Elizabeth Bowen: A Reputation in Writing 9780814744888

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Elizabeth Bowen

The Cuttin g Edge : Lesbian Lif e an d Literatur e

The Cutting Edge: Lesbian Life and Literature Series Editor: Karla Jay Ladies Almanack BY D J U NA BARNE S W I T H AN I N T R O D U C T I ON BY SUSAN SNIADER LANSER

Adventures of the Mind: The Memoirs of Natalie Clifford Barney TRANSLATED BY J O HN SPALDING G A T T O N W I T H AN I N T R O D U C T I ON BY KARLA JAY

Paint It Today b y H. D . (Hild a Doolittle ) E D I T E D A N D WIT H A N I N T R O D U C T I O N BY C A S S A N D R A LAIT Y

(Sem)Erotics: Theorizing Lesbian : Writing BY ELIZABET H A . MEES E

The Search for a Woman-Centered Spirituality BY ANNETT E J . VA N DYK E

/ Know My Own Heart: The Diaries of Anne Lister, 1791—1840 EDITED BY H E L E NA W H I T B R E A D

No Priest but Love: The journals of Anne Lister, 1824-1826 EDITED BY HELENA W H I T B R E A D

Lover BY BERTH A HARRI S

Changing Our Minds: Lesbian Feminism and Psychology BY CELI A KITZINGE R A N D RACHE L PERKIN S

Elizabeth Bowen: A Reputation in Writing BY RENE E C . H O O G L A N D

The Cutting Edge: Lesbian Life and Literature Series Editor: Karla Jay Professor of English and Women's Studies Face University E D I T O R I A L BOAR D

Judith Butle r Humanities Cente r The Johns Hopkin s Universit y

Elizabeth Mees e English University o f Alabam a

Blanche Wiesen Coo k History an d Women' s Studie s John Jay Colleg e an d City Universit y o f Ne w Yor k Graduate Cente r

Esther Newto n Anthropology SUNY, Purchas e

Diane Griffi n Crowde r French an d Women' s Studie s Cornell Colleg e Joanne Glasgo w English an d Women' s Studie s Bergen Communit y Colleg e Marny Hal l Psychotherapist an d Write r Celia Kitzinge r Social Studie s Loughborough University , U.K . Jane Marcu s English an d Women' s Studie s City Universit y o f Ne w Yor k Graduate Cente r Biddy Marti n German an d Women' s Studie s Cornell Universit y

Terri d e la Peri a Novelist/Short Stor y Write r Ruthann Robso n Writer Law School , Queen s Colleg e City Universit y o f Ne w Yor k Ann Alle n Shockle y Librarian Fisk Universit y Elizabeth Woo d Lesbian an d Ga y Studie s Sarah Lawrenc e Colleg e Bonnie Zimmerma n Women's Studie s San Dieg o State Universit y

renee c. hoogland

Elizabeth BOWER

A. Reputation in Writing

NEW YOR K UNIVERSITY PRESS New York and London

Grateful acknowledgmen t fo r permissio n t o reprin t materia l i s mad e t o th e fol lowing: From TH E LAS T SEPTEMBE R b y Elizabet h Bowen . Copyrigh t © 1929 , 195 2 b y Elizabeth Bowen . Reprinte d b y permissio n o f Alfre d A . Knopf , Inc. , th e Estat e o f Elizabeth Bowen , Jonathan Cap e Limited, an d Curti s Brown, London . From TH E HEA T O F TH E DA Y b y Elizabet h Bowen . Copyrigh t © 194 8 b y Elizabeth Bowen . Reprinte d b y permissio n o f Alfre d A . Knopf , Inc. , th e Estat e o f Elizabeth Bowen , Jonathan Cap e Limited , an d Curti s Brown , London . From EV A TROU T O R CHANGIN G SCENE S b y Elizabet h Bowen . Copyrigh t © 1968 b y Elizabet h Bowen . Reprinte d b y permissio n o f Alfre d A . Knopf , Inc. , th e Estate o f Elizabet h Bowen , Jonathan Cap e Limited , an d Curti s Brown, London . From BOWEN' S COUR T an d SEVE N WINTER S b y Elizabet h Bowen . Copyrigh t © 1942 . Reprinte d b y permission o f Virag o Pres s Limited . From Elizabet h Bowe n an d Jocelyn e Brook s [broadcast] ; autobiographica l not e o n manuscript; an d GIRLHOO D [essay] . Reprinted b y permission o f Th e Harr y Ran som Humanitie s Researc h Center , The University o f Austin , Texas . Extracts fro m "Ou t o f a Book, " "Th e Ben d Back, " "Th e Bi g House, " an d "Wh y Do I Write" b y Elizabeth Bowen . Reprinted b y permission o f the Estate of Elizabet h Bowen an d Curti s Brown , London . Extracts fro m PICTURE S AN D CONVERSATION S b y Elizabet h Bowen . Copy right © 197 5 b y Elizabet h Bowen . Reprinte d b y permissio n o f Curti s Brown , London. NEW YOR K UNIVERSIT Y PRES S New Yor k an d Londo n Copyright © 199 4 b y New Yor k Universit y All right s reserve d Library o f Congres s Cataloging-in-Publicatio n Dat a Hoogland, Rene e C . Elizabeth Bowe n : a reputatio n i n writing / Renee C . Hoogland . p. cm . — (The Cuttin g edge : lesbia n lif e an d literature ) Includes bibliographica l reference s an d index . ISBN 0-8147-3501-0 (cloth).—ISB N 0-8147-3511- 8 (pbk. ) 1. Bowen , Elizabeth , 1899-1973—Criticis m an d interpretation . 2. Lesbians ' writings , English—Iris h authors—Histor y an d criticism. 3 . Feminis m an d literature—Ireland—History—20t h century. 4 . Wome n an d literature—Ireland—History—20t h century . 5. Lesbians—Ireland—Intellectua l life . 6 . Ireland—I n literature . I. Title . II . Series : Cutting edg e (Ne w York , N.Y. ) PR6003.06757Z672 199 4 823'.912—dc2o 93-4967 5 CIP New Yor k Universit y Pres s books ar e printed o n acid-fre e paper , and thei r bindin g material s ar e chose n fo r strengt h an d durability . Manufactured i n th e United State s of Americ a 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

1

for Loep

Contents

Foreword b y Karl a Ja y xii Acknowledgments xi

i x

i . Introduction : Elizabet h Bowe n — A Stor y o f Sort s i 2. Technologie s o f Femal e Adolescenc e 2 The Ideologica l Timespac e o f The Last September (1929 ) 2 The Interpellatio n o f th e Adolescent 3

4 4 9

3. Authorin g Sexua l Identitie s 7 Sexual Position(ing) s 7 Interpretation, Transference , an d Authoria l Contro l 9

2 2 3

4. Historie s o f Narrativ e Desir e 10 The Fictitious Realit y o f The Heat of the Day (1949 ) 10 The Historica l Inscriptio n o f th e Self 12

7 7 5

5. Th e Discours e o f Suspensio n 15 Heterosexual Material s 15 Discourse i n Crisi s 19

4 4 4

6. Subtext s o f Psychosexualit y 20 The Inscriptio n o f Creatio n i n Eva Trout (1969 ) 20 (Pre)oedipal Lov e an d th e Symbolic Mother 22

6 6 3

7. Sexual/Textua l Transgression s 24 Scriptural Encoding s 24 The Mother's Tongu e an d Femal e Authorshi p 27

9 9 8

XI

xii Contents 8. Fro m Marginalit y t o Ex-centricit y 29 (Post)modernist Identification s 29 Sexual In/Differenc e 30 Ex-centric Interpellation s 30 Notes Bibliography Index

1 1 0 9 313 345 357

Foreword

Despite th e effort s o f lesbia n an d feminis t publishin g house s an d a few universit y presses , th e bul k o f th e mos t importan t lesbia n works has traditionally bee n available only from rare-boo k dealers , in a fe w universit y libraries , o r i n ga y an d lesbia n archives . Thi s series intends, in the first place , to make representativ e example s of this neglecte d an d insufficientl y know n literatur e availabl e t o a broader audienc e b y reissuin g selecte d classic s an d b y puttin g int o print fo r th e first tim e lesbia n novels , diaries , letters, an d memoir s that ar e o f specia l interes t an d significanc e bu t tha t hav e moldere d in librarie s an d privat e collection s fo r decade s o r eve n fo r centu ries, know n onl y t o th e fe w scholar s wh o ha d th e courag e an d financial wherewitha l t o trac k the m down . Their name s hav e bee n know n fo r a lon g time—Sappho , th e Amazons o f North Africa , th e Beguines, Aphra Behn, Queen Chris tina, Emil y Dickinson , th e Ladie s o f Llangollen , Radclyff e Hall , Natalie Cliffor d Barney , H.D. , an d s o man y other s fro m ever y nation, race , an d era . Bu t governmen t an d religiou s official s burned thei r writings , historian s an d literar y scholar s denie d the y were lesbians , powerfu l me n kep t thei r book s ou t o f print , an d influential archivist s locke d u p thei r idea s fa r fro m sympatheti c eyes. Ye t som e dedicate d scholar s an d reader s stil l kne w wh o the y were, mad e pilgrimage s t o th e citie s an d village s wher e the y ha d lived an d t o th e graveyard s wher e the y rested . They passe d aroun d tattered volume s o f letters , diaries , an d biographies , i n whic h the y xm

xiv Foreword had underline d wha t seeme d t o b e telltal e hint s o f a secre t o r different kin d o f life . Wher e n o har d fact s existed , legend s wer e invented. Th e fe w preciou s an d ofte n availabl e pre-Stonewal l les bian classics , suc h a s The Well of Loneliness b y Radclyff e Hall , The Price of Salt b y Clair e Morga n (Patrici a Highsmith) , an d Desert of the Heart b y Jan e Rule , wer e cherished . Lesbia n pul p was devoured . On e o f th e primary goal s o f thi s serie s is to giv e th e more neglected works, which constitut e the vast majority o f lesbia n writing, the attentio n the y deserve . A secon d bu t n o les s importan t ai m o f thi s serie s i s t o presen t the "cuttin g edge " of contemporar y lesbia n scholarshi p an d theor y across a wid e rang e o f disciplines . Practitioner s o f lesbia n studie s have no t adopte d a unifor m approac h t o literar y theory , history , sociology, o r an y othe r discipline , no r shoul d they . Thi s serie s intends t o presen t a n arra y o f voice s tha t trul y reflec t th e diversit y of th e lesbia n community . T o hel p m e i n thi s task , I a m luck y enough t o b e assiste d b y a distinguishe d editoria l boar d tha t re flects various professional , class , racial, ethnic , an d religiou s back grounds a s well a s a spectrum o f interest s an d sexua l preferences . At presen t th e field o f lesbia n studie s occupie s a small , precari ous, an d somewha t conteste d pied-a-terr e betwee n ga y studie s an d women's studies . The forme r i s still i n it s infancy, especiall y i f on e compares i t t o othe r discipline s tha t hav e bee n par t o f th e cor e curriculum o f ever y chil d an d adolescen t fo r severa l decade s o r even centuries . However , althoug h i t i s on e o f th e newes t disci plines, gay studie s ma y als o b e the fastest-growin g one—a t leas t i n North America . Lesbian , gay , an d bisexua l studie s conference s ar e doubling an d triplin g their attendance . Although onl y a handful o f degree-granting program s currentl y exist , tha t numbe r i s als o ap t to multipl y quickl y durin g the next decade . In comparison , women' s studie s i s a well-establishe d an d bur geoning disciplin e wit h hundred s o f minors , majors , an d graduat e programs throughou t th e United States . Lesbian studie s occupie s a

Foreword xv peripheral plac e i n th e discours e i n suc h programs , characteristi cally restricte d t o on e lesbian-centere d course , usuall y literar y o r historical i n nature . In th e man y women' s studie s serie s tha t ar e now offere d b y university presses , generally onl y one or tw o book s on a lesbia n subjec t o r issu e ar e included , an d lesbia n voice s ar e restricted t o writin g o n thos e topic s considere d o f specia l interes t to gay people. We are not calle d upo n t o offer opinion s o n mother hood, war, education , o r o n the lives of women no t publicly identi fied as lesbians. As a result, lesbia n experienc e i s too ofte n margin alized an d restricted . In contrast , thi s serie s wil l prioritize , centralize , an d celebrat e lesbian vision s o f literature , art , philosophy , love , religion , ethics , history, an d a myria d o f othe r topics . In "Th e Cuttin g Edge, " readers ca n find authoritativ e version s o f importan t lesbia n text s that hav e bee n carefull y prepare d an d introduce d b y scholars . Readers ca n als o find th e wor k o f academic s an d independen t scholars wh o writ e abou t othe r aspect s o f lif e fro m a distinctl y lesbian viewpoint. These visions ar e not onl y various but intention ally contradictory , fo r lesbian s spea k fro m differin g class , racial , ethnic, an d religiou s perspectives . Eac h autho r als o speak s fro m and abou t a certai n momen t o f time , an d fe w woul d argu e tha t being a lesbia n toda y i s th e sam e a s i t wa s fo r Sapph o o r Ann e Lister. Thu s n o attemp t ha s bee n mad e t o homogeniz e tha t diver sity, an d n o agend a exist s t o attemp t t o carv e ou t a "politicall y correct" lesbia n studie s perspective a t thi s juncture i n history o r t o pinpoint th e "real " lesbians in history. It seems more important fo r all th e voice s t o b e hear d befor e thos e wit h th e blessing s o f aftersight la y th e mantl e o f authenticit y o n an y on e visio n o f th e world, o r o n an y particular se t of women . What eac h work i n this series does share, however, i s a commo n realization tha t ga y women ar e the "Other " an d tha t one' s percep tion o f cultur e an d literatur e i s filtered b y sexua l behavior s an d preferences. Thos e perception s ar e no t th e sam e a s thos e o f ga y

xvi foreword men o r o f nonga y women , whethe r th e writer s spea k o f ga y o r feminist issue s o r whethe r th e writer s choos e t o loo k a t nonga y figures fro m a lesbian perspective. The role of this series is to creat e a spac e fo r an d giv e a voic e t o thos e intereste d i n lesbia n studies . This series speaks to any person who is interested i n gender studies , literary criticism , biography , o r importan t literar y works , whethe r she o r h e i s a student , professor , o r seriou s reader , fo r th e serie s is neither fo r lesbian s onl y no r eve n b y lesbian s only . Instead , "Th e Cutting Edge " attempt s t o shar e som e o f th e bes t o f lesbia n litera ture an d lesbia n studie s wit h anyon e willin g t o loo k a t th e worl d through lesbians ' eyes . The serie s is proactive i n tha t i t will help t o formulate an d foregroun d th e ver y disciplin e o n whic h i t focuses . Finally, thi s serie s ha s answere d th e cal l t o mak e lesbia n theory , lesbian experience , lesbia n lives , lesbia n literature , an d lesbia n vi sions th e hear t an d nucleus , th e weight y plane t aroun d whic h fo r once othe r viewpoint s wil l swir l a s moon s t o ou r earth . W e invit e readers o f al l persuasion s t o joi n u s b y venturin g int o thi s an d other book s i n the series . Elizabeth Bowe n wa s a write r whos e lif e an d wor k encompasse d many marginalities . Sh e wa s a marrie d woma n wh o ha d severa l lesbian affairs ; sh e wa s a n Anglo-Iris h writer , who , lik e man y other Englishwome n transplante d int o Ireland , too k o n aspect s o f both cultures ; sh e wa s a tangentia l modernis t wh o wen t o n t o explore othe r form s o f th e novel . Furthermore , lik e man y o f th e writers whos e wor k ha s bee n covere d o r wil l b e covere d i n thi s series (Djun a Barne s an d Radclyff e Hall , fo r example) , onl y som e of he r novel s explore d lesbia n issues , and , wer e sh e stil l alive , sh e might b e amaze d t o fin d hersel f situate d unde r th e rubri c o f "Les bian Lif e an d Literature, " an d sh e migh t eve n objec t t o thi s label , despite he r preoccupatio n wit h adolescen t girl s o f questionabl e sexual persuasions . A s Rene e Hoogland' s boo k s o clearl y point s out, ther e ar e man y lesbianisms , an d Bowe n i s onl y on e exampl e

Foreword xvii of ho w othe r issue s o f class , race, ethnicity, an d historicit y shap e perspective. KARLAJAY Professor of English and Women's Studies Pace University

Acknowledgments

No tex t stand s b y itself : lik e an y other , thi s on e i s the outcom e o f a proces s i n whic h a larg e numbe r o f othe r text s a s wel l a s th e inspiration, criticism , an d suppor t provided b y many differen t peo ple i n man y differen t context s hav e playe d a critica l part . I ca n mention onl y a few . I am especiall y indebte d t o Marijke Rudnik-Smalbraak ; withou t her commitment, criticism , an d genuin e friendshi p thi s boo k surel y would no t have been written. My thank s extend t o Dominic Baker Smith, wh o ha s generousl y allowe d m e t o benefi t fro m hi s literar y sensibility an d intellectua l openness . I than k m y friend s Tinek e Kalk, Dorelie s Kraakman , Be v Jackson, Moniqu e Hoogland , an d Titia Coppe s fo r th e variou s form s o f stimulation , inspiration , an d encouragement the y have offere d m e over the years. My colleague s and student s a t th e department s o f Englis h an d comparativ e litera ture, a s wel l a s th e member s o f th e Women' s Studie s Researc h Program o f th e Universit y o f Amsterda m hav e provided m e with a pleasant workin g environmen t fo r whic h I am grateful . M y sincer est thank s an d lov e ar e du e t o Pamel a Pattynama , wh o ha s re warded everythin g bu t m y virtue.

