it means, $ /ee'in3 it within onesel!, to a''ro'riate the o$,ect5s 2%alities+ 6Ga'lanche and Fontalis 197E: EEL7* <hese three "meanin3s,+ however, !ail to coincide in the oral sta3e? rather, Ga'lanche and Fontalis5s descri'tion corres'onds more acc%ratel to the anal sta3e, !or it is here, the $oth o$serve, that activit and 'assivit "emer3eBC as anta3onistic 'oles+ 6Ga'lanche and Fontalis 197E: 97* <his emer3ence, which will event%all str%ct%re all s%$se2%ent $inarisms, !inds its initial e&'ression in the !irst instances o! the anal sta3e, in the moments $e!ore the in!ant $ecomes an active 'artici'ant* #hat interests %s, there!ore, is, i! we re!er $ac/ to Gra'h 1, the re'iercin3 o! the si3ni! in3 chain* <he 2%estion is: #hat, when other mammals sim'l %tter "vario%s noises,+ ca%ses M to re'ierce the si3ni! in3 chain; >3ain, we have three com'onent 'arts: 6i7 "vario%s noises,+ 6ii7 "nervo%s e&citement,+ and 6iii7 "s'asmodic contractions*+ #e /now now that "s'asmodic contractions,+ at least accordin3 to this a''ro'riation o! 9arwin, is the rect%m5s reaction to the $ecomin3-'resent o! "the !irst 'enis*+ Unli/e h%n3er, however, this $ecomin3-'resent o! the !irst 'enis is com'letel internal 6"nothin3 comes !rom o%tside+7, altho%3h, $eca%se the in!ant is not et a parltre, the distinction $etween inside and o%tside is 'oro%s, indistinct, even non-e&istent 8 that is, %ntil the

arrival o! "the !irst 'enis*+ <his !irst 'enis is o$vio%sl not the in!ant5s "!irst+ $owel movement? rather, it is the !irst !ecal mass to $e "stic/+-li/e eno%3h to treat the rect%m as the !irst va3ina* Get %s, there!ore, write this as an e2%ation: 6i7 "the !irst 'enis+ 6which, as we will see, comes !rom "elsewhere+7 ca%ses 6ii7 "nervo%s e&citement+ that in t%rn ca%ses 6iii7 the rect%m to contract that then res%lts in 6iv7 "the anal voice+ 'l%s !eces 6!7, written as 6i7 P 6ii7 P 6iii7 Q 6iv7 R 6!7* #e are still, however, 're-de!ecation 6the 2%estion remains o'en7, which is to sa that o%r !oc%s is still on 6i7 P 6ii7 P 6iii7, 'artic%larl $eca%se the s%m total is not shit 6this is the remainder7? rather, it is the anal voice* 9es'ite commonsense, the !irst 'enis comes !rom "elsewhere*+ <o %nderstand what the anal voice is, and what its im'ortance is, we need to $etter %nderstand how "elsewhere+ 'recedes the ina%3%ration o! "here*+ >t Gacan5s 195J seminar, Jean 1 ''olite lect%red on Are%d5s "Ne3ation+ essa , callin3 it "an earl m th o! the o%tside and the inside,+ and 'ara'hrasin3 Are%d5s Wo es war$ soll ich werden $ statin3 that: "#hat is !orei3n to the e3o BmoiC and what is !o%nd o%tside are, at !irst, identical !or him+ 61 ''olite 2DDL: 7517* 1 ''olite e&'lains: "Are%d sa s that one intro,ects and one e&'els, and that there is there!ore an o'eration which is the o'eration o! e&'%lsion witho%t which the o'eration o! intro,ection wo%ld have no meanin3* <his is the 'rimordial o'eration that is the $asis !or the ,%d3ment o! attri$%tion+ 61 ''olite 2DDL: 7517* H&'%lsion is the /e * #itho%t it, Are%d asserts, one wo%ld not $e a$le to ,%d3e whether or not an o$,ect 'ossessed s'eci!ic attri$%tes, $eca%se witho%t e&'%lsion "nothin3 is !orei3n*+ It is onl a!ter e&'%lsion asserts itsel! as a dominant !orce that intro,ection commences, that the !orei3n $e3ins to $e 6re7'resented in thin3s o%tside onesel!, thin3s with "their own+ attri$%tes* <his is wh e&'%lsion leads to the other, more im'ortant t 'e o! ,%d3ment, that o! e&istence* <he ,%d3ment o! e&istence, which is $ased on "the relationshi' $etween re'resentation and 'erce'tion,+ is entan3led in the ,%d3ment o! attri$%tion, 'recisel $eca%se, !or Are%d, the aim "is not to !ind an o$,ect in real 'erce'tion which corres'onds to the one 'resented, $%t to re!ind s%ch an o$,ect, to convince onesel! that it is still there+ 6Are%d 1925: 2E87* "In the ,%d3ment o! e&istence,+ concl%des 1 ''olite, "it is a 2%estion o! attri$%tin3 to the e3o, or rather to the s%$,ect 6it is more com'rehensive7, a re'resentation that no lon3er has an o$,ect that corres'onds to it, altho%3h an o$,ect had corres'onded to it at an earlier sta3e+ 61 ''olite 2DDL: 7517* In s%m, the ,%d3ment o! e&istence is !o%nded on the inci'ient s%$,ect5s a$ilit not to !ind $%t to re!ind an o$,ect? that is, the s%$,ect is alwa s alread re!indin3 $eca%se its initial e&'erience o! an o$,ect in the world is not that o! intro,ection $%t o! e&'%lsion* <he lost o$,ect comes !rom a "within+ a%ant la lettre, so to s'ea/* H&'%lsion5s thr%st creates the $orderland where ,%st $e ond its hori)on the o%tside 6now7 $e3ins* 0n this $orderland, all the more re!ined elements o! ad%lt 'erce'tion are $%ilt, which is wh Hdm%nd 1%sserl tho%3ht that the ad%lt 'erce'tion o! another5s $od is so ri!e with 'ro$lems

that it deserves close 'henomenolo3ical investi3ation* 1%sserl5s investi3ation leads to the 'ro$lem o! one5s own $od , o! em$odied 'erce'tion, $%t it 2%ic/l retreats when con!ronted with the 2%estion o! ori3in* <he "'rimal instit%tin3+ o! an alter e3o in "the $od over there,+ however, is a s'ecial case* 1ere a certain harmonio%sness is re2%ired, a consistenc that indicates, a''resentativel , that there is a 's che $ehind the 'h sical movements o%t there in the world* Somethin3 other, somethin3 that one cannot e&'erience ori3inall , is indicated, $%t i! one is to a''erceive this there m%st $e somethin3 o! one5s own, somethin3 'resented, sa , to me, in me, that allows for me to ma/e this lea'* <hro%3h /inesthesia or sensation o! locomotion, one senses that one5s $odil or3anism is "here,+ and ever thin3 else is "there*+ 1owever, one5s $od can also $e "there,+ and !or this reason we m%st 'a%se* 1%sserl states that the reason one5s $od 5s "here-ness+ can $e %nderstood !rom one5s own 'ers'ective as "there+ is that "m $odil or3anism can 6and is7 a''rehended as a nat%ral $od e&istin3 and mova$le in s'ace li/e an other and is mani!estl connected with the 'ossi$ilit e&'ressed in the words: $ !ree modi!ication o! m /inesthesia, 'artic%larl those o! locomotion, I can chan3e m 'osition in s%ch a manner that I convert an <here into a 1ere+ 61%sserl 1977: 11L7* #hile one can move one5s $odil or3anism over "there+ and e&'erience it as i! it were "here,+ 1%sserl does not resolve how this "here+ $ecomes "there,+ how the $od , which is %ni2%el one5s own, $ecomes an o$,ect in the world* #o%ld not, in this sense, "there+ !irst need to occ%r "here,+ in one5s own $od ; #hat 1%sserl calls "'rimal instit%tin3+ Are%d, !ive ears earlier, calls "ne3ation,+ meanin3 that ever act o! ad%lt 'rimal instit%tin3 conceals the dist%r$in3 s'ontaneit o! the primal e&'%lsion, and it is in the shadow o! the o$,ect o! this e&'%lsion, which is no lon3er 8 or, strictl s'ea/in3, never was 8 'resent, that the 'rocess o! 