xix

I

Introduction: Elizabeth BowenA Story of Sorts A novel which survives , which withstand s an d outlive s time, does do something mor e than survive . It does not stan d still . It accumulate s roun d itsel f th e understandin g o f al l thes e persons wh o brin g t o i t somethin g o f thei r own . I t acquire s associations, i t become s a for m o f experienc e i n itself . . . . And lik e al l experiences , i t i s adde d t o b y th e powe r o f different kind s o f people , i n differen t times , t o fee l an d t o comment an d to explain . —"Truth an d Fiction " One spend s one' s lif e objectifyin g one' s inne r life , an d projecting one' s though t an d emotio n int o a form— a book . Which, onc e one' s insid e difficultie s ar e overcome , i s th e exercise of a n unchecke d power . . .. I t is hard fo r m e (being a write r befor e I a m a woman ) t o realiz e tha t anything — friendship o r lov e especially—i n whic h I participat e imaginatively isn' t a boo k too . Isn't , I mean , somethin g / make what it is by my will that i t shall be like that. —Elizabeth B o wen to Humphrey Hous e

The Anglo-Iris h write r Elizabet h Bowe n (1899-1973 ) considere d herself t o b e i n th e mos t eligibl e positio n t o writ e a boo k abou t Elizabeth Bowen . Sh e di d no t liv e t o complet e th e se t o f autobio graphical sketche s tha t wer e t o becom e suc h a book . Entitle d Pictures and Conversations, he r retrospectiv e self-inscription s wer e 1

2 Introduction posthumously publishe d i n 1975 . However , undaunte d b y th e au thor's clai m t o "unchecke d power " ove r th e stor y o f he r self , several person s hav e brough t "somethin g o f thei r own " t o Eliza beth Bowen . Sh e ha s bee n th e subjec t o f a fe w (biographicall y informed) critica l studies , on e full-lengt h an d on e shor t biographi cal work , an d divers e memoirs . Commente d o n an d explained , "added t o b y th e powe r o f differen t kind s o f people, " th e stor y o f Elizabeth Bowe n appear s t o hav e s o fa r "withstoo d an d outlive d time." Bowen wa s no t onl y wel l known , widel y read , an d greatl y ad mired durin g he r lifetime ; he r novel s ar e stil l regularl y bein g reis sued i n paperbac k today . I f onl y i n it s prolificness an d th e spa n o f time i n whic h i t wa s produced , he r oeuvr e i s remarkable : i n th e course o f nearl y fifty years, she published te n novels , almost eight y short stories , a chronicl e o f he r family , an d a substantia l bod y o f (major an d minor ) critica l an d othe r nonfictiona l work . Still , he r reputation a s a write r ha s no t kep t u p wit h th e times , no r ha s he r work receive d th e seriou s critica l attentio n i t deserves . Ofte n un easily linke d t o othe r neglecte d wome n writer s wit h who m sh e ha s little mor e i n commo n tha n tha t the y wer e contemporaries , Bowen's nam e generall y survive s a s tha t o f a mino r writer , hov ering i n th e margin s o f th e Grea t Tradition s tha t mak e u p th e landscape o f twentieth-centur y Englis h literature . Although he r autobiograph y ultimatel y remaine d unfinished , Bowen's lif e i s well documented . Sh e herself publishe d th e histor y of he r famil y mentione d above , Bowen's Court (1942) , whic h contains a wealt h o f informatio n abou t th e cultura l contex t int o and ont o whic h sh e wa s born , a s wel l a s a memoi r o f he r Dubli n childhood i n th e for m o f a serie s o f shor t sketches , Seven Winters (1942). Wherea s sh e di d no t kee p a forma l writer' s diary , th e prefaces t o severa l o f he r novel s an d collection s o f shor t stories , as wel l a s numerou s essay s an d articles , publi c correspondences , recorded lectures , an d radi o talk s i n whic h sh e explore s he r idea s

Introduction 3 concerning th e ar t o f fiction nonetheles s jointl y compos e a n illumi nating accoun t o f th e ways i n which Bowen' s view s on writin g an d the writer' s rol e i n societ y developed , changed , an d als o persiste d over the course of time . Victoria Glendinning' s informativ e biogra phy remain s th e mos t extensiv e narrativ e o f th e author' s lif e t o date. 1 Differen t emphase s place d b y literar y critic s o n differen t aspects o f Bowen' s lif e furthermor e provid e usefu l complementar y insights int o wha t is , o n al l accounts , a comple x stor y abou t a n equally comple x personality . Th e followin g outlin e i s a necessaril y partial compositio n indebte d i n varyin g measure s t o thes e in tertexts.

A Life Elizabeth Dorothe a Col e Bowe n wa s bor n t o Anglo-Iris h parent s in Dubli n i n 1899 , th e onl y chil d o f a middle-clas s Protestan t Unionist family . He r ancestors , th e apOwens , ha d com e fro m Wales wit h Cromwell' s arm y t o settl e i n Irelan d a t th e tim e o f the Civi l War . Th e first Bowe n t o acquir e lan d i n Irelan d wa s a professional soldie r makin g hi s hom e i n th e Englis h provinc e i n 1653. I t wa s hi s great-great-grandso n wh o buil t Bowen' s Court , the remot e famil y mansio n tha t th e author , a t thirty-one , wa s t o inherit upo n he r father' s death . Th e latter , Henr y Bowen , disap pointed hi s fathe r b y no t fitting int o th e rol e ascribe d t o hi m a s eldest so n an d heir ; h e chos e t o mak e hi s livin g practicin g la w i n Dublin instea d o f pursuin g th e political an d socia l power th e Bow ens ha d s o successfull y acquired . Whil e Henr y primaril y emerge s as a reflective , self-contained , an d rathe r abstrac t intellectual , h e nonetheless inherite d th e famil y tendenc y "toward s stron g will , obsessiveness, an d fantasy. " I n 1890 , a t ag e twenty-nine , h e mar ried Florenc e Colley , five year s hi s junio r an d als o o f Anglo-Iris h descent. In contras t t o th e Bowens ' isolate d existenc e o n thei r demesne i n Count y Cork , th e Colley s lived a far mor e sociabl e an d

4 Introduction cheerful lif e a t Clontarf , nea r Dublin . Lik e he r father , Bowen' s mother wa s th e od d on e ou t withi n he r family . Daughte r t o a "dominant, dynamic , anti-intellectual , confident " mother, 2 Flor ence was "capricious , elusive, gently intent on her own thoughts." 3 They mad e a happ y match , i t seems , h e bein g th e "mor e thought ful" o f th e two , "livin g b y philosophy, " sh e th e "mor e feeling " one, "livin g b y temperament. " Thes e ar e th e term s i n whic h Bowen, lookin g back , describe s he r parents' marriag e an d he r ow n position withi n it : My father an d mother mus t have made by their marriage, and lived in, a world o f thei r own . Thi s worl d wa s seldo m impinge d upon : time s an d happenings and the winter city of Dublin made round it a shadowy outer ring. Inside this world the y each ruled their private kingdoms of thought , and insid e it I, their firs t child , began t o set up my own. My parents di d not always communicate with each other, and I did not always communicate wit h them . The y wer e bot h ver y independen t o f othe r people . I had bee n born , I se e now , int o a hom e a t onc e uniqu e an d intensive , gently phenomenal. 4 Her earl y day s i n th e somewha t etherea l compan y o f he r parent s resulted i n a stron g attachmen t t o "place s an d things" : these , Bowen concedes , rathe r tha n people , "detac h themselve s fro m th e stuff o f m y dream. " Despite thei r peculia r personalities , Bowen' s parent s provide d their daughte r wit h a "classi c Anglo-Irish " heritage . Blende d o f originally divers e nationa l strand s (Norman , Scottish , Welsh , an d English), th e Anglo-Iris h mad e u p th e rulin g Ascendanc y clas s whose power cam e to a n en d whe n th e Iris h rebellio n (als o know n as "the Troubles") resulte d first in Partition an d Home Rule (1920 ) and eventuall y i n the Irish Settlemen t (1922) . The Anglo-Irish wer e not i n th e stric t sens e a nationality , eve n afte r severa l generation s of residenc e i n Ireland . Ye t a s a distinc t cultura l grou p the y pro duced thei r ow n nationa l myth s an d characteristics . Thes e wen t into th e makin g o f Bowen' s characte r a s much a s they foun d thei r way int o he r fiction. Th e autho r hersel f mad e a grea t poin t o f

Introduction j her ancestors ' isolate d positio n i n a countr y wher e the y remaine d geographically an d politicall y outsiders , livin g thei r live s i n thei r remote countr y houses , "i n psychologica l closenes s an d unde r th e strong rul e o f th e famil y myth. " No t unlik e th e live s o f onl y children, thos e o f th e Protestan t lande d gentr y wer e "singular , independent, an d secretive. " In thei r concentratio n aroun d on e place, Anglo-Irish familie s wer e connecte d b y a "continuous , semi physical dream, " abov e whic h "successiv e live s sho w thei r tips , their littl e consciou s formation s o f wil l an d thought." 5 However , as Glendinnin g point s out , ther e is , i n additio n t o "melanchol y tinged wit h self-irony, " als o somethin g "mor e vita l an d attractive " about Anglo-Ireland : "Grea t style , and a verbal fluenc y tha t leave s the res t o f u s island s nowhere " (13) . Sh e somewha t crypticall y adds that , withi n th e "contex t o f a n enormou s communicative ness," th e Anglo-Iris h hav e a "tac t an d sensitivity " tha t i s some times take n t o a "baroqu e poin t wher e i t almos t become s some thing else. " Bowen , whil e reticen t abou t persona l matters , i n lin e with th e norm s o f he r rac e an d he r class , full y share d th e (mor e Irish tha n Anglo-Irish ) characteristi c o f a "natura l warmt h an d gregariousness." Offse t agains t th e "nervou s Bowe n heritage, " he r gift fo r friendship , he r hospitality , an d he r abilit y t o liv e i n th e present wer e wha t sh e inherite d fro m he r mother' s family , th e Colleys (14) . Launched int o wha t woul d becom e a lifelon g itineran t exis tence, th e autho r divide d he r first seve n year s betwee n Dubli n an d Bowen's Court : summer s wer e spen t a t th e famil y estat e whil e he r father's la w practic e kep t th e famil y i n Dubli n durin g winters . In view of hi s exacting professional obligations , Henr y Bowe n canno t have bee n a prominen t presenc e i n thes e earl y days . Th e relation ship betwee n mothe r an d daughte r wa s "ver y intense, " however . Though generall y absent-minded , Florenc e wa s no t actuall y vagu e as a mother. Whe n Elizabet h wa s five, her fathe r suffere d a menta l breakdown. H e wen t t o Englan d fo r treatment , bu t whe n h e re turned th e followin g year , hi s conditio n ha d no t improved . Hi s

6 Introduction doctors recommende d tha t Florenc e an d Elizabet h leave , fo r Hen ry's good . H e committe d himsel f t o a menta l hospita l nea r Dubli n and Elizabet h an d he r mothe r departe d fo r th e Englis h sout h coast, wher e the y wer e t o dwel l th e followin g five years , shuttlin g between Edwardia n seasid e villa s an d assorte d Anglo-Iris h rela tives. Thu s throw n together , mothe r an d daughte r develope d a n exceedingly clos e relationship . Th e violen t disruptio n o f he r pri mary habita t mus t hav e seriousl y affecte d th e author , bu t th e ef fect wa s apparen t onl y i n th e developmen t o f a stamme r tha t wa s to mar k he r otherwis e dazzlin g conversatio n throughou t he r adul t life. Th e transplantatio n "int o a differen t mythology " furthe r re sulted i n wha t Bowe n describe s a s a "clef t betwee n m y heredit y and m y environment. " Th e Anglo-Irish , sh e declares, have a n "un dertow o f th e showy, " whic h explain s wh y "primaril y w e hav e produced dramatists , th e nove l bein g to o life-like , humdru m t o d o us justice" : There i s thi s abou t us : t o mos t o f th e res t o f th e worl d w e ar e semi strangers, for who m existenc e has something o f the trance-like quality of a spectacle . A s beings, we ar e a t onc e brillian t an d limited ; ou r unbeat ables . . . accordingly, hav e bee n thos e wh o bes t profite d b y that: Gold smith, Sheridan , Wilde , Shaw , Beckett . Ar t i s fo r u s inseparabl e fro m artifice: of that, the theatre is the home. Possibly, it was England made me a novelist. 6 While he r Anglo-Iris h heredit y remaine d th e "mor e powerful, " i t was th e environmen t provide d b y the Englis h landscap e an d socia l scenery tha t implante d i n Bowe n a sens e o f histor y tha t woul d become on e o f th e hallmark s o f he r fiction. Arrivin g a t a n "earl y though consciou s age " i n a n al l bu t alie n culture , i t wa s a s i f sh e had take n u p he r par t i n a "non-sto p historica l novel. " Eve n i f becoming a write r "knocke d a goo d dea l o f nonsens e ou t o f [her ] system," ther e persisted a "residuum" o f thi s "daydream" : As a novelist , I canno t occup y mysel f wit h "characters, " o r a t an y rat e central ones , who lac k panach e i n on e o r anothe r sense , who woul d b e incapable of a major actio n or a major passion, or who have not at least a

Introduction 7 touch of the ambiguity, the ultimate unaccountability, the enlarging mistiness of personages "in history." History, as more austerely I now know it, is not romantic. But I am.7 While accountin g fo r Bowen' s fascinatio n wit h th e "dar k horse " as fa r a s he r character s ar e concerned , th e chanciness , th e disloca tions, an d th e fundamenta l temporar y qualit y o f he r earl y lif e ar e also reflecte d i n th e ofte n haphazar d an d violentl y disruptiv e plot s of he r fictions. The romanti c daydrea m wa s rudel y shattered . I n 1912 , Henr y Bowen appeare d sufficientl y recovere d t o allow his family t o retur n to Ireland . S o they did , bu t onl y t o spen d wha t prove d t o b e thei r last summe r togethe r a t Bowen' s Court : i n Septembe r Florenc e died o f cancer . Elizabet h wa s thirteen . Neve r completel y gettin g over th e loss , her stamme r becam e mor e severe , and sh e was neve r again abl e to spea k abou t he r mother . Henceforth , th e responsibil ity fo r he r upbringin g an d education—whic h ha d alway s bee n intermittent—was take n ove r b y a deputatio n o f aunts , femal e Colleys livin g scattere d abou t England . Th e bereave d gir l first at tended Harpende n Hal l i n Hertfordshire , enjoyin g he r father' s company durin g th e summe r holiday s i n Ireland . Whil e academi cally no t a grea t success , Elizabet h became , durin g thes e years , a voracious reader . I n 1914 , she was sen t to Down e House , a board ing schoo l fo r girl s i n Kent . Reigne d ove r b y a powerfu l headmis tress wit h a n all-pervasiv e personality , Down e wa s t o hav e a last ing impact . Pupil s wer e no t allowe d t o indulg e i n an y for m o f "girlish" behavior ; indeed , upo n thei r arriva l the y wer e tol d tha t "it di d no t matte r i f [they ] wer e happ y a s lon g a s [they ] wer e good." Bowe n late r reflecte d tha t sh e "learn t t o defin e happines s as a kin d o f inne r irrationa l exaltatio n havin g littl e t o d o wit h morals on e wa y o r th e other. " Dresse d i n a "unifor m dictate d down t o th e las t detail " an d constraine d b y a "self-impose d rigi d emotional snobbishness " that precluded th e "mor e direc t mean s of self-expression," th e girl s articulate d themselve s throug h "foibles " and "mannerisms" : thes e were "exaggerate d mos t diligently. " Th e

8 Introduction "ever difficul t busines s o f gettin g onesel f across " was , th e autho r avers, a t thi s ag e "mos t pressing " o f all : "Personalit y cam e ou t i n patches, like damp throug h a wall." 8 The war wa s keenl y fel t insid e th e walls o f th e boardin g school . Bowen remember s th e "mora l stress " a s "appalling" : "W e gre w up unde r th e intolerabl e obligatio n o f bein g fough t for , an d coul d not fal l shor t i n character withou t recollectin g that me n were dyin g for us. " Durin g thes e so-calle d formativ e years , th e author , lik e her fello w students , expecte d t o marr y early , "partl y becaus e thi s appeared a n achievemen t o r wa y o f makin g one' s mark , als o fro m a feelin g i t woul d b e difficul t t o settl e t o anythin g els e unti l thi s was done. " Whil e the y wer e "no t i n lov e wit h eac h othe r a t al l constantly," fe w girl s "anticipated maternit y wit h eithe r interes t o r pleasure." Indeed , Bowe n admits , thoug h som e di d becom e moth ers, this "still seems inappropriate." Sh e goes on to suggest: "Possi bly, however , w e wer e no t natura l girls." 9 No t encourage d t o b e ambitious, th e girl s ye t al l expecte d t o "distinguish " themselve s in som e way . Th e autho r hersel f too k t o th e "curious , quick , characteristic psychologica l pace " o f Downe , beginnin g t o develo p traits tha t woul d structur e he r adul t character : sh e becam e obser vant an d analytical , sympatheti c an d understanding , wit h a kee n awareness o f wha t wa s funn y an d wha t wa s tragic. 10 Sh e lef t Downe i n th e summe r o f 1917 , instille d wit h a n "overstrained " sense of hono r an d wit h th e manners an d styl e of a lady . In 1918 , Henry Bowen , who ha d continue d t o retai n hi s menta l health, remarried . Elizabet h wa s stil l mainl y livin g i n Englan d bu t spent muc h tim e wit h he r fathe r an d hi s ne w wife—who m sh e greatly liked—a t Bowen' s Court . Althoug h sh e ha d b y thi s tim e started writing , sh e wante d t o becom e a n artis t an d wen t t o th e London Count y Counci l Schoo l of Art in London. After tw o terms , she wa s force d t o admi t tha t sh e woul d neve r b e a reall y goo d painter. Bowe n too k a cours e i n journalism , bega n sendin g ou t stories t o th e editor s o f variou s periodicals , an d "haunte d th e fringes o f literar y London." 1 1 Throug h he r ol d headmistres s sh e

Introduction 9 met Ros e Macaulay , who , alread y wel l establishe d a s a criti c an d novelist a t th e time , recommende d he r wor k t o Naom i Royde Smith, th e edito r o f th e Saturday Westminster. Th e storie s tha t were first printe d i n thi s periodica l wer e late r collecte d an d pub lished b y Sidgwick an d Jackson: Encounters appeare d i n 1923 , the same year Bowe n marrie d Ala n Cameron . Cameron, a n assistan t secretar y fo r education , wa s a talente d administrator, no t a n intellectual . Whil e generall y considere d gen erous an d kind , h e als o ofte n appeare d quit e ou t o f plac e i n th e literary circle s in which th e young autho r starte d t o move. But even if remembere d b y som e o f he r friend s a s a rathe r heart y Colone l Blimp, Camero n provide d Bowe n wit h th e secur e emotiona l an d home bas e tha t ha d practicall y alway s bee n lackin g i n he r life . Their relationshi p constitute d a tru e an d war m friendshi p bu t wa s not o f a sexua l o r passionat e nature . I n th e first year s o f thei r marriage, Bowe n wrot e tw o mor e books : anothe r collectio n o f stories, Ann Lee's (1926) , an d he r first novel , The Hotel (1927) . Though extremel y funny , bot h th e novel—whic h deal s wit h it s adolescent protagonist' s searc h fo r a sexua l identit y i n th e contex t of he r relationshi p wit h a n olde r woman—an d mos t o f th e storie s are characterize d b y a n atmospher e o f tensenes s an d restlessness , situated i n th e (interconnecting ) area s o f violenc e an d sexuality : " I was beating myself agains t human unknowableness ; in fact, I made that m y subject—ho w man y times ? Th e storie s ar e question s asked: man y en d wit h a shrug , a query , or , t o th e reader , a sor t o f over-to-you." 12 By 1925 , Cameron' s wor k ha d take n th e coupl e t o Ol d Head ington, nea r Oxford . Her e Bowe n me t an d befriende d Joh n an d Susan Buchan , wh o i n thei r tur n establishe d he r contac t wit h Vir ginia Wool f an d Rosamun d Lehmann . Othe r professional s wit h whom sh e becam e acquainte d wer e th e Oxfor d don/literar y criti c Lord Davi d Ceci l an d th e philosopher Isaia h Berlin , while Mauric e Bowra becam e a n intimat e friend . Wit h he r straightforwar d atti tude, forthrigh t opinions , he r gif t fo r intelligen t conversation , wit ,

io Introduction and satiri c sensibility , Bowe n wa s a n instan t succes s in the intellec tual an d artisti c community o f 1920 s Oxford . Losin g her insecurit y about he r appearanc e an d sexua l attractiveness , sh e became hand some i n a n unusua l fashion : large-bone d an d tall , Bowen use d he r exceptional sens e o f styl e i n manner , speech , an d dress , her stron g features acquirin g rar e char m an d distinction . Professionally , so cially, an d emotionally , th e autho r cam e int o he r ow n durin g th e ten year s i n Oxford . I n 1929 , sh e publishe d tw o books , a thir d collection o f shor t stories , an d he r secon d novel , The Last September. Whil e th e storie s i n Joining Charles ar e rathe r uneve n i n quality, th e nove l show s ho w sh e furthe r perfecte d wha t becam e an inimitabl e descriptiv e style . Agai n presentin g femal e pre adulthood i n connectio n wit h th e figure o f a powerfu l olde r woman, the novel fully establishe d the exploration o f female sexua l identity a s one o f th e author' s centra l themes . Even so , as Glendin ning correctl y point s out , i n Bowen' s earl y fiction, "passio n an d terror li e beneath , partl y controlled , partl y controlling " (67) . It s essential qualit y i s what th e autho r hersel f wa s t o cal l with respec t to Jan e Austen' s work , "lif e wit h th e li d on. " Rathe r tha n repre senting a limitation, however, sh e argues that her famous predeces sor successfull y "dispel s . . . the fallac y tha t lif e wit h th e lid off . . . is necessarily mor e interestin g tha n lif e with th e lid on." 1 3 The followin g year , Henr y Bowe n becam e il l again . H e die d i n May 1930 , leavin g th e responsibilit y fo r Bowen' s Cour t an d th e management o f th e estat e i n th e hand s o f hi s daughte r an d onl y heir. Unti l financial difficultie s woul d forc e he r t o sel l he r inheri tance, Bowe n continue d t o divid e he r lif e betwee n th e tw o coun tries i n whic h sh e ha d originated . Alternatel y stayin g i n Oxfor d (increasingly als o i n London ) an d i n Count y Cork , sh e le d th e lif e of a n exile . Wherea s Englan d provide d he r wit h th e high-spirite d intellectual an d socia l milie u sh e needed , Bowe n returne d t o Ire land i n orde r t o rest , t o enjo y th e sens e o f home , an d t o exer t he r generous hospitalit y towar d th e friend s sh e constantly entertained . In th e rathe r sparta n circumstance s offere d b y a house lackin g an y

Introduction n modern amenities , th e autho r numbere d amon g he r mos t frequen t guests well-know n literar y figures suc h a s Willia m Plomer , Sea n O'Foalain, Cyri l Connoll y an d hi s wife , a s wel l a s he r belove d cousin Audre y Fiennes . Virgini a Wool f onc e staye d a t Bowen' s Court, an d late r regular s were , amon g others , Rosamun d Leh mann, Stephe n Spender , Iri s Murdoch , an d Edd y Sackville-West . Although sh e loved th e ver y old-fashionednes s o f th e auster e man sion, Bowen's Cour t proved a great burden . Furthermore , sinc e th e Irish Settlement , th e positio n o f th e Anglo-Iris h ha d com e i n fo r a great dea l o f discussion , an d th e financial anxiet y i t cause d strengthened th e author' s ambivalenc e abou t th e powe r an d pres tige he r mal e ancestor s ha d derive d fro m he r property' s imposin g presence i n the Iris h countryside . Bowen wa s a s swiftl y take n u p b y th e gran d chai n o f literar y Londoners i n th e 1930 s a s sh e ha d bee n i n Oxfor d i n th e 1920s . Political turmoi l increasingl y bega n t o consum e he r attention . Though neve r involve d i n part y politics , sh e starte d t o contribut e regularly t o magazine s suc h a s th e New Statesman an d th e Tatler, writing sharpl y focuse d critica l article s o n th e contemporar y cul tural an d politica l scene . He r internationa l reputatio n wa s estab lished wit h th e publicatio n o f Friends and Relations i n 1931 , an d To the North th e followin g year . Wit h visit s t o Rome , Italy , an d New York , a n ever-expandin g socia l life , he r work , an d he r lif e with Alan , sh e ha d littl e tim e t o spen d i n Ireland . Bowen' s nex t novel, The House in Paris, wa s publishe d i n 1935 . Centerin g o n two children , th e narrativ e revolve s aroun d wha t ha d becom e th e author's recurrin g themes : passion , desire , an d power , th e effect s of whic h ar e playe d ou t i n th e contex t o f a n entrappin g mother hood. I t wa s i n th e 1930 s tha t th e author' s preoccupatio n wit h sexuality als o too k a shar p tur n i n he r persona l life . Bowe n fel l passionately i n lov e an d embarke d o n a n affai r wit h Humphre y House, a lecture r i n Englis h a t Oxford . Thoug h th e affai r soo n ended—House wa s engage d t o b e married—th e overpowerin g sexual intensit y o f th e experienc e lef t th e autho r wit h a radicall y

i 2 Introduction changed sens e o f self . Allowing he r t o discove r th e strengt h o f he r hitherto restraine d passions , it furthermor e taugh t he r tha t writin g was fundamenta l t o he r life . Fro m the n on , Bowe n continue d to engag e i n a serie s o f short-live d affairs , mostl y wit h me n bu t occasionally als o wit h women , whil e simultaneousl y succeedin g i n keeping he r relationshi p wit h Ala n no t onl y intac t bu t wel l bal anced. Alan's ne w jo b wit h th e British Broadcastin g Compan y brough t the coupl e mor e o r les s permanentl y t o London : the y bough t a house o n Clarenc e Terrace , Regent' s Park , whic h i s conspicuousl y featured i n wha t i s probabl y Bowen' s best-know n work , The Death of the Heart (1938) . Bowen' s literar y an d socia l influenc e grew steadil y i n th e year s precedin g Worl d Wa r II . Jus t a s sh e herself ha d earlie r bee n take n u p b y suc h figureheads a s Lad y Ottoline Morel l an d Virgini a Woolf , s o youn g America n woma n writers lik e Carso n McCuller s an d Ma y Sarto n cam e t o sta y a t Bowen's Cour t t o enjo y th e compan y an d friendshi p o f th e now celebrated author . Wit h th e outbrea k o f war , on e o f th e mos t exciting period s o f Bowen' s lif e began . Wit h al l th e pent-u p inten sity of he r personalit y sh e responded wholeheartedl y t o th e disrup tion o f th e socia l order , assumin g he r par t i n th e wa r effor t a s a n Air Rai d Precautio n warde n whil e continuin g t o publis h shor t fiction an d critica l essays . Sh e als o worke d fo r th e Ministr y o f Information, travelin g t o Irelan d an d writin g intelligenc e report s on it s sociopolitica l situation . In the earl y day s of th e war, sh e me t Charles Ritchie , a Canadia n diploma t wh o becam e he r love r an d lifelong friend . Th e sens e o f betraya l pervadin g th e socia l climate , the breakdow n o f cultura l traditions , th e destructiv e materia l ef fects o f mora l abstractions , an d th e operation s o f sexua l differenc e within thes e sociopolitica l development s wer e t o becom e th e con trolling theme s i n The Heat of the Day (1949) , Bowen' s wartim e novel, whic h sh e wa s onl y barel y abl e t o finish five year s afte r th e war ha d officiall y ended . In th e postwa r year s disenchantmen t abou t Englan d se t in : a

Introduction 13 culture o n th e declin e and Alan' s deterioratin g healt h le d Bowen t o spend mor e an d longe r period s a t Bowen' s Court . Sh e als o starte d lecturing fo r th e Britis h Council , mainl y i n th e Unite d States , an d began givin g radio broadcasts . Sh e received a n honorar y doctorat e of literatur e fro m Trinit y Colleg e i n Dubli n i n 1949 , an d wrot e a chronicle o f it s Shelbourn e Hotel . In 1952 , Ala n died . Bowe n suffered th e los s o f a nurturin g an d devote d companion , th e reas suring presenc e o f a sympatheti c an d generou s friend : onc e again , she foun d hersel f homeless . Th e nove l o n whic h sh e ha d bee n working befor e Ala n fel l ill , A World of Love, becam e a somewha t wistful exploratio n o f fantasie s an d memorie s revolvin g aroun d sexuality an d death . Resumin g he r lectur e tour s an d acceptin g fellowships a t college s i n th e Unite d States , th e autho r spen t th e following year s traveling , visitin g friends—amon g who m he r fa vorite wa s Eudor a Welty—an d meetin g Charle s Ritchi e occasion ally, bu t rarel y stayin g anywher e fo r ver y long . I n i960 , sh e wa s no longe r abl e t o bea r th e strai n produce d b y her financia l anxiet y over Bowen' s Court . Sh e could no t affor d it s upkeep, eve n thoug h she was writin g franticall y fo r (better-paying ) America n magazine s such a s Holiday, American Home, Mademoiselle, House and Garden, a s wel l a s fo r th e New York Times Book Review an d th e Saturday Review of Literature. Sh e sold th e house rathe r abruptly , expecting th e buye r t o tur n i t int o a residenc e fo r himsel f an d hi s family. Thi s wa s no t t o be : soo n afte r it s content s ha d bee n auc tioned, Bowen' s Cour t wa s demolished . Bowe n a t onc e returne d to America . In thes e fina l dislocate d years , Bowen wrot e tw o furthe r novels , The Little Girls (1964 ) an d Eva Trout (1969) . Bot h represen t radical departure s fro m he r earlie r stylisti c method s an d narrativ e techniques. Whil e fa r les s wel l receive d tha n an y o f he r previou s work, thes e texts , i n whic h powerfu l subversiv e force s ca n b e fel t to b e crackin g throug h th e surface , revea l th e abidin g strengt h o f her creativ e an d critica l imagination . I n 1965 , th e autho r ha d bought a modes t cottag e i n Hythe , o n th e coas t o f England . A

14 Introduction compulsive smoke r throughou t he r life , sh e contracted lun g cance r in 1971 . B o wen wa s workin g o n a ne w nove l whe n sh e die d o n February 22 , 1973. A Reputation It i s perhap s precisel y th e fac t tha t novel s an d lif e storie s alik e accumulate aroun d themselve s wha t other s hav e brough t t o the m that ha s lande d Bowe n i n the shadow y region s o f th e literar y map . As a resul t o f thei r usuall y unmanageabl e scope , literar y historie s necessarily ten d t o reproduc e themselves , t o rewrit e th e sam e overedited storie s abou t a (limited ) numbe r o f author s ove r an d over again . Despit e shiftin g concern s an d preoccupations , literar y historians mak e i t exceedingl y difficul t t o disentangl e th e thread s that hav e gon e t o th e makin g o f officiall y acknowledge d vignettes , to retrac e th e line s an d contour s that , rathe r tha n allowin g fo r a recreation, reassessment , o r re-cognitio n o f a given writer's accom plishment, ten d furthe r t o congea l establishe d image s an d stoc k evaluations. Elizabet h Bowe n i s a cas e i n point . In 1952 , Jocely n Brooke published a short pamphle t i n which h e categorized Bowe n as a "write r o f sensibility." 14 Highlightin g th e pictoria l qualit y o f her work , h e define s he r styl e a s "highl y wrought " an d "convo luted" an d single s out a s Bowen's majo r preoccupatio n th e disrup tion o f "civilize d behaviour " cause d b y a conflic t betwee n a rebel lious natur e an d "Philistin e middle-class " society . Stylisti c mannerisms, mergin g wit h a n "occasiona l us e o f th e supernatu ral," Brook e suggests , serv e a s "mean s fo r effect " i n text s h e eventually designate s "satirica l comed[ies] " (5—9) . H e voice s hi s concluding prais e b y volunteering tha t Bowe n distinguishe s hersel f favorably fro m "man y wome n novelists " wh o hav e "to o boldl y . . . ignored th e limitation s whic h . . . ar e implie d b y th e mer e fac t of bein g female. " Indeed , Bowe n form s a laudabl e exceptio n i n that sh e "confine d hersel f . . . t o th e theme s whic h sh e feel s t o b e safely withi n he r rang e a s a woman novelist " (30) .

Introduction IJ When w e loo k u p Bowen' s nam e i n recen t literar y historie s w e find strikingl y simila r an d equall y reductiv e classification s that , i n one wa y o r another , reinforc e standar d practice s o f sexua l stereo typing stil l prevailin g i n literar y canonization . Bac k i n 1962 , how ever, Mar y McCarth y alread y appeare d t o ech o Brook e whe n sh e observed: The fictional experiments of the twentieth centur y went in two directions: sensibility an d sensation . T o spea k ver y broadly , th e experiment s i n th e recording of sensibility were made in England (Virgini a Woolf, Katherine Mansfield, Doroth y Richardson , Elizabet h B o wen, Forster), and America was th e laborator y o f sensatio n (Hemingway , an d hi s imitators , Do s Passos, Farrell) . Th e nove l o f sensibilit y wa s feminine , an d th e nove l of sensation was masculine.15 Rosalind Miles , t o who m I owe thi s fragment , quote s McCarthy' s reflections disapprovingly . Sh e goe s o n t o sugges t that , give n th e constraints impose d b y th e sexua l paradig m (i n which , inciden tally, th e alignmen t o f a mal e homosexua l o n th e sid e o f th e "feminine" goe s al l bu t unnoticed) , i t i s "hardl y surprisin g tha t women writer s i n th e pas t hav e no t bee n abl e eithe r confidentl y t o create ne w traditions , o r eve n t o han g o n t o wha t ha d bee n achieved." 16 Qualifyin g Elizabet h Bowe n a s a "classi c case " among wome n writer s wh o hav e droppe d fro m publi c vie w whil e their reputation s wer e "i n thei r ow n da y no t merel y respectabl e but towering, " sh e repeat s precisel y th e kin d o f constrainin g ges tures tha t he r boo k purport s t o denounce , albei t i n term s o f clas s rather tha n sex . Reducing Bowen's "gift " t o the "evocation o f clas s romance," Mile s reject s wha t sh e misread s a s "unexamine d socia l assumptions," which—an d her e se x obliquel y reenter s th e discus sion—also underli e the work o f Rosamun d Lehmann , "thoug h he r subject-matter an d techniqu e ar e no t otherwis e comparabl e wit h those o f Elizabet h Bowen"(3o) . Sinc e Mile s doe s no t elaborat e o n such difference s a s sh e ma y hav e perceive d betwee n thes e tw o authors, w e ar e lef t wit h a n impressio n tha t ha s continue d t o accumulate aroun d Bowen : tha t sh e wa s a class-consciou s i f no t

16 Introduction snobbish write r o f sensibilit y whos e work , du e t o th e mutuall y reinforcing constraint s o f bot h he r clas s an d he r sex , i s narro w i n scope, romantic, an d technicall y conventional . Such vignettes ten d t o clin g to a writer's nam e wit h grea t tenac ity onc e the y hav e bee n inscribed . Whil e clearl y writte n fro m a n entirely differen t perspectiv e tha n Miles' s attempte d reconstructio n of a femal e literar y tradition , Dougla s Hewitt' s English Fiction of the Early Modern Period (1988 ) ye t echoe s th e unexamine d assumptions underlyin g an d voice d by , amon g others , Mar y Mc Carthy and , i n a differen t guise , Mile s herself . Hewit t number s Bo wen amon g thos e "novelist s wh o establishe d themselve s i n th e late 1920 s an d 1930s " and whose "work s ar e still read." He point s out that , howeve r diverse , writers lik e Ivy Compton-Burnett, Rich ard Hughes , Henr y Green , Evely n Waugh , an d Elizabet h Bowe n "mostly see m t o hav e chose n deliberatel y smalle r subject s an d t o have turne d thei r back s o n technica l innovation. " Thes e "minor " writers produce d narrative s "limited " i n "socia l an d emotiona l range," eve n i f som e o f the m seeme d "gifte d . . . wit h everythin g required fo r a serious and majo r novelist. " A figure such a s Bowen, who, i t i s implied, canno t b e considere d eithe r seriou s o r major , i s filed awa y a s a traditiona l novelis t wh o publishe d " a numbe r o f delicate small-scal e post-Jamesia n studies , mostl y o f childre n an d adolescent girls." 17 Thi s repetitiv e patter n o f reductionis m i s al l the more surprisin g when w e note that Hewit t mention s Hermion e Lee's critica l stud y o f Bowen' s wor k i n hi s suggestion s fo r furthe r reading. 18 Th e premis e o n whic h th e latter' s thoroughl y re searched—if ultimatel y unsatisfying—argumen t rest s is (quit e con trary t o wha t Hewit t proposes ) tha t he r subjec t occupie s a n "ex ceptional" a s muc h a s a "central " positio n i n th e traditio n o f English literature : Elizabeth Bowe n is an exceptional Englis h novelist because she fuses tw o traditions—that o f Anglo-Irish literature and history, and that of a European modernis m indebte d t o Flauber t an d t o James . He r idiosyncratic , highly mannered style is a product of this fusion, a s much as of a tempera-