'er'et%all "re!indin3+ it commences, !or one never "!inds+ the thin3-in-itsel!* 9%rin3 his "A%nction and Aield+ essa , however, Gacan de!ines the 'recise limit o! what e&'%lsion can and cannot ina%3%rate, !or e&'%lsion 'er se as well as "$rea/in3 and enterin3 the $od + ta/e 'lace in even the most insi3ni!icant or3anisms* "#h not loo/ !or the ima3e o! the e3o in shrim's,+ as/s Gacan, "%nder the 'rete&t that $oth ac2%ire a new shell a!ter ever moltin3;+ #hat we m%st /ee' in mind is that the anal sta3e is not "a sta3e in some s%''osed instinct%al mat%ration,+ and this re3ardless o! the !act that the anal sta3e "is no less '%rel historical when it is act%all e&'erienced than when it is reconce't%ali)ed*+ #e m%st loo/ not at it $ac/wards, that is, not !rom e!!ect to ca%se* Instead o! reachin3 $ac/ into evol%tionar 'rocesses, instead o! "loo/in3 in 'rotista !or the ima3inar schema o! $rea/in3 and enterin3 the $od ,+ we m%st con!ront lan3%a3e, !or "the e!!ect o! lan3%a3e is to introd%ce the ca%se into the s%$,ect+ 6Gacan 2DDL: 2177* I! this is the case, however, it is time to answer the a$ove* 0ther mammals sim'l %tter "vario%s noises,+ so !or h%mans what ca%ses M, "some m thical, 'res m$olic intention,+ to re'ierce the si3ni! in3 chain; 0! co%rse, it is at this 'oint that it sho%ld $e

admitted: the answer is the anal voice* Aor witho%t lan3%a3e there is no ca%se, and there is no 'lace: the anal voice, that is, is the limit* Jac2%es 9errida s'ea/s o! "the ca%se closest to o%r $od + 69errida 1995: 557, and !rom within the meta'h sical tradition, this ca%se is erroneo%sl attri$%ted to hearin3 onesel! s'ea/, $%t herein lies the 'arado&ical nat%re o! the voice* I!, as Aerdinand de Sa%ss%re ar3%es, 'honolo3 is the st%d o! the si3ni!ier and i! the si3ni!ier has no act%al, 'ositive e&istence, e&istin3 onl in a ne3ative, di!!erential relation to other si3ni!iers, then, accordin3 to Sa%ss%re, "so%nd is merel somethin3 ancillar , the material that lan3%a3e %ses+ 6Sa%ss%re 198E: 1D77* In this sense, there is no se'aration $etween noise and voice so we o%3ht to t%rn to noise s%ch as the in!ant5s cr in order to esta$lish what Mladen 9olar calls "the lin3%istics o! the non-voice*+ 1e writes: "<his 'rec%lt%ral, non-c%lt%ral voice can $e seen as the )ero-'oint o! si3ni!ication, the incidence o! meanin3, itsel! not meanin3 an thin3, the 'oint aro%nd which other 8 meanin3!