Introduction iy mental opposition betwee n romanticism an d severity. But she is a central, as well a s an unusual , figure, in that th e personal, emotional concern s of her novel s an d storie s ar e consistentl y deploye d fo r a critiqu e o f th e English middle-classes. Elizabeth Bowen's analysis of what she takes to be a "disinherited" societ y is the austere basis of her romantic, witty, evocative treatment of manners and feelings. (11-12 ) In her final paragraph, Le e hopefully suggest s that Bowe n i s one of those writers who , "no w tha t th e dus t i s beginning t o clea r aroun d Virginia Wool f an d Katherin e Mansfield, " wil l "hav e thei r due " (239). In vie w o f th e self-perpetuatin g practice s inheren t i n th e process o f canonization , thi s i s perhap s a n overl y optimisti c con clusion. Eve n so , bot h Lee' s an d a numbe r o f othe r studie s d o appear t o have begun to acknowledge Elizabet h Bowen' s grea t gift s as a writer , he r stylisti c talents , he r intellectua l acuity , an d he r sharply satirical wit. In contrast—or perhap s i n response—to suc h (dis)qualifying consensu s a s is presented b y literary histories , thes e critics hav e characterize d th e autho r i n highl y disparat e i f no t contradictory terms . Published befor e Bowe n produce d he r remarkabl e late r work , William Heath' s introductio n t o he r novel s remaine d fo r man y years th e onl y full-lengt h stud y o f he r fiction. 19 H e place s hi s subject firmly i n th e traditio n o f socia l realism , th e dominan t liter ary mod e o f wha t w e no w refe r t o a s libera l humanis t culture . In common wit h al l twentieth-centur y artists , Heath suggests , Bowe n struggles wit h th e difficult y o f reconcilin g th e "romanti c will, " "innocence" an d th e "imagination " wit h externa l reality . He r fiction i s a n approac h t o reality : for m i s a mean s fo r survival , a wa y of applyin g pattern s o f coherenc e t o a fragmente d an d chaoti c reality. Renderin g Bowen' s writing practice very much a moral art , this, he submits , also allow s her t o defin e hersel f a s a writer withi n an establishe d tradition . Shiftin g th e emphase s o f hi s argument , Heath proceed s b y positin g tha t suc h a positio n i s a "functio n o f her mora l concer n an d aestheti c practic e a s wel l a s o f he r literar y knowledge" (15 , 16) . However, whil e ar t ma y enabl e th e imagina -

18 Introduction tive individua l t o live , th e artis t "canno t crudel y substitut e ar t fo r life and liv e with sanity, " for wha t i s at stake is a "sense of reality. " Revealing the stakes of hi s own argument , Heat h i n the end define s Bowen's novel s a s "novel s o f proposition, " i n whic h th e "insis tence o n fatality , circumstance , predestinatio n i s overtly parallele d by he r apparen t convictio n tha t characte r i s inevitably determine d by actio n an d tha t th e socia l individua l i s subordinat e t o hi s cir cumstance" (157 , 159) . In a study appearin g fourtee n year s later, Harriet Blodget t forth rightly repudiate d Heath' s assumption s abou t th e strictl y social realist natur e o f Bowen' s work. 20 Sh e tentativel y qualifie s th e au thor a s a "psychologica l realis t wh o mus t us e symboli c methods " (8). Discernin g a Jungia n tendenc y i n th e novelist' s aesthetic , sh e conceives o f Bowen' s worl d a s on e i n whic h th e individua l mus t find meaning through her/hi s imaginatio n an d b y perfecting her/hi s moral identity . Jung' s "proces s o f individuation " i s introduce d a s a paralle l t o Bowen' s controllin g them e o f growth , whic h implie s "growth int o consciousness " a s wel l a s "expandin g awareness. " Such evolutionar y processes , Blodget t contends , includ e th e emer gence o f cultura l an d emotiona l value s ou t o f originall y biologica l drives, leading t o eventua l self-realization—t o wha t sh e define s a s the "actualizatio n o f th e numinou s Self" (12 , 16 , 17) . Inferrin g from thi s "sens e o f th e numinous " a "religiou s sensibility, " Blod gett end s u p categorizin g Bowe n a s a n essentiall y Christia n writer , a "moder n myth-maker " whos e centra l myt h i s tha t o f th e Fall . As th e author' s "unescapabl e subject, " th e huma n struggl e fo r perfection throug h ascendin g t o highe r level s o f consciousnes s i s considered t o represen t a redemptio n fo r th e world' s Fal l fro m God's Grac e (18—20) . Bowen' s novel s ar e thu s "offering s t o th e imagination, heightening s o f actuality , an d transmutation s o f th e literal" (24) . Hermione Lee' s comprehensiv e an d intelligen t discussio n o f al l of Bowen' s fiction succeed s i n setting arigh t man y o f the erroneou s notions Bowen' s wor k ha d gathere d aroun d itself . Th e focu s o f

Introduction 19 Lee's stud y is , a s th e passag e quote d earlie r conveys , th e author' s central i f unusua l inscriptio n i n both th e Anglo-Irish an d th e Euro pean modernis t literar y traditions . Le e trace s th e "qualit y o f wist fulness" an d th e "satirica l coolness " characterizin g Bowen' s wor k straightforwardly t o th e forme r (17) . Th e specifi c kin d o f humor , "always vergin g o n th e grotesque, " a s wel l a s th e extrem e an d unexpected violenc e punctuatin g he r narrative s ar e als o presente d as part o f th e author' s Anglo-Iris h heritag e (21) . At the sam e time , it i s Bowen's outstandin g abilit y t o scrutinize , record , an d criticiz e "pre-war, wartime , an d post-wa r Englan d an d Ireland " tha t place s her "firml y i n th e traditio n o f Jan e Austen , Georg e Eliot , Henr y James, and E . M. Forster " (12) . In line with Heath , Le e argues tha t Bowen furthe r deserve s recognitio n a s a moder n write r "fo r he r analysis o f dislocation , unease , an d betrayal " i n a thoroughl y dis enchanted culture . Le e suggest s tha t b y applyin g "elaboratel y for mal method s t o chaotic , inexpressibl e experience, " Bowe n playe d her "par t i n the modernis t paradox " throug h th e "precis e chartin g of a loss. " Foregroundin g th e crucia l relation s betwee n "plac e and plot " (132 ) i n Bowen' s fiction, Le e highlight s th e historica l background o f th e author' s critique s o f clas s conventio n an d he r concomitant preoccupatio n wit h a declinin g civilization . Sh e ad mires Bowen' s earlie r fiction an d he r origina l method s o f "con trolled . . . analysi s o f motiv e an d emotion, " bu t finds faul t wit h the late r novels ' preoccupatio n wit h th e "abnormal " an d th e un conscious, surfacin g i n thei r obsessio n wit h "involuntar y recall , nonverbal communication , retardation , infantilism , an d fantas y life" (192) . Becaus e the y fal l outsid e th e limite d scop e tha t form s the underlyin g (an d unquestioned ) traditiona l critica l framewor k of Lee' s discussion , Le e denounce s th e disruptiv e narrativ e strate gies an d technica l experiment s increasingl y feature d i n thes e late r texts i n favo r o f th e mor e reassuringl y "modernist " text s o f th e 1930s an d 1940s . Indicative o f th e elusiv e quality , o r rather , th e fundamenta l ambiguity o f he r work , suc h dissentin g view s poin t t o wha t I

20 Introduction consider on e o f Bowen' s mos t outstandin g features , tha t is , he r refusal t o b e classified i n term s o f establishe d generi c and/or stylis tic categories. When I first cam e upon Bowen' s novels several year s ago, I was immediately take n b y both thei r subject matte r an d thei r idiosyncratic style , a s wel l a s b y th e thoroughl y puzzlin g effect s these jointl y produced . Indeed , ever y on e o f he r narrative s lef t m e with a sens e o f unease , a decidedl y disconcertin g ambivalence . None o f th e existin g critica l appreciation s offere d satisfactor y an swers t o th e probin g question s raise d b y an d i n thes e texts . Intro ductory rathe r tha n analyti c i n character , an d i n th e mai n tradi tional i n thei r manne r o f approach , thes e investigation s ar e inadequate, i f no t ultimatel y reductive , assessment s o f Bowen' s accomplishment. Althoug h I am, on e wa y o r another , indebte d t o every on e o f th e critic s jus t mentioned , I d o no t thin k tha t thes e studies dul y recogniz e Bowe n fo r wha t sh e als o is : a trul y radical , innovative, an d criticall y practicin g feminist . Thei r virtua l gende r blindness an d thei r unwillingnes s t o engag e i n an y bu t rathe r sketchy term s wit h Bowen' s destabilizin g sexua l subtext s ha s le d earlier critic s t o disregar d wha t seem s t o m e on e o f th e centra l issues problematize d in/b y th e author' s texts . B y obscurin g th e operations o f gende r o n th e themati c a s wel l a s th e discursiv e levels o f he r novels , the y actuall y hav e deprive d Bowe n o f he r radical edge . More recently , a feminist appreciatio n o f a selection o f Bowen' s novels has appeared. Phylli s Lassner's shor t bu t pertinent revalua tion o f th e author' s text s fro m a feminis t perspectiv e wa s clearl y long overdue. 21 Thi s criti c begin s b y pointin g ou t tha t "viewin g a woman write r a s a connecting lin k i n a primarily patriarcha l tradi tion" diminishe s an d conceal s "wha t i s exceptiona l abou t he r work," the n proceed s t o locat e Bowen' s resistanc e t o classificatio n firmly in the issue of gender (142) . The focus o f Lassner's argumen t is th e myt h o f femininit y a s represente d b y dominan t cultura l discourses a s wel l a s b y th e convention s o f "Englis h domesti c fiction fo r women. " Th e constrainin g effect s o f thes e discursiv e

Introduction 21 regimes ar e connecte d t o th e "struggle s wit h autonomy , depen dence, an d self-expression " o f Bowen' s femal e protagonist s (153) . By explorin g th e author' s fictio n "i n th e contex t o f he r marginal ity," Lassner maintain s tha t her critica l respons e to narrative tradi tions "reflect s he r positio n a s a n outside r bot h culturall y an d a s a woman o f he r time " (145) . While Lassner' s emphasi s o n languag e and powe r i n relatio n t o femal e subjectivit y i s bot h ap t an d rele vant, he r insistenc e o n femal e marginalizatio n an d he r concentra tion o n gende r a s a merely oppressive socia l function see m too one sided t o accoun t fo r th e comple x an d intertwine d way s i n whic h both sexualit y an d gende r surfac e i n Bowen' s fictions. Wha t i s more, like her critica l predecessors , Lassner prefer s t o overloo k th e configurations o f lesbia n sexualit y emergin g o n variou s level s o f these idiosyncrati c texts . Assuming tha t Bowen' s subversiv e poten tial reside s in precisely thi s area , I decided t o (re)rea d a selection o f her novel s fro m a lesbia n feminis t perspective . Poststructuralis t and deconstructiv e theor y provide d m e with th e analyti c an d inter pretive framewor k I wa s lookin g for . I t has , I believe , prove d sufficiently flexible t o accommodat e a typ e o f fiction tha t escape s conventional generi c boundarie s an d a t th e sam e tim e comprehen sive enough t o allow fo r a n exploration o f the wide range of moral , epistemological, psychological, an d political question s addresse d i n Bowen's narratives . By approachin g Bowe n fro m a lesbia n feminis t angle , I d o no t wish t o sugges t tha t sh e hersel f woul d hav e define d he r wor k i n such terms . Indeed , th e autho r considere d wha t "mus t inevitabl y be calle d . . . feminism " i n he r admire d fello w write r Virgini a Woolf t o b e a "blea k quality , a n aggressiv e streak , whic h ca n bu t irritate, disconcert." 22 A fe w line s precedin g thi s denunciation , however, Bowe n ha d raise d th e question , "Whenc e . . . this obses sion o f her s that wome n wer e bein g martyrized humanly , inhibite d creatively, b y th e stupiditie s o f a man-mad e world? " Intensel y verbal an d articulate , ambitious , self-awar e a s wel l a s knowledge able abou t precisel y th e "stupiditie s o f a man-mad e world " (i n

zz Introduction which sh e identified hersel f a s "a write r befor e [being ] a woman") , Bowen obviousl y coul d no t subscrib e t o a notio n o f he r sex a s helplessly victimize d b y a n oppressivel y patriarcha l culture . Whil e her confidenc e i n th e rang e o f th e authoria l will , he r belie f tha t anything i n whic h sh e engage d imaginativel y wa s "somethin g J make wha t i t i s b y m y wil l tha t i t shal l b e lik e that, " suffere d severely i n th e cours e o f he r experience , he r positio n towar d (th e exertion of ) discursiv e power i n relation t o gende r i s more compli cated tha n eithe r he r ow n o r Lassner' s comment s convey . Since m y understandin g o f th e operation s o f literar y text s i s largely shape d b y feminis t theory , I inevitabl y brin g t o Bowen' s novels thos e analyti c an d critica l tool s that—t o recal l th e openin g epigraph—function a s "form s o f experience " i n themselve s an d thus provid e m e wit h th e mos t effectiv e mean s "t o fee l an d t o comment an d t o explain " th e comple x problem s the y present . "Participating imaginatively " i n th e semioti c proces s i n whic h writer, text , an d reade r ar e inevitabl y joine d s o a s t o preven t th e power o f eac h fro m goin g entirel y "unchecked, " I have sough t t o recreate yet another Elizabet h Bowe n b y "projecting" m y "though t and emotion " int o "form" : thi s boo k constitute s th e reflectio n o f my undertaking . Centra l t o th e textua l analyse s i s th e questio n o f female sexua l identity , whic h i s considered i n relatio n t o discours e and t o symboli c agency . Different theoretica l emphase s hav e le d t o divergent angle s o f visio n o n thes e overridin g themes . Chapter s 2 and 3 focu s o n on e o f Bowen' s earl y novels , The Last September (1929). A s a bildungsroman , o r nove l o f development , th e tex t gives ris e t o a n examinatio n o f th e psychologica l an d ideologica l underpinnings o f th e concep t o f (female ) adolescenc e i n general , and o f th e functio n o f writin g adolescenc e b y a femal e autho r i n particular. Chapter s 4 and 5 , organized aroun d Bowen' s wa r nove l The Heat of the Day (1949) , seek to demonstrat e ho w th e author' s increasing awarenes s o f th e discursive , and thu s contingent , natur e of bot h histor y an d moralit y affecte d he r view s o n th e precariou s position o f th e female speakin g subject withi n th e power structure s

Introduction 2

3

determining both . I n chapter s 6 an d 7 , Bowen' s las t an d perhap s least accessibl e novel, Eva Trout (1969) , is placed withi n a psychoanalytic perspective . Th e discussio n i s aimed a t tracin g th e textua l inscription o f sexua l exces s an d o f th e primordial mother/daughte r bond i n it s constitutiv e functio n i n th e process o f femal e subjectiv ity/sexuality. The concluding chapter center s on the stylistic aspects of Bowen' s discourse , arguin g tha t th e subversiv e desir e operativ e on th e variou s level s o f he r text s legitimate s th e author' s transfe r from a marginal t o a n ex-centri c place in the literary field.

2

Technologies of Female Adolescence Nothing can tak e place nowhere. —"Notes o n Writing a Novel"

The Ideological Timespace

of

The Last September (1929

)

FictionalizationlFactualization. In he r prefac e (1952 ) t o th e American editio n o f The Last September (1929 ; hereafte r LS), Elizabeth Bowe n remarke d upo n a numbe r o f respect s i n whic h this, he r secon d novel , deviate s fro m an y o f th e other s sh e ha d written s o far . Se t i n Count y Cor k a t th e tim e o f th e Iris h Troubles (1920) , i t i s on e o f th e tw o novel s whos e actio n take s place entirel y i n Ireland . I t i s als o th e onl y on e "se t bac k deliberately, i n a forme r time. " Clearl y reminiscen t o f he r ow n girlhood summers , LS is , a s Bowe n avers , a "wor k o f instinc t rather tha n knowledge " and , "t o a degree , a 'recall ' book. " Although sh e considere d i t t o b e "neares t t o [her ] heart, " havin g sprung fro m a "deep , unclouded , spontaneou s source, " th e author warn s agains t readin g th e nove l a s autobiography , fo r i t is "a t many , man y removes " fro m tha t (96) . This warnin g i s no t t o sugges t tha t Bowe n maintaine d a stric t and straightforwar d separatio n betwee n fictio n an d wha t she , i n fact, calle d "'real ' life." 1 Indeed , sh e discounte d th e traditiona l distinction, bot h o n accoun t o f it s untenabilit y an d o n literar y 24

Technologies of Female Adolescence 25 grounds. Still , a s a write r extremel y consciou s o f he r artisti c an d professional responsibilities , Bowe n foun d i t impossibl e t o dismiss th e oppositio n life/literatur e a s simpl y irrelevant . Th e many direc t o r indirec t observation s o n th e issu e i n he r nonfictional writing s testif y t o he r awarenes s o f it s problematica l implications. Bowe n tackle d th e proble m o f (un)tenabilit y b y coining th e phras e "transpose d autobiography. " Sh e first use d this phras e i n th e prefac e (1949 ) t o th e America n editio n o f Encounters (1923 ; hereafter , E) i n a n attemp t t o accoun t fo r th e "blend o f precocit y an d naivety " sh e retrospectivel y perceive d i n some o f he r earl y stories. 2 Thi s presume d fla w wa s partl y attributed t o he r youthfu l age . In he r earl y twenties , th e autho r concedes, sh e ransacke d literar y text s fo r thei r "powe r t o express, reflect , magnif y an d giv e bod y t o state s o f feeling " sh e was onl y the n becomin g graduall y consciou s o f i n herself . A t th e time, "realit y mean t th e book s [she ] ha d read. " I t wa s no t tha t Bowen's ow n sensation s wer e ne w t o her ; rather , i t wa s tha t sh e newly gaine d awarenes s o f them , a n awarenes s tha t coul d b e cultivated throug h (othe r people's ) language . B y mean s o f wha t she define s a s "syntheti c language, " th e youn g write r fel t abl e t o "express wha t was rea l an d tru e t o [her ] nonetheless." 3 Thi s suggests tha t Bowe n discerne d tha t one' s sens e o f reality , an d thus one' s sens e o f oneself , doe s no t deriv e fro m so-calle d ra w experience s o muc h a s fro m it s textualization , i n "rea l life " a s i n literature. Thi s assumptio n i s born e ou t b y he r assertio n tha t th e characters i n thes e earl y storie s ha d a "'realness ' fo r whic h [she ] could no t account. " Th e implici t suggestio n i s tha t th e relation s between lif e an d literatur e ar e full y reciprocal , o r mor e precisely , intrinsically dialogical . For , impartin g a realnes s t o he r fictional characters tha t wa s a s ye t "beyon d he r ken, " Bowe n wa s capabl e of creatin g a sens e o f meaningfu l realit y i n fiction tha t sh e wa s only beginnin g t o fee l i n "rea l life." 4 Borrowin g meanin g fro m literary text s that , filtered throug h he r ow n developin g consciousness, i n tur n serve d t o creat e a realnes s unknow n t o he r

26 Technologies

of Female Adolescence

in actua l experience , Bowe n thu s constructe d firs t an d foremos t an extra-fictional sens e o f reality . B y establishin g a connectio n between betwee n Sel f an d (the ) Other/s , sh e forge d he r ow n reality, a realit y whos e meaningfulnes s coul d onl y obtai n in / through language. 5 Her initiall y "brigandish " attitud e towar d literatur e allowe d Bowen t o accumulat e a "synthetic " languag e tha t coul d gradually develo p int o a voic e o f he r own . Th e storie s i n Encounters, sh e observes , alread y displa y a kee n "susceptibilit y to places , particula r moments , objects , an d seasons o f th e year." 6 It nonetheles s too k severa l year s o f livin g an d writin g befor e Bowen attaine d th e profoun d awarenes s o f th e interpenetratio n of language , self , an d worl d tha t enable d he r t o giv e meanin g t o what sh e te n year s late r identifie d a s he r ow n "uniqu e susceptibility t o experience." 7 B y modifying thi s notio n wit h th e assertion tha t th e writer' s susceptibilit y i s identica l t o her/hi s experience, Bowe n underscore s a concer n centra l t o postmoder n thought, tha t is , that ther e i s no suc h thin g a s a direct experienc e of reality . Thi s hold s tru e fo r identit y a s well , for , a s sh e explains, th e "susceptibilit y is , equally , th e writer. " In othe r words, an y experienc e o f sel f o r worl d i s mediated , an d th e primary mean s o f mediatio n i s language , o r rather , discourse . This lead s Bowe n t o th e conclusio n tha t a "write r ca n neve r b e absent fro m wha t h e writes." 8 Th e ineluctabilit y o f thi s insigh t results i n wha t a t first sigh t appear s t o b e a contradictor y position. Fo r whil e sh e acknowledge s tha t "impersonalit y i n . . . writing is , fo r m e certainly , impossible, " sh e finds hersel f objecting mos t strongl y t o "storie s whic h ree k t o me of mysel f b y exhibiting sentiments—o r betrayin g them. " Sh e reject s storie s that see m "yoke d t o [her ] personality " b y declarin g tha t sh e is "dead agains t art' s bein g self-expression." 9 Althoug h th e paradox remain s ultimatel y unresolved , Bowe n i s fa r to o self conscious a write r t o leav e matter s a t that . Sh e therefore return s to th e questio n o f "th e personal " b y pickin g u p th e phras e use d

Technologies of Female Adolescence 2

7

earlier i n a ver y restricte d sense , expandin g th e notio n o f "transposed autobiography " t o encompas s fiction i n general : To retur n t o th e matte r o f th e personal, I repeat tha t on e cannot wholl y eliminate oneself fo r a second, and als o sufficient, reason : an y fiction . . . is bound to be transposed autobiography. (True , it may be this at so many removes a s to defea t ordinar y recognition. ) I can, an d indee d i f I would not I still must, relate any and every story I have written to something that happened to me in my own life. But here I am speaking of happenings in a broad sense—to behold and react, i s where I am concerned a happening; speculations, unaccountable stir s of interest , longings, attractions, apprehensions without knowable cause—these are happenings also. 10 The passag e suggest s tha t "happening s i n th e broa d sense " deter mine th e textur e o f th e writer' s susceptibility . Her/hi s uniqu e sus ceptibility, is , a s m y emphasi s shows , fundamentall y a wa y o f looking at and responding t o the world. Suc h angles of vision have, in thei r turn , bee n shape d an d spurte d int o awarenes s by/throug h other text s or , in discourse, in dialogue with (the ) Other/s . Bowen's phras e "transpose d autobiography " provide s mor e than a usefu l wa y o f approachin g he r storie s o r novels , fo r i t ca n justifiably b e extende d t o cove r al l o f he r work . Allowin g m e t o read Bowen' s "fiction " i n relatio n t o he r man y "nonfictional " writings, "transpose d autobiography " therefor e neatl y describe s the guidin g principl e underlyin g m y reading s o f th e novel s i n thi s and th e followin g chapters . Suc h a for m o f intertextua l readin g naturally doe s no t sto p here . Sinc e i t i s b y beholding an d reacting that a writer' s susceptibility—whic h i s identica l t o her/hi s experi ence—is constituted , i t i s essential t o tak e th e tex t o f history , tha t is, th e cultura l condition s i n whic h th e text s wer e produced , equally int o account . Thi s is not t o sugges t that I intend t o creat e a convincing pictur e o f Elizabet h Bowe n a s a huma n being , o f wha t she wa s "reall y like. " Rather , I wil l explor e th e interconnection s between thes e various texts and try to delineate the "author-effect " they jointl y produce. 11 I als o inten d t o sho w tha t Bowen' s novel s are mor e tha n exploration s o f certai n theme s i n a particula r styl e

2 8 Technologies

of Female Adolescence

or idiosyncrati c manner . A lesbia n feminis t poststructuralis t per spective enable s m e t o rea d th e novel s a s incisiv e critique s o f patriarchal an d heterosexis t ideologies , a s comple x cultura l text s whose radicalnes s ha s bee n obscure d b y traditiona l appreciation s of th e author' s work . I will furthermor e rea d th e text s a s th e site s of discursiv e struggle . A s struggle s no t onl y fo r artisti c expressio n but als o fo r a positio n fro m whic h t o spea k a t al l a s a write r an d as a woman , the y ar e elaboration s o n (discursive ) powe r a s such . Located a t th e intersectio n o f th e author' s sel f an d th e world , th e novels reflec t a ques t fo r identit y in an d through language . A s I hope t o mak e clear , i t i s precisel y a growin g awarenes s o f th e precarious an d contingen t basi s o f subjectivit y i n discours e tha t emerges a s the overriding Bowe n theme . Dialogism and Authorship. Bowen' s acknowledgmen t o f th e criti cal functio n o f literar y discours e i n th e formatio n o f subjectivit y i s in itsel f no t s o remarkable. Wha t i s remarkable i s her appreciatio n of th e fac t tha t th e mos t profoundl y fel t (private ) experience s ca n obtain realit y valu e onl y withi n a discursiv e se t o f interrelations , within a n essentiall y public context . In othe r words , wha t Bowe n recognizes i s tha t ( a sens e of ) identit y i s no t s o muc h modifie d o r even determine d a s virtually constituted i n discourse , that is , that a sense o f sel f a s wel l a s o f th e worl d come s int o bein g no t onl y within th e syste m o f languag e bu t through languag e itself . Th e assumption o f th e intertextua l natur e o f identit y pose s a proble m when place d i n relatio n t o th e notio n o f (female ) authorship . Ho w does Bowen' s insigh t int o th e discursiv e basi s o f subjectivit y relat e to th e authoritative—an d explicitl y moral—stanc e take n u p b y the majorit y o f he r narrators ? Thi s questio n call s fo r a close r loo k at th e notion s o f "dialogism " an d "answerability " a s proposed b y Mikhail Bakhtin (1895-1924). 12 Bakhtin consider s ethica l activit y t o exis t in/o f deed s o f th e individual i n th e world . Sinc e th e subjec t derive s her/hi s uniqu e position i n life from th e ever-changing condition s o f time and plac e

Technologies of Female Adolescence 2

9

in whic h s/h e finds her/himself, 13 existenc e i s not a passive stat e o f being s o muc h a s a n activit y o r event. 14 Th e ethica l aspec t reside s in th e proces s o f creatin g or , mor e accurately , o f authorin g thi s event—be i t in physical action , thought, utterance , or written text . Ethical values , then , ar e articulate d i n deeds , deed s performe d i n answer t o others an d t o the world. The individual's lif e amount s t o nothing bu t a serie s of shiftin g position s i n respons e t o specifi c ye t altering circumstances . Thi s implie s tha t s/h e i s no t onl y answer able to th e worl d bu t als o answerabl e for her/hi s responses . Fro m the notion o f th e Sel f a s performance i n response to (the ) Other/ s i t follows tha t authoria l activity , tha t is , th e creatio n o f (literary ) texts, i s no t merel y representativ e bu t paradigmati c o f th e activit y of being : "Th e architectoni c activit y o f authorship , whic h i s th e building o f a text , parallel s th e activit y o f huma n existence , whic h is the buildin g o f a self." 15 A concept o f huma n existenc e a s a n endles s strin g o f communi cative act s betwee n Sel f an d (the ) Other/ s lead s t o a centra l plac e for th e utterance , which , i n additio n t o word s an d texts , occur s i n thoughts an d deeds . T o accommodat e th e comprehensivenes s o f this process , Bakhti n develope d hi s theor y o f dialogism . Positin g that th e huma n bein g i s neve r complet e o r whole , h e see s th e Sel f as fundamentall y a gif t o f (the ) Other/s , fo r th e individual' s re sponse t o her/hi s environmen t is life itself . No individua l ca n b e i n complete possessio n o f her/hi s identity , o r full y understan d o r know her/himself , sinc e th e physica l restraint s impose d o n th e means o f perceptio n preven t an y individua l fro m perceivin g her / himself a s a whole . I t i s ou r tempora l an d spatia l placemen t tha t provides u s wit h ou r uniqu e vantag e point s o n bot h th e worl d and ourselves . Bakhtin conceive s o f languag e a s bot h subjectivit y an d commu nication. 16 Th e parado x o f th e huma n condition , then , i s tha t th e means fo r expressio n o f th e self , it s so-calle d markers , ar e essen tially noncoincidenta l wit h it . Thi s radica l noncoincidenc e ac counts fo r th e inabilit y o f al l aspect s o f languag e t o merg e wit h

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the huma n subject . Withi n Bakhtin' s "architectonics, " th e subjec t derives her/hi s definitio n fro m her/hi s adjustmen t t o an d position s within th e "heteroglossia " o f socia l discourse s availabl e i n a give n society a t a certai n momen t i n history . Th e onl y (self-)conscious ness o f th e subjec t i s her/his consciousnes s o f th e fac t tha t s/h e ca n never full y be. In othe r words , achievin g a sens e o f onesel f o r acquiring a n "identity " i s an activit y never to b e completed. Just a s the sel f i s a ceaseles s project , s o i s th e world . "Reality " ha s n o meaning i n itsel f fo r i t i s onl y throug h value s articulate d i n deed s that huma n being s giv e i t it s meaning(s) . Th e Bakhtinia n ter m "answerability" serve s t o bridg e th e ga p betwee n consciousnes s and th e world. An d this , as we have seen , is closely connected wit h the notion o f authorship . Authorship i s th e organizin g principl e o f th e text s o f th e sel f and th e world . I t operate s throug h th e creatio n o f character s an d dialogue. Sinc e th e autho r o f literar y text s i s no t a huma n bein g but a textual effec t t o b e (re)constructe d b y the reader, th e sens e of self tha t th e individua l "authors " i s no mor e tha n a subject-effect , never whol e o r identica l t o her/hi m an d onl y t o b e perceive d a s a whole in/b y others . Sinc e th e subjec t i s constitute d i n discourse , and sinc e discours e i s impossibl e withou t th e sign , th e materialit y of th e word—a s a n intersectio n o f divers e textua l surfaces—i s crucial t o her/hi s meaning(s) . T o pu t i t differently , sinc e bein g involves a perpetual proces s o f temporar y fixing(s) i n tha t whic h i s Other s o a s to construc t fictions o f correspondenc e o r identity , th e alterity betwee n sel f an d th e materia l world—bot h sig n an d socia l reality—is intrinsi c t o subjectivity . Fo r Bakhtin , visualizin g a Sel f through (the ) Other/ s i s coterminou s wit h consciousness : th e en d of th e dialogu e mean s th e en d o f existence . Since one alway s exist s within a multiplicity o f discourses , one's sel f i s fundamentally mul tiple, derivin g it s distinctiv e feature s fro m th e heteroglossi a b y which i t is (provisionally) defined . Bakhtin's theor y o f dialogis m i s a philosoph y o f plenitud e an d abundance. Hi s concep t o f authorshi p justifies , i n the present post -

Technologies of Female Adolescence 31 Derridean era , a readin g o f th e (literary ) tex t that , i n additio n t o bringing t o th e surfac e it s unsaid , focuse s o n wha t th e tex t does say, o n tracin g th e effect s o f it s smalles t intelligibl e unit s o r "ideo logemes." 17 Moreover , th e ide a o f authorshi p make s i t possible t o conceive of the subject a s not jus t an ontological bu t als o an ethica l category b y definin g her/hi s constitutiv e response s t o (the ) Other/ s in term s o f mora l responsibility . A s such , th e concep t a t onc e guarantees a certai n independenc e o f actio n fo r th e individua l t o meet her/hi s answerabilit y and th e possibilit y o f transformation . This, amon g othe r things , explain s th e importanc e o f Bakhtin' s thought fo r feminism . I t als o signifie s hi s relevanc e t o a n indisput ably mora l write r suc h a s Bowen . The theoretica l significanc e o f th e combine d notion s o f author ship an d answerabilit y notwithstanding , i t i s i n th e entirel y posi tive, indeed celebrator y employmen t o f thes e term s tha t th e limita tions o f Bakhtinia n dialogis m emerge . Furthermore , hi s extrapolation o f th e authorin g o f literar y text s t o th e authorin g o f a sel f an d vic e versa implie s a degre e o f autonom y an d freedo m o f choice tha t seems , i f no t altogethe r unwarrantable , a t leas t some what naive . Withi n a lesbia n feminis t critica l perspective , surel y the oppressiv e aspect s o f discursiv e powe r an d authorit y mus t als o be take n int o account . Loui s Althusser' s theor y o f ideolog y henc e provides a useful complemen t t o Bakhtin's dialogism . Subjectivity and Ideology. In "Ideolog y an d Ideologica l Stat e Ap paratuses," Althusse r define s ideolog y a s th e representatio n o f th e "imaginary relationshi p o f individual s t o thei r rea l condition s o f existence." 18 Thi s illusor y structur e alway s exist s i n action s o r practices performe d b y the individua l withi n th e social . Such prac tices serv e t o secur e specifi c interest s o f particula r socia l groups . Embedded i n social institutions (th e media, the educational system , the family ) Ideologica l Stat e Apparatuse s (ISAs ) (re)produc e illusory socia l relation s an d obtai n i n materia l practice s i n whic h both dominan t an d dominate d group s participate . Th e essentia l

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question remain s wh y "me n [sic] 'need' thi s imaginar y transposi tion o f thei r rea l condition s o f existenc e i n orde r t o 'represen t t o themselves' thei r rea l condition s o f existence " (37) . This questio n gives (th e notio n of ) th e subjec t a centra l plac e i n Althusser' s theory. There ca n b e no ideology withou t subjects . Ideologies , however , are no t merel y effecte d an d constitute d by subjects , for , a s Althus ser point s out , th e "categor y o f th e subjec t i s onl y constitutiv e o f all ideolog y insofa r a s al l ideolog y ha s th e functio n (whic h define s it) of 'constituting ' concret e individuals a s subjects" (45) . Ideology, therefore, whil e needin g th e subjec t a s it s final destination , a t th e same tim e "interpellates concrete individuals as concrete subjects, by th e functionin g o f th e categor y o f th e subject " (47) . Lik e th e ostensible transparency o f language , the "obviousness" o f th e individual subject' s "uniqueness " issue s directl y fro m th e operatio n o f ideology. Subjectiv e identit y i s n o mor e tha n a n ideologica l effect , for i t i s a "peculiarit y o f ideolog y tha t i t impose s (withou t ap pearing t o d o so , sinc e thes e ar e obviousnesses ) obviousnes s a s obviousness" (46) . Sinc e ever y subjec t i s always already inscribe d in ideology , an y knowledg e o f thi s operatio n ca n onl y b e obtaine d "while speakin g in ideology, an d fro m within " (47) . Although an y discursiv e activit y i s b y definitio n ideological , t o appreciate th e fac t tha t ther e i s no "outside " t o ideolog y doe s no t mean tha t n o consciousnes s o f it s operation s i s possible . Variou s minority group s hav e mor e o r les s successfully conteste d dominan t ideologies i n th e relativel y shor t histor y o f Wester n capitalis t soci ety. This show s tha t eve n i n it s most invisibl e operations , ideolog y does no t for m a n impenetrabl e scree n o f intransigen t force s o f power. Indeed , i t i s th e growin g awarenes s o f th e operation s o f dominant discourse s tha t has enabled th e (lesbian ) feminis t critiqu e of (heterocentric ) patriarchy . Hence , whil e exposin g ideolog y a s a force o f structura l oppression , Althusse r als o insist s tha t ideolog y is th e sit e o f discursiv e struggle , an d therewit h o f potentia l socia l change. Instea d o f analyzin g ideologica l apparatuse s a s violen t