%l 8 voices can $e ordered@<he voice 'resents a short circ%it $etween nat%re and c%lt%re, $etween 'h siolo3 and str%ct%re? its v%l3ar nat%re is m sterio%sl trans%$stantiated into meanin3 tout court+ 69olar 2DDL: 257* 0n the one hand, the voice is essentiall ,%st vario%s noises, ,%st the material s%$stance that lan3%a3es %ses to create meanin3, ,%st "the remainder that doesn5t ma/e sense, a le!tover, a cast-o!! 8 shall we sa an e&crement o! the si3ni!ier;+ 69olar 2DDL: 2D? em'hasis added7* 0n the other hand, we have the voice5s role in meta'h sics* Kather than an e&cremental remainder, the voice is a si3n o! an individ%al5s 'resence* I! to hear onesel! s'ea/ Bsentendre parler: entendre meanin3 $oth "to hear+ and "to %nderstand+C is, !or meta'h sics, the mar/ o! an individ%al5s sel!-trans'arenc , o! "'%re a%to-a!!ection,+ which is accom'lished onl $ "'rivile3Bin3C@the voice as a so%rce o! ori3inar sel!-'resence+ 6E87* 9errida sa s that s%ch 'rivile3in3 o! the voice is $%ilt %'on the deni3ration o! 'criture, the 6material7 writin3 o! meta'h sics itsel!* Aor Gacan, however, the voice remains 'rivile3ed $eca%se o! its 'arado&ical nat%re: it is $oth the medi%m and the messa3e? it is $oth an o$,ect 69olar calls it "the o$,ect voice+7 and a s%$stanceless e&'ression o! '%re 'resence* "#hen we5re tal/in3,+ writes -i.e/, "whatever we sa is an answer to a 'rimordial address $ the 0ther 8 we5re alwa s alread addressed, $%t this address is $lan/, it cannot $e 'in'ointed to a s'eci!ic a3ent, $%t is a /ind o! em't a 'riori, the !ormal =condition o! 'ossi$ilit 5 o! o%r s'ea/in3+ 6-i.e/ 199L: 9D7* <he reason this "$lan/+ cannot $e 'in'ointed is $eca%se its e&istence is 'redicated on an e&'%lsion that creates the void aro%nd which the s m$olic order o'erates, which is wh , -i.e/ concl%des, "the o$,ect voice 'ar e&cellence, o! co%rse, is silence+ 6-i.e/ 199L: 927 <his silence is not sim'l the a$sence o! so%nd? it is, in !act, the hollowin3 o%t o! the inchoate h%$$%$ o! the nascent s%$,ect5s $ein3-in-the-world* >ro%nd this hollowed-o%t s'ace, s'eech m%st 6now7 'rotect the s%$,ect !rom silence, !rom the voice5s solidit , since this hollowin3-o%t 'rocess is the e&'%lsion identi!ied $ Are%d and hi3hli3hted $ 1 ''olite* <he anal voice, the meetin3-'lace o! the !irst 'enis and the

!irst va3ina, is silent, not sim'l $eca%se it is "'re-s m$olic,+ $%t also $eca%se it is literall the 3a' that se'arates h%man $ein3s !rom $iolo3ical evol%tion, the hori)on o! all investi3ations into h%man s%$,ectivit , the alwa s-alread removed 2%ant%m lea' $etween mammalian li!e and the s'ea/in3-$ein3* <he void aro%nd which the s m$olic order o'erates, however, !orever ha%nts s'eech5s ina$ilit to $ecome meanin35s wei3htless, !ictionless vehicle, to $ecome '%re a%toa!!ection? rather, the vocal is !orever tied to an irred%ci$le materialit that han3s, li/e an al$atross, aro%nd the nec/ o! ever s'eech-act* <his remainder is the material, !ecal echo o! the e&'%lsion o! the !irst 'enis? it is the material reminder that the im$ricated relationshi' $etween e&'%lsion and lan3%a3e creates the 'lace where the !irst 'enis was and where, in its 'lace, I come to $e* Aor Gacan, h%mans 6%nli/e animals7 !ind !eces to $e ins%!!era$le, $%t as -i.e/ e&'lains, this is "not $eca%se it has a $ad smell, $%t $eca%se it came o%t !rom o%r innermost selves*+ >nd et, shit is not o%r central concern* "#e are ashamed o! shit,+ writes -i.e/, "$eca%se, in it, we e&'ose(e&ternali)e o%r innermost intimac + 6-i.e/ 2DD1: 597* #h shame; 4eca%se h%mans har$or a shame!