Technologies of Female Adolescence 33 distorters o f reality , a s (abstract ) power s imposin g themselve s o n individual subjects , h e emphasize s th e ambiguit y o f thei r doubl y constitutive function. Afte r all , ideologies need material practices — and thu s individua l subjects—fo r thei r inscription . I t i s thi s ver y ambiguity tha t i s born e ou t by , o r mor e accuratel y defines , th e concept o f th e subject . The subjec t i s bot h a theoretica l category , a precis e thoug h abstract notio n neve r t o b e full y realize d b y an y on e individual , and th e specifi c configuratio n o f ideologica l effect s constitutin g th e individual woma n o r man . Th e individua l i s a subjec t eve n befor e s/he i s born, fo r her/hi s existenc e a s a human bein g is prefigured b y the discursiv e syste m i n whic h s/h e i s quit e literall y delivered . In this sense , th e ter m "subject " designate s ou r stat e o f subjectio n t o a syste m tha t preexist s u s an d exceed s ou r control ; a t th e sam e time, however , th e ter m signifie s a "fre e subjectivity , a centr e o f initiatives, autho r o f an d responsibl e fo r it s actions." 19 Th e ambi guity o f th e term , an d th e contradictor y natur e o f it s produce d effect, i s mos t clearl y exemplifie d i n th e syste m o f language/dis course, the ideological apparatu s pa r excellence . In line with Bakhtin an d Althusser, contemporar y poststructura list theorist s insis t o n th e discursiv e constructio n o f subjectivity . This necessaril y implie s a centra l plac e fo r th e ac t o f enunciation . In orde r t o b e abl e t o speak , t o becom e a n agen t i n th e symboli c order, th e enunciatin g subjec t mus t adop t a positio n withi n th e discursive networ k constitutin g th e social . Not al l positions withi n a give n society , however , ar e equall y availabl e t o al l subjects . Michel Foucaul t ha s pointe d u p th e inextricabl e link s betwee n th e forces o f powe r an d th e structure s o f discourse. 20 Focusin g o n th e intertextual natur e o f discursiv e formations , h e argue s tha t al l systems o f meanin g an d knowledg e ar e essentiall y contingent , his torical, an d thu s discontinuous . Th e ideologica l groundin g o f al l forms o f meaning/knowledg e allow s dominan t group s t o us e th e strategies o f exclusio n an d assimilatio n i n orde r t o suppres s tha t which threaten s socia l stability , thos e radica l discourse s whos e

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heterogeneity canno t b e fitted int o the homogeneous interpretatio n of reality, the official ideolog y upon whic h establishe d power struc tures rest. 21 Eve n so , th e ver y existenc e o f minorit y discourse s i n the margin s o f th e centra l discours e betra y th e inheren t fallibilit y of th e structure s o f dominan t power . Layin g bar e th e interconnec tions betwee n power , discourse , an d suppression , Foucault' s pro ject bot h allow s fo r detaile d feminis t analyse s o f th e operation s o f phallogocentrism an d create s a spac e fo r radica l change—o n th e level of consciousnes s a s well as in society . Engendered Subjectivity and Patriarchal Ideology. Th e feminis t analysis o f th e discourse s o f patriarcha l powe r (e.g. , law , science , religion) extend s t o exposin g th e "masculist " bia s o f theoretica l discourses.22 Thus, Teresa d e Lauretis criticize s Althusser an d Fou cault fo r thei r virtua l gende r blindness . Ignorin g gender , thes e "radical" theorists implicitly reinscribe the founding myt h o f patri archy, failing t o take into account that subject-positions ar e distributed differentiall y agains t a se t o f powe r structure s no t onl y alon g the line s o f clas s an d rac e bu t als o alon g thos e o f gender . Th e notion o f th e subjec t a s a n ideologica l effec t displace d acros s a range o f heterogeneou s discourse s i s therefor e no t sufficien t t o account fo r gendered subjectivity . In "Th e Technolog y o f Gender," 23 d e Laureti s begin s b y sug gesting tha t th e conceptualizatio n o f gende r a s "sexua l difference " appears t o hav e becom e a "limitation , somethin g o f a liabilit y to feminis t thought." 24 Whethe r gende r i s see n a s derivin g fro m biological difference s o r differences i n socializatio n o r a s the effec t of signification , thinkin g o f gende r i n these binary term s implies a n extension o f th e conceptua l framewor k o f dominan t ideology . In this way , sexua l differenc e remain s th e demarcatio n lin e tha t di vides women fro m men , or , whe n regarde d a s th e resul t o f discur sive effects , i t "end s u p bein g i n th e las t instanc e a differenc e (o f woman) fro m man " (i) . Establishin g tha t "gende r i s no t sex, " d e Lauretis the n follow s Althusse r t o introduc e a n elaborate d versio n

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of th e "sex/gende r system, " a notio n tha t serve s t o designat e th e ideological apparatu s b y which gende r i s produced an d maintaine d in a give n societ y a t a give n momen t i n history. 25 Lik e al l ideolo gies, the sex/gende r syste m i s a meaning-producin g system , an d a s such, i t i s closel y connecte d wit h sociopolitica l powe r structures . Insofar a s gende r refer s primaril y t o a se t o f socia l relations , i t i s thus bot h a sociocultura l construc t an d a semioti c apparatus . Th e meaning-producing functio n o f gende r derive s fro m th e fac t tha t individuals ca n (re)presen t themselve s onl y withi n th e existin g sex / gender syste m an d therewit h assum e a positio n withi n th e socia l order. B y takin g u p thes e position s w e acquir e a sociocultura l meaning/identity. Th e sex/gende r system , however , als o "engen ders" th e individua l i n th e ideologica l proces s o f "interpella tion." 2 6 Thi s implies , i n th e word s o f d e Lauretis , tha t a "socia l representation i s accepted an d absorbe d b y an individual a s her (o r his) ow n representation , an d s o becomes , fo r tha t individual , real , even though i t is in fact imaginary " (12) . Just a s subjectivity gener ally is a produced/producing effec t o f ideology , so is the "construc tion o f gende r . . . both th e product an d th e process of its represen tation" (5) . Gende r i s thu s th e "variabl e configuratio n o f sexua l discursive positionalities " whos e socia l representatio n an d subjec tive constructio n ar e mutuall y effective/affecte d (7) . The latte r as pect ensure s a certai n degre e o f subjectiv e agenc y an d th e possibil ity of socia l change . What d e Lauretis call s the "ambiguity o f gender" thus resemble s the ambiguit y o f subjectivity , fo r ther e i s n o outsid e t o th e sex / gender system—no t eve n fo r feminism . Indeed , a s she continues t o point out , th e characteristi c featur e o f feminis m sinc e th e earl y 1980s ha s bee n it s consciousnes s o f it s complicit y wit h gende r ideology (11) . The "subjec t o f feminism " i s therefore a theoretica l construct tha t operate s bot h insid e an d outsid e gende r ideology . From suc h a positio n o f doubl e inscription , feminis t discours e today should , accordin g t o d e Lauretis , see k t o accoun t fo r th e processes whereby th e (female ) subject—a s "distinc t fro m Woma n

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. . . the representation o f a n essenc e inherent i n al l women" a s well as fro m "women , th e rea l historica l being s an d socia l subjects" — is constructed i n both discursiv e an d materia l practice s (9-10) , Where i t i s d e Lauretis' s explici t objectiv e t o mov e beyon d Foucault i n he r (re)conceptualizatio n o f th e sex/gende r system , s o that he r mai n focu s i s o n th e constitutio n an d functio n o f gende r in Western culture , I would equall y like to foreground th e Foucaul dian analysi s o f sexualit y a s a "se t o f effect s produce d i n bodies , behaviours, an d socia l relation s b y a certai n deploymen t derivin g from a comple x politica l technology." 27 Whil e underscorin g d e Lauretis's objection s t o a vie w o f gende r a s sexua l difference , I think tha t th e notio n o f th e sex/gende r syste m ha s i n it s tur n become a "limitation, somethin g of a liability to feminist thought. " For eve n i n it s putativel y "problematized " version, 28 th e feminis t analysis o f th e patriarcha l sex/gende r syste m ha s le d o n th e on e hand, a s Judith Butle r argues , to a reinscription o f th e "immutabl e character o f sex " and , o n th e other , t o a furthe r o r renewe d ob scuring o f th e structure s o f psychosexua l differentiatio n operativ e within an d acros s this system. 29 In Gender Trouble, Judit h Butle r adopt s Foucault' s metho d o f "genealogical critique " to identif y compulsor y heterosexualit y an d phallogocentrism a s th e tw o "regime s o f power/discourse " consti tutive o f bot h masculis t an d feminis t gende r discourses. 30 Th e poststructuralist destabilizatio n o f identitie s an d thei r meaning s entails tha t th e notion s male/femal e ca n n o longe r b e take n t o b e "natural facts, " a s distinc t fro m culturall y o r "artificially " pro duced genders . Indeed , sh e asks , i s i t no t "naturalness " itsel f tha t is "constitute d throug h discursivel y constraine d performanc e act s that produc e th e bod y throug h an d withi n th e categorie s o f sex? " (x). Th e assumptio n o f a sexe d body , o r a n anterio r sexua l differ ence, ont o whic h th e (insidious ) effect s o f cultura l gende r dis courses are differentially displace d an d inscribed , Butler points out , rests o n "th e stat e o f natur e hypothesis. " I t i s this ver y hypothesi s that, i n it s contemporar y guis e a s th e "ontologica l integrit y o f th e

Technologies of Female Adolescence 37 subject befor e th e law, " provide s th e legitimating groun d o f libera l humanist philosoph y an d Wester n metaphysic s (3) . Sinc e th e sex / gender distinctio n underlyin g muc h feminis t critica l discours e "suggests a radica l discontinuit y betwee n sexe d bodie s an d cultur ally constructed genders, " sex itself continue s t o function a s a fixed or give n categor y o f whic h gende r form s th e "multipl e interpreta tion" (6) . But , a s th e Bakhtinia n concep t o f being-as-activit y im plies, th e "dualit y o f sex " i s no t a biologica l o r ontologica l give n so muc h a s a discursivel y establishe d construct . Thi s lead s Butle r to th e assumptio n tha t th e binar y option s o f "natural " sex pe r s e might i n effec t b e n o mor e tha n a "variabl e construction. " Suc h a denaturalization o f se x result s i n a furthe r problematizatio n o f th e notion o f gender : Gender ough t no t t o b e conceive d merel y a s th e cultura l inscriptio n o f meaning o n a pregive n se x . . . ; gende r mus t als o designat e th e ver y apparatus of production whereb y the sexes themselves are established. As a result , gende r i s no t t o cultur e a s se x i s t o nature ; gende r i s als o th e discursive/cultural mean s b y which "sexe d nature " o r a "natura l sex " is produced and established a s "prediscursive," prior to culture, a politically neutral surface on which culture acts. (7) The notio n o f se x a s a stabl e o r natura l give n serve s t o maintai n existing gende r relations , fo r th e "hegemoni c discursive/epistemi c model o f gende r intelligibility " assume s tha t ther e mus t b e a "sta ble se x expresse d throug h a stabl e gender " (151) . Th e ostensibl y natural facts o f sex , oppositionally an d hierarchall y defined , Butle r infers, ca n therefor e b e considere d t o b e discursivel y produce d "i n the interest s of othe r politica l an d socia l interests " (7) . These inter ests are first an d foremos t sexual interests . For, a s Monique Witti g has contended , th e basi s o f th e contrac t upo n whic h th e mainte nance o f th e social order depend s i s the institution o f heterosexual ity: "T o liv e i n societ y i s t o liv e i n heterosexuality . I n fact , socia l contract an d heterosexualit y ar e tw o superimposabl e notions." 31 The existenc e o f th e separat e categorie s o f me n an d women , prio r and/or exterio r t o th e socia l order , i s preconditional fo r th e preva -

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lence o f "natural " heterosexuality . I t i s therefor e onl y withi n th e context o f wha t Butle r term s th e "heterosexua l matrix " tha t th e "category o f wome n [can ] achiev e stabilit y an d coherence " (5) . Heterosexuality, Witti g remind s us , i s no t a "natural " dispositio n but a sociocultura l institution , a "nonexisten t object , a fetish , a n ideological for m whic h canno t b e graspe d i n reality , excep t through it s effects , whos e existenc e lie s i n th e min d o f people , bu t in a wa y tha t affect s thei r whol e life , th e wa y the y act , th e wa y they move , the way the y think." 3 2 And , a s I have argue d earlier , i t is i n it s ver y "presumptiv e heterosexuality " tha t th e feminis t cri tique o f th e sex/gende r syste m become s exceedingl y problematica l for a lesbian feminis t practic e o f cultura l analysis . Underscoring "mainstream " feminism' s implicatio n i n the struc tures o f (heterosexual ) gende r ideology , Jan e Gallo p submit s tha t the "internalize d heterosexuality " o f muc h feminis t theor y ma y indeed b e rea d "symptomatically " a s par t o f th e "heterosexua l teleology" implici t i n bot h Wester n cultur e an d th e practic e o f literary theory. 33 Rhetoricall y askin g whethe r "w e prefe r sexua l difference becaus e thi s particula r differenc e conventionall y prom ises narrativ e solution, " Gallo p analyze s th e desir e underlyin g much feminis t theoretica l practic e a s a fundamenta l desir e fo r "a happ y ending " withi n a cultura l plo t o f otherwis e irreducibl e differences. Th e feminis t focu s o n gende r ca n thu s b e see n t o reinstate th e promis e o f wha t Cor a Kapla n ha s calle d th e " 'inevi table resolution ' " t o th e plo t o f heterosexuality , th e dominan t cultural scenari o i n relatio n t o whic h othe r social/theoretica l divi sions an d deviation s operat e a s mer e " 'narrativ e backdro p o r minor stumbling-block[s]. ' " 3 4 Since , a s w e shal l see , th e stor y o f heterosexual romanc e function s a s a central , i f disrupted , intertex t in Bowen's novels , my foregroundin g o f sexualit y wil l see k both t o illuminate th e sexua l underpinning s o f he r heroines ' negotiation s for a gendered subject-positio n withi n thei r narrativ e "timespaces " and t o denaturaliz e th e categorie s o f se x in the theoretical perspec tives on gende r tha t for m th e intertexts o f m y discussions .

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One final remar k befor e I g o o n t o explor e thes e issue s i n th e context o f LS. Insofa r a s al l product s o f consciousnes s ar e in scribed i n ideology , bot h institutiona l discourse s suc h a s theor y and technologie s o f gende r suc h a s cinemati c o r literar y text s pro duce an d "implant " representation s o f sexualitie s an d gende r rela tions tha t ar e experience d a s "real " b y individua l subjects. 35 T o define th e "complex o f meaning effects, habits , dispositions, associations, an d perception s resultin g fro m th e semioti c interactio n o f self an d oute r world, " Teres a d e Lauretis , followin g C . S . Peirce , uses th e ter m "experience. " He r descriptio n o f gende r experienc e as th e shiftin g "constellatio n o r configuratio n o f meanin g effects " produced b y th e "sociocultura l practices , discourses , an d institu tions devote d t o th e productio n o f me n an d women" 3 6 show s a remarkable similarit y t o Elizabet h Bowen' s notio n o f "so-calle d real life " a s a serie s o f "happening s i n a broa d sense. " W e recal l that Bowen define s a writer's experience/susceptibility a s the "spec ulations, unaccountabl e stir s o f interest , longings , attractions , ap prehensions withou t knowabl e cause " that i n on e for m o r anothe r find thei r wa y int o fiction a s "transpose d autobiography. " Th e correspondence betwee n thes e respectiv e conceptualization s o f ex perience/reality suggest s th e potentia l significanc e o f radica l theo ries o f gende r suc h a s d e Lauretis' s fo r a critica l (re)readin g o f Bowen's work . The Interpellation of

the Adolescent

Adolescence as a Technology of Gender. In traditiona l generi c terms, The Last September ca n b e classifie d a s a socia l comed y that satirize s th e manner s an d moral s o f th e Anglo-Iris h lande d gentry an d th e Englis h upper-middl e classes. 37 Depictin g th e quest fo r identit y o f it s adolescen t protagonist , Loi s Farquar , i t could als o b e define d a s a nove l o f development , o r bildungsroman. Th e mai n narrativ e event s ar e sufficientl y undramatic fo r som e critic s t o pa y specia l attentio n t o th e novel' s

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political background . Thes e generall y foregroun d Bowen' s ambivalence towar d th e Anglo-Iris h Ascendency , a s articulate d i n her famil y history , Bowen's Court (1942) , an d i n a numbe r o f critical essays. 38 Th e violenc e o f th e Trouble s i s s o muffled , however, tha t w e ma y safel y assum e differen t issue s t o b e centra l in LS. Writte n i n a styl e a t onc e taut , precise , an d impressionistic, th e novel' s narrativ e voic e i s characteristicall y authoritative. Th e typica l Bowe n narrato r emerge s a s rational , intelligent, witty , an d aloo f ye t benevolent . Th e often-comi c dialogues ar e sometime s oblique , occasionall y obscur e t o th e extent tha t necessar y referentia l informatio n i s elided . Thi s devic e forces th e reade r activel y t o engag e i n th e proces s o f meanin g construction, an d t o brin g t o bea r o n th e narrativ e event s th e implications o f th e evocativ e descriptiv e passages . Th e characters ' occupations durin g thi s laz y mont h i n lat e summe r ar e o f a decidedly prosai c nature : thei r activitie s rang e fro m th e receptio n and entertainmen t o f hous e guest s t o tenni s parties , dances , an d casual conversation . Th e nove l ye t emanate s throughou t a sens e of urgenc y an d impendin g crisi s fo r whic h neithe r it s stylisti c concentration no r th e violenc e i n th e backgroun d ca n satisfactorily account . Hermione Le e observe s tha t Bowen' s "talen t fo r expressin g unease, a constan t sens e o f peril, " exploite d t o grea t effec t i n many o f he r shor t stories , successfull y "inculcate s a sens e o f nervousness int o th e reader " o f LS. Le e associate s th e sens e o f doom pervadin g th e nove l t o th e "pul l o f fatality " introduce d b y the presenc e o f death , whic h sh e identifie s a s th e "tru e reality " behind th e "transient " histor y o f th e narrative. 39 T o suppor t he r assumption, sh e quote s a passag e i n whic h th e narrativ e voic e merges wit h th e mai n character' s consciousnes s t o proclai m tha t "life, see n whol e fo r a moment , wa s on e ac t o f apprehension , th e apprehension o f death " (LS, 202) . Rea d wit h a differen t emphasis, th e passag e lead s t o a possibl y eve n mor e disconcertin g conclusion: tha t i t i s no t th e threa t o f deat h bu t lif e itsel f tha t i s

Technologies of Female Adolescence 41 an unremittin g enactmen t o f crisis . Suc h a n interpretatio n link s up wit h th e presentatio n o f th e adolescen t ques t o f th e novel' s protagonist. Instea d o f providin g a "ver y goo d exampl e o f Elizabeth Bowen' s talen t fo r presentin g pre-adulthood," 40 th e character o f Loi s Farqua r the n represents , a s Willia m Heat h ha s also suggested , th e "prototyp e . . . t o se t th e patter n fo r al l Mis s Bowen's heroines, " character s i n crisi s irrespectiv e o f thei r age. 41 The crisi s structur e o f adolescenc e thu s assume s a fa r wide r significance tha n Le e appear s willin g t o concede . I wil l com e back t o this . The first o f LS' s thre e lon g chapter s opens , a s th e titl e announces, wit h "Th e Arriva l o f M r an d Mr s Montmorency " upon th e scen e o f Danielstown , on e o f Ireland' s Bi g Houses , owned b y Si r Richar d an d Lad y Naylor. 42 Stayin g a t Danielstown ar e Myr a Naylor' s nephe w Laurence , dow n fro m Oxford fo r th e summer , an d Si r Richard' s nineteen-year-ol d orphaned niec e Lois , daughte r o f hi s lat e siste r Laura . Adde d t o this compan y ar e Hug o Montmorency , one-tim e love r o f Laura' s and ol d frien d o f Si r Richard's , an d hi s sickl y wife , Francie . Th e arrival o f th e "long-promise d visitors " creat e i n Loi s a sens e o f "happiness, o f perfection " tha t make s he r wis h t o "freez e th e moment an d kee p i t always. " Settin g th e ton e o f th e protagonist's quest , he r reactio n convey s a conflict , fo r despit e a yearning fo r "thing s t o happen, " sh e i s als o move d b y a nee d fo r stability an d permanence . Havin g jus t lef t school , Loi s finds herself i n tha t twiligh t zon e o f transienc e betwee n childhoo d an d adulthood generall y know n a s adolescence . Sh e i s tosse d abou t by bout s o f extrem e self-consciousnes s an d a sens e o f doo m springing fro m th e suspicio n tha t "nobod y notice[s] " o r "woul d take th e troubl e t o understan d her " (7-8) . Thi s i s th e kin d o f tension customaril y associate d wit h th e experienc e o f adolescence. The concep t o f adolescenc e a s a stag e o f developmen t wit h explicitly sexua l connotation s i s o f relativel y recen t date. 43 Wit h

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the disseminatio n o f (Freudian ) psychoanalyti c theor y or , i n Foucauldian terms , wit h th e "inventio n o f sexuality " a t th e en d of th e nineteent h century , adolescenc e becam e generall y regarde d as b y fa r th e mos t crucia l stag e i n identit y formatio n precisel y o n account o f it s sexua l overdetermination . Bu t sinc e identit y i s no t an objectiv e t o b e achieve d s o muc h a s a shiftin g configuration , a process o f endles s (re)contextualization , th e discours e o n adolescence ha s com e t o functio n a s a "technology " o f gende r i n its ow n right . B y positin g a direc t an d causa l relationshi p amon g the biologica l body , gender , an d (hetero)sexua l desire , th e institution o f adolescenc e act s a s a n ideologica l apparatu s ushering childre n int o thei r position s a s (hetero)sexua l subjects . As such , i t operate s a s a measur e o f containment . A t th e sam e time, th e concep t i s a semioti c apparatu s b y mean s o f whic h children o f eithe r se x ar e prepare d fo r thei r futur e socia l role s a s gendered sexua l beings . A variet y o f cultura l discourse s serv e t o ensure socia l stabilit y b y definin g th e perio d o f adolescenc e a s one o f license d rebellion , a s a necessar y phas e o f emotiona l an d mental confusio n an d o f (sexual ) experimentatio n an d irresponsibility. Suc h instabilit y is , a t leas t withi n Wester n societies, neve r allowe d t o reemerg e i n adul t subjects—wit h th e possible exceptio n o f artist s an d lunatics . Thus , whil e th e locu s of twentieth-centur y definition s o f identit y i n th e first instanc e appears t o resid e i n a person' s sexuality , th e institutionalizatio n of nineteenth-centur y medico-scientifi c discourse s ha s paradoxically resulte d i n a shif t awa y fro m sex (a s a "natural " given) t o gende r ( a cultura l position) . Wit h th e acquisitio n o f a (hetero)sexual gende r identity—tha t is , wit h th e internalizatio n of symbolic representation s o f normativ e "masculinity " o r "femininity," individual s becom e th e coheren t subject s tha t (patriarchal) ideolog y need s t o sustai n itself . A s w e hav e seen , any subjec t i s i n her/hi s tur n equall y dependen t o n her/hi s gende r identity i n orde r t o attai n tha t sens e o f self-master y tha t s/h e needs t o assum e a positio n i n th e socia l order . Whil e betrayin g

Technologies of Female Adolescence 43 the essentiall y constructe d natur e o f th e "obviousness " calle d adolescence, thi s doubl e inscriptio n als o explain s th e ambivalen t feelings arouse d b y th e phenomeno n i n retrospect . Onc e gendered adulthoo d ha s bee n successfull y realized , adolescenc e represents a perio d o f intens e anxiety , sexua l confusion , an d a n often dauntin g sens e o f nonexistence , whil e a t th e sam e tim e marking th e individual' s definitiv e subjectio n t o th e constraint s and demand s o f a give n symboli c order . Since adolescenc e i s fundamentall y abou t th e acquisitio n o f heterosexual gende r identities , th e operatio n o f th e technologie s of gende r i s particularl y fel t durin g an y numbe r o f year s betwee n the age s o f fourtee n an d twent y t o twenty-four . Teres a d e Lauretis observe s tha t identit y i s "interprete d o r reconstructe d b y each o f u s withi n th e horizo n o f meaning s an d knowledg e available i n th e cultur e a t give n historica l moments." 44 Thi s entails tha t adolescenc e directl y confront s th e individua l wit h both normativ e heterosexualit y an d th e differentia l accessibilit y of availabl e subject-position s unequall y distribute d along , amon g others, gende r lines . Thi s poin t need s stressin g for , whil e generally acknowledge d a s formin g a proces s o f differentiatio n i n the interpla y betwee n th e psychi c an d th e social , adolescenc e i s conventionally analyze d i n primaril y psychologica l terms . Give n the overal l neglec t o f th e sociohistorica l leve l withi n psychoanalytic theory , i t i s no t surprisin g t o find tha t traditiona l psychological discours e tend s t o collaps e mal e an d femal e adolescence. Thi s assimilatio n o f th e girl' s experienc e t o tha t o f the boy' s render s femal e adolescence , an d therewit h th e gende r inequality bot h i n societ y an d withi n theoretica l discours e itself , virtually invisible . Only recentl y ha s clinica l psychoanalysi s turne d it s focu s t o female sexua l developmen t a s i n man y way s a cruciall y differen t process fro m it s mal e counterpart. 45 Th e feminis t theoretica l engagement wit h psychoanalysi s ha s als o le d t o shift s i n traditional notion s o f (female ) adolescence . I n th e presen t

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context, i t i s furthermor e interestin g t o not e tha t th e onl y two — unresolved—cases o f Freud' s involvin g femal e adolescent s bot h center an d founde r o n th e operatio n o f lesbia n sexualit y i n hi s patients' histories , a fac t tha t Freu d first fail s t o notic e an d the n relegates t o hi s (retrospectivel y added ) footnotes. 46 Indeed , a s Jane Gallo p aptl y stipulates , fo r Freud , homosexualit y a s suc h was "a n adolescen t stage , a stag e o f developmen t prio r t o adul t reproductive heterosexuality." 47 Bot h th e sexua l overdetermina tion o f th e adolescen t crisi s an d th e wide r cultura l association s o f sexual ambivalenc e surroundin g th e femal e adolescen t plac e th e prototypical valu e o f th e preadul t Bowe n heroin e i n a significan t light. These consideration s furthe r provid e som e indicatio n abou t the cause s underlyin g th e "sens e o f peril " o r "unease"—note d but unsatisfactoril y accounte d fo r b y Hermion e Lee—inspire d i n the reade r o f LS. Fo r th e produced/producin g effect s o f signification, henc e th e doubl e inscriptio n o f th e subjec t i n language an d b y extensio n i n literar y texts , entail s tha t th e sexua l indeterminacy markin g th e protagonist' s ques t i s carrie d ove r onto th e readin g subjec t herself . Thi s suppositio n i s indirectl y confirmed b y clinica l psychologis t Katherin e Dalsimer , whos e exploration o f femal e adolescenc e turn s t o literar y text s becaus e of th e "powe r o f [their ] insight s int o particula r situations , whic h language deliver s an d whic h th e reader , wit h a shoc k o f persona l recognition, acknowledge s t o b e just." 48 Interpellating Forces in Absentia. Eri k Erikso n note s tha t adoles cents ar e "sometime s morbidly , ofte n curiously , preoccupie d wit h what the y appea r t o b e i n th e eye s o f other s a s compare d wit h what the y fee l the y are , an d wit h th e questio n o f ho w t o connec t the role s an d skill s cultivate d earlie r wit h th e idea l prototype s o f the day." 4 9 Althoug h h e take s car e t o inser t th e adolescent' s feel ings i n thi s assessmen t o f his/he r conflictua l sens e o f self , th e pre sumed contras t betwee n a n "apparent " identit y (i n relatio n t o

Technologies of Female Adolescence 45 others) an d a "real " o r anterio r on e (harbore d b y th e adolescen t her/himself) signal s Erikson' s mooring s i n traditiona l libera l hu manist thought . Indeed , the underlying premise of hi s overall argu ment i s a notio n o f individua l consciousnes s a s a n essenc e gradu ally unfoldin g itsel f i n accordanc e wit h it s increasin g engagemen t with th e outside world. A s we have seen, Bakhtinian dialogis m an d the critiqu e o f ideolog y refut e suc h a concep t o f subjectivity . I t i s not s o muc h th e individual' s investmen t i n th e exterio r worl d o f an as-ye t "hidden " essence—patientl y lyin g i n wai t fo r prope r opportunities t o revea l itself—tha t constitute s identity , bu t th e interiorization o f specifi c externa l meanin g structure s an d symbol izations. Suc h internalizatio n o f cultura l representation s result s i n a sens e o f sel f b y whic h th e individua l subsequentl y come s t o "know" her/himself. 50 The earlies t "significan t others, " accordin g t o Erikson , ar e th e young person' s parents , a t leas t i n Wester n societie s base d o n the nuclea r family . Rathe r tha n mer e rol e model s o r object s o f identification, suc h other s hav e bee n expose d b y Althusseria n an d poststructuralist theorie s o f ideolog y a s exertin g a fundamentall y interpellating influence , a n influenc e s o profound tha t i t inculcate s a sens e of sel f that seem s wholly "natural " o n both th e psychic an d the socia l level s of experience . I t is important therefor e t o conside r Lois Farquar's orphane d state . About th e fate o f her fathe r th e tex t does no t giv e an y explici t information . Al l w e lear n abou t "poo r Walter" i s that somethin g "terribl y sad " ha s happened t o him , bu t this, a s Lad y Naylo r inform s us , "wa s wha t w e alway s expected " (17). Th e caus e o f hi s wife' s deat h remain s equall y unclear , bu t Laura figures quit e prominently i n the minds of th e novel's charac ters. Thoug h Lois' s mothe r i s absen t fro m th e narrativ e scene , he r character therewit h acquire s particula r significance . Wha t i s more , as Erikson notes , it is primarily th e "encounte r o f materna l perso n and smal l infant " tha t initiate s th e chil d int o th e "cultura l pat terns" o f th e symboli c orde r int o which i t is born. 51 As elusive a s Laur a Farquar-Naylo r ma y b e i n he r textua l pres -

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ence, equall y a s inscrutabl e doe s sh e appea r t o hav e bee n befor e she died—characteristicall y "withou t givin g anyon e notic e o f he r intention" (19) . Remembere d a s wil d an d rebellious , Laur a live s on i n he r daughte r Lois' s restlessness . Accordin g t o Hug o Mont morency, Laur a "wa s alway s lovely . Bu t sh e wa s neve r happ y a t all, even here [a t Danielstown]. She never knew what she wanted — she was very vital" (19) . Lois's state of high-strung tension remind s Hugo o f her, for "nex t to Laura, [Lois ] was the most fidgety perso n from who m h e ha d suffered. " Ther e is , however , a differenc e in quality : Laura's unrepose had been an irradiation, a quiver of personality. She was indefinite definitely , lik e a tre e shining , shakin g awa y outlines ; a bay , a poplar i n win d an d sunshine . He r impulses—thos e incalculabl e spring ings-out o f min d throug h th e body—ha d had , lik e movement s o f branches, a wild kind o f certainty . He had bee n half awar e of som e kind of design in her being of which she was unaware wholly. (63) The passage suggest s that Laura' s wildness resided i n her indefinit e sexual identity : i t wa s precisel y he r confusio n i n thi s respec t tha t made he r "neve r rea l i n th e way " Hug o wanted . H e an d he r brother Si r Richar d expres s thei r frustratio n abou t thi s i n remark ably simila r ways : " Tal k an d tal k an d you' d neve r kno w wher e you ha d her. ' " Th e emphasi s o n th e discursiv e natur e o f sexua l positioning i n thes e mal e characters ' sens e o f realit y suggest s tha t Laura, wh o i s throughou t describe d i n predominantl y physica l terms, refuse d t o subjec t hersel f t o thei r symboli c power , henc e t o adopt th e rol e o f Othe r t o th e mal e Self . Not willin g t o fit withi n established cultura l patterns , Laur a would , a s Hug o observes , "start a crying-fit " i f "sh e though t yo u ha d her " (19) . In orde r t o escape suc h constraints , Laur a wa s "ver y remote " an d eventuall y ran away . Sh e nonetheless remain s a haunting presence i n the ver y atmosphere o f th e hous e upo n whic h sh e has lef t he r mark. 52 Thi s unequivocally emerge s fro m Laurence' s nocturna l fantasies . The youn g ma n is , despit e hi s intellectua l manner , highl y sus -

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ceptible t o th e residin g moo d o f sexua l rebellio n Laur a ha s lef t behind. He r impassione d nonconformis m tickle s his imagination : [Laura's] confusio n ha d clotte d u p in the air of th e room an d seemed , in that closest darkness under the ceiling, to be still impending. Here, choked in th e swee p o f th e bed-curtains , sh e ha d writhe d i n thos e epi c rages ; against Hugo , agains t Richard , agains t an y prospec t i n lif e a t all ; bitin g the fat resistant pillows, until once she had risen, fluttered a t her reflection, dabbed he r eyes , buttoned a tight slee k dres s of tha t day' s eleganc e over her heavin g bosom , packe d he r dresse s i n arche d trunk s (tha t ha d com e back sinc e to ro t i n the attics ) an d drive n off , avertin g fro m th e stare of the house an angry profile. (107) Laurence astutel y perceive s wh y th e constan t reminde r o f Laura' s fickleness i s threatening t o th e inhabitant s o f Danielstown . Instea d of goin g nort h an d marryin g Farquar—th e "rudes t ma n i n Ulste r . . . with a disagreeabl y fres h complexio n an d a n ey e like a horse " (107)—Laura coul d hav e "don e otherwise. " But , an d her e Lau rence's thought s merg e with th e narrative voice , "there i s a narro w and fixed compulsio n . . . inside th e wides t range s o f ou r instabil ity" (107) . I t i s thi s compulsio n t o instabilit y (wit h it s resoundin g sexual connotations ) tha t th e adul t character s i n LS hav e take n great pains t o ward off . For Lois , Laura embodie s th e ver y ambivalen t feeling s t o whic h she i s currently prey . Sh e is eager t o lear n mor e abou t he r mother , whose action s "seeme d s o natural " an d wh o figures prominentl y in th e "kindl y monolit h o f he r childhood " (11 , 27). While sugges tive o f th e clos e bon d betwee n mothe r an d daughter , thi s child hood, depicte d a s undifferentiate d oneness , i s a t th e sam e tim e shown t o b e invested wit h a "rathe r rar e gloom " (13) . The intens e associations evoke d b y Laura' s memor y ar e connecte d wit h Lois' s sensual experienc e o f th e sound , smell , an d fee l o f nature . Thi s makes fo r a n extremel y menacin g effect , fo r Loi s i s vaguely awar e that Laura' s sexuality , he r "naturalness, " i s precisely wha t turne d her int o a n outcast . Whil e susceptibl e t o th e attractio n o f th e