%l secret, one that we do not 'ro'erl reco3ni)e* 4ein3 'olite, civili)ed 'eo'le, we sc%rr awa in order to de!ecate in 'rivate, and we %s%all attri$%te o%r discretion to common decenc * It is sim'l considerate not to dis3%st others with o%r !o%l !ecal odors* S%ch e&'lanations are hardl s%r'risin3* -i.e/ draws o%r attention, however, to the %nderl in3 concern: intimac * In short, s'ea/in3-$ein3s have an in/lin3 o! the 'aramo%nt im'ortance not o! shit 'er se, $%t o! the 'rocess, o! the $owel movement in toto* >d%lt !ecal e&cretions remind the s'ea/in3-$ein3, i! onl %nconscio%sl , that it was $e3et $ the intimate meetin3 o! the !irst 'enis and the !irst va3ina, that its most intimate relation is to its $owels, which is wh the $owel mo6ve7ment rather than shit has $een o%r !oc%s* Ket%rnin3 to 4%rro%3hs5s "tal/in3 an%s,+ this vi3nette is a$o%t one thin3 more than an thin3 else: <he need to control the an%s, to thin/ o! onesel! 2%a ima3inar e3o as in control o! one5s $od * #hat $etter wa , there!ore, to control the an%s, to $ecome its master, than to teach it to tal/, !or teachin3 one5s an%s to tal/ is a/in to a 'arent teachin3 its child to tal/* 4 introd%cin3 the child to the disco%rse o! the 0ther 6the 'arent initiall , and inevita$l , stands in !or the $i3 0ther7, the 'arent !orever alienates the child !rom itsel!, !orcin3 it to $ecome the divided s%$,ect o! the 0ther5s disco%rse, o! the s m$olic order, there$ $arrin3 it !rom ever ret%rnin3 to its 're-disc%rsive, 're-oedi'al ori3ins, that is, to its %ndi!!erentiated relation to its initial care3iver(host* Indeed, this 'rocess o! alienation is not sim'l the res%lt o! coa&in3 the child into identi! in3 certain o$,ects or actions "o%t there in the world+ with certain 'honetic com$inations? alienation occ%rs, rather, when the 'arent, however %nwittin3l , !orces its child to incl%de itsel! in this list o! identi!ications 6"#ho are S0U;+ the 'arent as/s, 'ointin3 at its child, while the child 2%ic/l res'onds with its Nhristian name 8 'raise !ollows and "the 3ame+ is

10

re'eatedl endlessl , !or the rest o! its li!e7, which inter'olates the child, allowin3 it, thro%3h mindless re'etition 6re'etition is alwa s mindless7, to $e incor'orated into the insistence o! the chain o! si3ni!ication* Sim'le identi!ication, in !act, is meanin3less witho%t this incor'oration into si3ni!ication $eca%se there is no strict se'aration $etween a child ver$all identi! in3 an e&ternal o$,ect or action and a child ver$all identi! in3 itsel!* It is si3ni!ication all the wa down, !or the child5s coa&ed 'ron%nciation o! these seemin3l random 'honemes in con,%nction with the ostensi$le 'resence o! ever da o$,ects or actions endows the child with its !irst 'resentiment o! s%$,ectivit , which, one mi3ht thin/, is %tterl !orei3n to the dece'tivel sim'le act o! one-to-one identi!ication* <his endowment, that is, this onero%s 3i!t, is not !rom the 'arents themselves, altho%3h !rom the child5s 'ers'ective it mi3ht as well $e? rather, it is lan3%a3e5s 3i!t to the s%$,ect, !or now lan3%a3e s'ea/s the child, not vice versa 8 which, accordin3 to Gacan, is how the s%$,ect is $arred(divided* It is d%e, a3ain, not to the relationshi' $etween si3ni!ier and si3ni!ied or $etween si3ni!ier and re!erent, $%t rather to the s nchronic instantiation o! a 'rimordial intention as it twice crosses the si3ni! in3 chain, creatin3 the $arred(divided s%$,ect as the relation $etween two si3ni!iers* 4%rro%3hs 'rovides the an%s with the 'er!ect res'onse: "4eca%se we don5t need o% aro%nd here an more*+ 9es'ite the !act that the an%s does not s'ea/, this is in essence what it 6silentl 7 sa s* It reminds %s o! the alien within* Farents, o! co%rse, d%ti!%ll cons%lt their 'ediatricians and their "how-to+ man%als in order to determine i! their child is read !or "toilet trainin3*+ <he %s%al indicators, 'arents soon discover, are: the child !ollows sim'le instr%ctions? names the o$,ects involved? controls the m%scles res'onsi$le !or elimination? and, most im'ortantl , e&'resses %erbally de!ecation5s immanence* <he child, in other words, m%st !irst $e inter'olated $ the disco%rse o! the 0ther 2%a 'arent, 3ivin3 the child eno%3h time to ac2%ire the re2%isite de3ree o! m%sc%lar de&terit , $e!ore it is deemed ca'a$le o! %nderstandin3, and there!ore o! ta/in3 res'onsi$ilit !or, its $owel movements* 4e!ore this time, and in !act d%rin3 the child5s most cr%cial sta3es o! lin3%istic inter'olation, it has $een at the merc o! its $owel movements, receivin3 !rom its shit stim%lation that, as o! et, has an am$i3%o%s so%rce, !or the $owel movement is neither inside nor o%tside the $od , $%t rather somewhere in $etween* Unli/e man%al stim%lation o! the 3enitals, which o!ten $e3ins as earl as si& months, the child is here totall 'assive, com'letel at the merc o! $ein3 'enetrated !rom within* 0nl later 6sometime $etween ei3hteen months and three ears7 does the child learn more !%ll to distin3%ish the internal !rom the e&ternal, s%$,ect !rom o$,ect, active !rom 'assive? $%t witho%t the ver$al s/ills that it is now ra'idl ac2%irin3, there is, a3ain, no s%$,ect to attach meanin3 to these 'rimal $owel movements* Fermit me then to clari! once more m de!inition o! the anal voice* I stated that the anal voice is the meetin3-'lace o! the !irst 'enis and the !irst va3ina? that is, it is the event that

11

ina%3%rates the s%$,ect o! disco%rse, the parltre or s'ea/in3-$ein3, and it does this im'ortant wor/ $ s%mmonin3 %' !rom inside the inci'ient s%$,ect the alien within, that o$,ect in the s%$,ect more than the s%$,ect itsel!* In addition, I stated that the anal voice is the hori)on o! all investi3ations into h%man s%$,ectivit , the alwa s-alread removed 2%ant%m lea' $etween mammalian li!e and the s'ea/in3-$ein3* #h the term "anal voice+; In disc%ssin3 this to'ic with man 'eo'le, it has $ecome a''arent that ever reader o! this essa will a''roach "the anal voice+ with hard s/e'ticism, which is to $e e&'ected* <he 'ro$lem %s%all $e3ins 6and o!ten ends7 with m title* I invo/ed Naked Lunch at the o%tset in order to 'rovide a clear ill%stration o! what the anal voice is not, tho%3h 9r* 4enwa is certainl hel'!%l* It is not tal/in3 o%t one5s ass, altho%3h most ass%me that, whether literall or !i3%rativel , this is this essa 5s raison d5Ttre* Sorr , I re'l , no tal/in3 an%ses* More to the 'oint, the anal voice is not shit, !or the a''ro'riate term wo%ld then have $een "anal o$,ect*+ In Gacanian terms, the voice is an o$,ect, $%t em'lo in3 "voice+ is es'eciall necessar in order to incor'orate the $lan/ or void %nder3irdin3 all s'eech-acts* <his $lan/ or void ret%rns %s to the anal sta3e, to the meetin3-'lace that thr%sts the nascent s%$,ect into the si3ni! in3 'rocess, into the vector o! s'eech* <he anal voice, there!ore, is not the in!ant5s !irst word? rather, it is the 'rimordial address 6the meetin3 o! the !irst 'enis and the !irst va3ina7 that solicits this !irst 6a%di$le7 si3ni!ier* So the rect%m isn5t a 3rave, ri3ht; "<o $e 'enetrated is to a$dicate 'ower+ 64ersani 1987: 2127, writes Geo 4ersani, when descri$in3 the 're-homose&%al, e&'licitl hierarchical, estimation o! classical and earl modern male-male se&%al relations, and an o$servation that dovetails with Sed3wic/5s remar/s concernin3 !emale anal eroticism* <he im'ortance o! 'enetration derives !rom 4ersani5s art!%l, %nse&ed version o! 'hallocentrism: "not 'rimaril the denial o! 'ower to women@$%t a$ove all the denial o! the val%e o! 'owerlessness in $oth men and women,+ and $ "val%e o! 'owerlessness+ 4ersani means the val%e o! "radical disinte3ration and the h%miliation o! the sel!,+ which he s'eci!icall connects to anal 'enetration+ 64ersani 1987: 2177* <o ret%rn to the o'enin3, this is e&actl what Sed3wic/ critici)es when she o$serves that the an%s is a s necdoche !or male homose&%alit $%t that there is no e2%alivant !or women, les$ians, etc*, that when the !emale an%s is at iss%e it is alwa s alread heterose&%ali)ed, so that no one "even 'retends to name or descri$e 6never mind, val%e7 the an%s as the site o! womens active desire+ 6Sed3wic/ 199E: 2D57* Sed3wic/ is ri3ht, o! co%rse, a$o%t the e&tant literat%re? however, $ t%rnin3 to G% 1oc2%en3hem5s still revol%tionar 6tho%3h now o!ten overloo/ed7 te&t Homose&ual !esire 619727, which Sed3wic/ does in ">nalit : News !rom the Aront,+ I thin/ that we can see vis-U-vis the anal voice wh o%r assholes are revol%tionar * 1oc2%en3hem too wo%ld concede Sed3wic/5s 'oint, !or he also ar3%es that, c%lt%rall , the an%s is a s necdoche !or male homose&%alit * Aor instance, he states, "homose&%alit 'rimaril means anal homose&%alit ,

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sodom + 61oc2%en3hem 199E: 987* >t the same time, however, his remar/s are aimed at a heterose&ist ca'italist s stem that is miso3 nistic and 3 no'ho$ic, racist and colonialist? a !act that Sed3wic/ hi3hli3hts in t%rnin3 to 1oc2%en3hem, !or whom "the e&'losive 'otential o! anal sensation+ were ine&trica$l lin/ed to "the %ndoin3 o! 'atriarch , o! homo'ho$ia@o! ca'italism, o! racist colonialism+ 61oc2%en3hem 199E: 1L87* <he an%s is revol%tionar not onl !or male homose&%als, $%t !or an one whose an%s has $e secreted awa * <hat is, ever oneV "Nontrol o! the an%s,+ wrote 1oc2%en3hem, "is the 'recondition o! ta/in3 res'onsi$ilit !or 'ro'ert * <he a$ilit to =hold $ac/5 or to evac%ate the !eces is the necessar moment o! the constit%tion o! sel!* =<o !or3et onesel!5 is the most ridic%lo%s and distressin3 /ind o! social accident there is, the %ltimate o%tra3e to the h%man 'erson+ 61oc2%en3hem 199E: 997* In other words, societ is an intestinal drama 6>ll 'olitics is analV7, so what we need, $oth literall and !i3%rativel , are more accidents*

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References
4ersani, G* 619877 "Is the Kect%m a Grave;+ (ctober JE: 197-222* 4%rro%3hs, #* S* 6199D7 Naked Lunch, New Sor/, NS: Grove Fress* 9arwin, N* 619817 he !escent of "an$ and Selection in )elation to Se&, Frinceton, NJ: Frinceton Universit Fress* 9errida, J* 61995(19927 he *ift of !eath, trans* $ 9avid #illis, Nhica3o: Universit o! Nhica3o Fress* 9olar, M* 62DDL7 # +oice and Nothing "ore, Nam$rid3e: MI< Fress* Ain/, 4* 62DDJ7 Lacan to the Letter, )eading Wcrits -losely, >l$an , NS: SUNS Fress* Are%d, S* 619D57 "<hree Hssa s on the <heor o! Se&%alit + in he Standard Edition of the -omplete .sychological Works of Sigmund /reud$ +olume +00, trans* $ J* Strache , Gondon: 1o3arth Fress, 12E-2JL Are%d, S* 619177 "0n the <rans!ormation o! Instinct as H&em'li!ied in >nal Hroticism+ in he Standard Edition of the -omplete .sychological Works of Sigmund /reud, +olume 1+00 23435634347, trans* $ J* Strache , Gondon: 1o3arth Fress: 125-EJ* Are%d* S* 619257 "Ne3ation,+ in he Standard Edition of the -omplete .sychological Works of Sigmund /reud$ +olume 101, trans* $ J* Strache , Gondon: 1o3arth Fress, 2EE-2JD* G%ss, J* 62D1D7 "<he 9an3er o! 9esire: >nal Se& and the 1omo(Masc%line S%$,ect,+ Studies in *ender and Se&uality, 11: 12J-JD* 1oc2%en3hem, G* 6199E(19727 Homose&ual !esire, trans* $ 9* 9an3oor, 9%rham, NN: 9%/e Universit Fress* 1%sserl, H* 61977(19E17 -artesian "editations, #n 0ntroduction to .henomenology, trans $ 9* Nairns, <he 1a3%e: M* Ni,ho!!* 1 ''olite, J* 62DDL(19LL7 ">''endi& I: > S'o/en Nommentar on Are%d5s =Xernein%n3*5+ In Ecrits, he /irst -omplete Edition in English, trans* $ 4* Ain/, et al*, New Sor/, NS: 7JL5J* Gacan, J* 62DDL(19LL7 Ecrits, he /irst -omplete Edition in English, trans $ 4* Ain/, et al*, New Sor/, NS: Norton* Ga'lanche, J*, and J*-4* Fontalis 6197E(19L77 he Language of .sychoanalysis, trans* $ 4* Nicholson-Smith* New Sor/, NS: Norton* Ga'orte, 9* 62DDD(19787 History of Shit, trans* $ N* 4eha$id and K* el-Iho%r * Nam$rid3e: MI< Fress* Sed3wic/, H* I* 6199E7 "> Foem Is 4ein3 #ritten*+ endencies* 9%rham, NN: 9%/e Universit Fress: 177-21J*

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Sed3wic/, H* I* 62D117 ">nalit : News !rom the Aront,+ in J* Gold$er3 6ed*7 he Weather in .roust, 9%rham, NN: 9%/e Universit Fress: 1LL-182* Sa%ss%re, A* 6198E(191L7 -ourse in *eneral Linguistics, <rans* $ K* 1arris* Gondon: 9%c/worth, 198E* -i.e/, S* 619897 he Sublime (b8ect of 0deology, New Sor/, NS: Xerso* -i.e/, S* 6199L7 "=I 1ear So% with M H es5? or, <he Invisi$le Master,+ in S* -i.e/ and K* Salecl 6eds*7 *a9e and +oice as Lo%e (b8ects, 9%rham, NN: 9%/e Universit Fress* -i.e/, S* 62DD17 (n :elief, New Sor/, NS: Ko%tled3e*

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