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unrestrained impulse , sh e simultaneousl y feel s profoundl y lonel y when sh e suspect s "fo r hersel f a particula r doo m o f exclusion. " This issue s i n a stron g desir e t o belong , t o b e "i n a patter n . . . t o be related " (23 , 98). Th e connectio n betwee n natur e an d Laur a and th e conflictin g desire s i t evoke s i n Loi s ar e brilliantl y brough t to th e for e whe n th e latte r on e evenin g defiantl y turn s he r bac k o n the famil y an d walk s into the garden alone : A shrubbery path was solid with darkness, she pressed down it. Laurels [!] breathed coldl y and close : on her bare arms the tips of leaves were timid and dank, like tongues of dead animals. Her fear of the shrubberies tugged at its chain, fear behin d reason, fear befor e her birth; fear like the earliest germ o f he r lif e tha t ha d stirre d i n Laura . Sh e wen t forwar d eagerly , daring a sna p o f th e chain , singing ; a han d t o th e thum p o f he r heart , dramatic with terror. She thought of herself as forcing a pass. In her life— deprived as she saw it—there was no occasion for courage , which like an unused muscle slackened and slept. (33) While highlightin g th e strengt h o f Lois' s sensua l yearnings , th e sequence goe s on t o stres s her equall y stron g nee d to belong : whe n Lois nex t look s u p t o th e hous e an d see s th e famil y "seale d i n lamplight, secur e an d brigh t lik e flower s i n a paperweight, " the y seem "desirable , wort h muc h o f thi s t o regain. " He r predicamen t is full y articulate d when , th e "laurel s desertin g he r gropin g arm, " the heroin e recognize s tha t sh e ha s reache d a poin t wher e "tw o paths crossed " (33) : her physical desire s "cross " the borders o f th e cultural "patterns " in which sh e must secur e a place for herself . William Heat h rightl y identifie s th e typical Bowe n characte r "a t the cross-roads " a s a recurrin g them e i n al l o f th e author' s novels . Regarding th e conflic t a s on e i n whic h th e individual' s romanti c will finds itsel f rebellin g agains t th e materia l constraint s impose d by a corrup t society , h e describe s th e situatio n i n term s o f "Inno cence an d Experience." 53 Th e conflic t i s no t a s straightforwardl y oppositional a s Heat h suggests . In Bowen , "innocence, " o r Na ture—which, a s her consisten t capitalizatio n o f th e word suggests , is no mor e o f a prediscursive give n tha n it s implied counterpart —

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is never an explicitly positive term a s opposed t o a negative concep t of "experience, " o r Culture . Assumin g th e tensio n betwee n th e senses an d rationality , sh e rather insist s o n th e continuin g struggle between thes e tw o "modalitie s o f being, " a "livin g o f th e contra diction" tha t sh e sees a s a primarily mora l imperative . In her essa y "Out o f a Book, " th e autho r reflect s o n th e issu e i n th e contex t of reading. 54 Th e child , Bowe n maintains , read s "unthinkingly , sensuously" unti l educatio n enforce s a chang e i n attitude . Th e "young person i s then throw n ou t o f Eden, " an d "fo r evermor e hi s brain i s t o stan d poste d betwee n hi s sel f an d th e story. " Th e reference t o th e garden o f Ede n underscores , o n th e one hand , tha t it i s "carna l knowledge " tha t install s th e subjec t i n th e sociosym bolic order , and , o n th e other , tha t th e individual' s insertio n int o the "story " o f cultur e i s premised o n th e radica l noncoincidenc e o f the sel f an d it s markers . Th e los s o f thi s prelapsaria n o r presym bolic blis s i s not t o b e deplored . Indeed , "i t become s a n enormity , within th e full-size d body , t o rea d withou t th e brain. " Th e stake s involved ar e mora l ones , fo r a s Bowe n contends , "I t i s no t onl y our fat e bu t ou r busines s t o los e innocence, an d onc e w e hav e los t that i t i s futil e t o attemp t t o picni c i n Eden " (265) . This doe s no t mean tha t th e earl y sensation s ca n o r shoul d b e forgotten . Onl y i n (discursively produced) "syntheti c experience"—which "involv[es ] valid emotion, " "imagination " a s wel l a s th e "brain"—doe s th e possibility o f "vision " exist , bot h ethicall y an d aestheticall y (269) . By "doubling] th e meaning" o f concret e event s in material reality , fiction expose s th e "insufficienc y o f so-calle d rea l lif e t o th e re quirements o f thos e wh o deman d t o b e reall y alive " (264) . Bowe n concludes b y claimin g tha t th e "proces s o f readin g i s reciprocal " (267).

When w e exten d th e author' s idea s o n readin g th e fictional tex t to th e "tex t o f reality, " w e ar e le d t o infe r tha t i t i s i n th e activ e experience o f precisel y th e tensio n betwee n th e sense s an d th e brain tha t th e individual' s mora l responsibility , or , i n Bakhtinia n terms, her/his "answerability, " lies . In other words, since subjectiv -

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ity i s constitute d a t th e intersectio n betwee n sel f an d world , an d the fundamenta l discontinuit y betwee n the m i s hence a necessity , the contradictio n ca n neve r b e resolved . Th e conflic t mus t b e lived—at leas t b y thos e wh o "deman d t o b e reall y alive"—fo r i t inheres in the doubly inscribe d natur e o f subjectivity itself . Dominant ideolog y obscure s th e crisi s lyin g a t th e hear t o f subjectivity b y relegating it to its margins in order to ensure accept able socia l behavior . Instabilit y belong s t o adolescence , t o art , crime, madness , an d simila r discursiv e niches . Whil e institutional ized discourse s provid e th e individua l wit h a sens e o f meaningfu l identity, the y thu s inevitabl y als o operat e a s measure s o f contain ment b y excludin g th e potentiall y disruptiv e excesse s t o rationa l consciousness.55 A s mentioned earlier , i t is usually onl y a t the end of pubert y tha t th e subject , wit h her/hi s increasin g engagemen t i n wider socia l structures, becomes consciously awar e of the restraints imposed o n her/hi m b y (gender ) ideology . Sinc e th e adolescen t i s not yet fully "affixed " t o a specific subject-position , s/h e simultaneously recognize s th e precariousness o f suc h positions , in particula r the instabilit y o f th e categorie s o f sex . It i s no t surprising , there fore, tha t despit e thei r differen t position s i n relatio n t o th e Law, Laurence, bein g o f simila r age , to som e exten t share s Lois' s sens e of standin g "a t th e cross-roads. " Thei r mutua l pligh t set s the m apart fro m th e olde r generation , wh o see m firmly establishe d i n their adul t identities . The sens e o f dislocatio n Laurenc e an d Loi s hav e i n commo n i s placed a t th e cente r o f th e narrativ e b y bein g reflecte d i n th e novel's sociohistorica l setting , metaphoricall y foregrounde d b y the violence o f the Troubles. Indicativ e o f the gulf dividin g the AngloIrish fro m th e nativ e Irish , thi s wa r wil l eventuall y lea d t o th e destruction o f the colonizing power o f the Anglo-Irish lande d gen try, o f th e Ascendenc y itself , an d o f th e way o f lif e i t stil l barel y upholds. Founde d o n unequa l powe r relation s embedde d i n a n outdated clas s system, the Anglo-Irish communit y i s shown to have rendered itsel f virtuall y obsolete . This in turn i s intimated b y Lois's

Technologies of Female Adolescence 51 and Laurence' s relativ e indifferenc e t o th e threa t o f th e politica l upheavals. A s th e drawn-ou t endin g o f a stor y i n whic h the y fee l they hav e n o part , th e wa r ye t keep s the m i n thral l an d thwart s them i n thei r searc h fo r th e meaning s o f thei r ow n "historica l present": 56 To Laurenc e an d Loi s this al l ha d alread y a ring o f th e past. The y bot h had a sens e o f detention , o f a prologu e bein g playe d ou t to o lengthily , with unnecessary stress, a wasteful attentio n to detail. Apart, but not quite unaware of each other, queerly linked by antagonism, they both sat eating tea with dissatisfaction, resentfu l a t giving so much of themselves to what was to b e forgotten. Th e day was featureless, a stock pattern da y of lat e summer, blandl y insensitive to their imprints. The yellow sun . . . seemed old, used , filterin g fro m th e surplu s o f som e happ y fulfillment ; while , unapproachably elsewhere, something went by without them. (118) Since each confront s th e othe r wit h her/hi s unfixe d positio n i n thi s historical momen t an d it s corollary , a lac k o f symboli c powe r that preclude s thei r givin g a twis t t o a no-longer-relevan t cultura l scenario, th e bon d betwee n th e cousin s i s on e o f antagonism . Laurence, o n hi s part , hide s hi s vulnerabilit y b y "bein g intellec tual," holdin g u p a shiel d o f "cleve r conversation " i n orde r t o pretend t o hav e "n o emotiona l life " (9) . Lois , i n contrast , ha s n o Oxford t o fal l bac k on . A s a girl , sh e ha s n o sociocultura l frame work empowerin g he r t o concea l he r sens e o f dislocatio n an d instability o r t o foreg o th e challeng e o f he r bewilderin g inne r con flicts. Laurence' s protectiv e shield , however , als o exact s it s price . While preventin g hi m fro m bein g ensnared—h e "escape[s ] b y sit ting alway s wit h a socia l aler t expressio n betwee n tw o groups ; when on e trie d t o clai m hi m h e coul d affec t t o b e engage d b y th e other"—it simultaneousl y leave s hi m i n a stat e o f limb o (41) . Determined t o remai n imperviou s t o th e demand s o f a n erode d social system , h e render s himsel f ineffectua l withi n it . A s a result , he ends up "beatin g th e bushes vaguely" (42) . Laurence's "unsympathy " i s precisely what give s Lois a sense of comfort i n hi s presence. Sh e is reassured b y his complete "indiffer -

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ence t o ever y shad e o f he r personality. " Initially , Loi s ha d bee n intent o n impressin g he r cousi n a s a n "intellectua l girl. " Hi s blun t advice t o "rea d les s an d mor e thoroughl y and , o n th e whol e . . . talk less, " however , ha d induce d he r t o chang e he r attitude . Sh e subsequently "reattaine d confidence , expandin g unde r hi s disap proval." Such ease is unattainable with an y of the other inhabitant s of Danielstown . A s Lois clearl y perceives, it is "those tender , thos e receptive listener s t o who m on e fel t afterward s committe d an d sold" ( n ) . Thi s somewha t puzzlin g insigh t spring s directl y fro m the ambivalen t natur e o f subjectiv e interpellation : onc e on e ha s been "received " in the preexisting discursive slots in/through whic h the proces s o f subjectivit y obtains , on e i s als o boun d t o thei r constraining effects . Th e instabilit y o f th e adolescent' s sens e o f psychosexual sel f enhance s her/hi s awarenes s o f th e interdepen dence inheren t i n th e relation s betwee n Sel f an d (the ) Other/s . A s Erikson observes , during the adolescent stag e of identit y formatio n the subjec t i s most willin g t o "pu t hi s [sic] trus t i n thos e peers an d leading, o r misleading , elder s wh o wil l giv e imaginative , i f no t illusory, scop e t o hi s aspirations. " A t th e sam e time , however, th e adolescent "fear s a foolish , al l to o trustin g commitment " (129) . Considering th e severe restraints impose d b y her sociocultura l con text, wha t exactl y ar e th e option s fo r Lois ? Wha t "imaginative " possibilities ar e offered t o her b y her "peer s an d leadin g elders" ? Negative Presences. In the absenc e of Lois' s real parents, the Nay lors appea r a s eligibl e substitutes . Si r Richar d seem s sufficientl y generous an d kind , bu t h e doe s no t sho w an y activ e concer n fo r his niece . Hi s lac k o f interes t obviousl y doe s no t sprin g fro m hi s responsibilities a s the Anglo-Irish landowner , sinc e his tasks d o no t seem t o b e particularl y exacting . Hi s wif e doe s no t sto p pointin g out, however , tha t "Si r Richar d i s easily worried" (182) . She take s great pain s t o preven t he r husban d fro m encounterin g anythin g potentially upsetting . Si r Richard' s equilibriu m i s a precariou s af fair an d th e slightes t disruptio n o f hi s accustome d way s i s caus e

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for inordinat e distress . Thi s i s a t onc e establishe d whe n h e come s down fo r dinne r th e nigh t o f th e Montmorencys ' arrival . H e i s annoyed t o find Franci e alread y i n th e dinin g room , fo r "Si r Rich ard wa s ver y muc h worrie d b y visitor s wh o cam e dow n earl y fo r dinner; evidentl y h e ha d no t expecte d thi s o f Francie " (22-23) . His irritatio n increase s whe n th e ensuin g conversatio n lead s t o a "suspicion o f somethin g somewhere " regardin g hi s lat e sister' s relations wit h Hugo . Si r Richar d choose s t o suppres s th e unwel come sensatio n induce d b y th e mer e suggestio n o f "something " sexual b y flatly chatting awa y to Francie. Eventually, i t falls t o Loi s to "chec k th e coupl e i n thei r caree r o f inanity " (22) . Sir Richard' s temperament i s clearl y no t on e t o ris e t o an y occasion . H e prefer s not t o notic e Lois' s restlessness , jus t a s h e refuse s t o le t th e im pending devastatio n o f Anglo-Irelan d unsettl e hi s equanimity . Hi s feebleness an d lac k o f mora l energ y ar e confirme d b y hi s reactio n to th e onl y explicitl y emotiona l even t in the novel . When th e deat h of a n Englis h soldie r i s announced , a young ma n who m h e know s to hav e bee n involve d wit h hi s niece , Sir Richard turn s ou t t o hav e "slipped awa y quietly ; h e wa s a n ol d man , really , outsid e al l this , and di d no t kno w wha t t o do " (203) . The portrai t o f hi s wife , Myra , form s a strikin g contras t t o the pictur e o f (sexual ) impotenc e represente d b y Si r Richard . He r character form s a t onc e a splendi d piec e o f socia l comed y an d a sharp indictmen t o f Anglo-Iris h an d upper-clas s narrow-mind edness. I n additio n t o he r presenc e a s a formidabl e figurehead, Lady Naylor provide s a n outspoke n instanc e o f thwarte d ambitio n cast in explicitly gendere d terms . Francie reflect s tha t Myra , befor e he r marriage , use d t o b e "interesting," someon e cultivate d wh o "sketche d beautifully , kne w about book s an d music " an d ha d bee n "t o Germany , Italy , every where tha t on e visit s acquisitively " (14) . Th e narrato r disclose s Lady Naylor's vie w on he r ow n youn g self : Lady Naylor thought al l young people ought to be rebels; she herself ha d certainly been a rebel. But since the War, they had never ceased mouching.

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She herself had had a deep sense of poetry; she remembered going to sleep with Shelle y unde r he r pillow . Sh e used t o wal k alon e i n th e mountain s and hated coming in to meals. (120) With Myra' s accessio n t o adul t womanhood , he r adolescen t "re belliousness" wa s conclusivel y brough t t o a n end . A s Lady Naylo r she feel s a certai n responsibilit y towar d he r husband' s charge , bu t she repeatedl y emphasize s tha t Loi s i s "no t he r ow n niec e a t all " (182). He r reason s fo r keepin g he r distanc e fro m thi s potentia l source o f commotio n ar e directl y relate d t o he r ow n aborte d de sires. Whil e sh e impresse s o n Loi s tha t sh e hersel f a t "nineteen , was readin g Schiller, " bein g "intensel y intereste d i n art " (167) , i t is clea r tha t marrie d lif e ha s neithe r me t Myr a Naylor' s sexua l desires nor fulfille d he r romantic yearnings an d artisti c aspirations . The lin k betwee n he r latel y acquire d "terribl e habi t o f shuttin g doors" an d he r se x i s astutel y discerne d b y Laurence . Musin g about a n alternativ e lif e fo r hi s aunt , h e envisage s he r "enjoy[ing ] a vigorou s celibacy " (106) . Forced b y th e exigencie s o f he r gende r role an d Si r Richard' s impotenc e t o suppres s he r ambition s an d stifle he r passions , Myr a Naylo r ha s mor e o r les s ossifie d i n he r position a s th e Lad y o f th e House . Th e succes s o f he r attempt s a t suppressing he r desire s reveals the abidin g strengt h o f he r "roman tic will." Such ruthles s ardo r ha s left it s unmistakable traces : Her brigh t gre y eyes, with very black, urgent pupils , continued i n a deep crease at each outside corner. High on the curve of her cheeks, like petals, bright mauve-pin k colou r became , withi n kissin g distance , a ne t o f fine delicate veins . He r eyebrows , draw n i n a pointed arch , suggeste d tragi c surprise til l on e sa w th e arc h neve r flattened , th e fac e beneat h neve r changed from it s placid eagerness, its happy dissatisfaction. (16 ) Thoroughly internalized , th e cultura l constraint s belongin g t o he r sex hav e inscribe d themselve s ont o Lad y Naylor' s body . Franci e notices "somethin g se t no w i n Myra ; sh e wa s happier , harder " (17). In additio n t o markin g th e strengt h o f th e woman' s determi nation, thes e physica l sign s indicat e th e exten t an d th e forc e o f ideological operations . Deprive d o f socia l agency , wha t i s lef t t o

Technologies of Female Adolescence 55 Lady Naylo r ar e he r limite d domesti c powers . Thes e sh e exert s vigorously, i n a high-handed, imperiou s manne r an d wit h a steady , almost unscrupulou s perseverence . An additional outle t for Aun t Myra's frustratio n an d suppresse d anger i s provided b y th e elaborat e Britis h clas s system . He r (class ) arrogance an d bigote d nationalis t view s allo w Bowe n t o displa y her exquisit e talen t fo r socia l satire . Th e mai n targe t o f th e Iris h lady's scor n ar e the English upper-middl e classes : I alway s find th e grea t thin g i n Englan d i s t o hav e plent y t o say , an d mercifully the y ar e determine d t o find on e amusing . Bu t i f on e stop s talking, they tell one the most extraordinary things, about their husbands, their mone y affairs , thei r insides . The y don' t see m discourage d b y no t being asked . An d the y see m s o intimat e wit h eac h other ; I suppos e i t comes from livin g so close together. O f cours e they are very definite an d practical, but i t is a pity the y talk s o much abou t wha t the y ar e doing. I can't think why they think it should matter. (134) Lady Naylor' s embrac e o f thes e hierarchica l discourse s empower s her t o exploi t he r superio r positio n withi n them . Sh e i s abl e t o overrule th e law s o f gende r whe n dealin g wit h me n sociall y be neath her , expertl y drawin g o n th e sophisticate d code s b y whic h dominant an d nondominan t group s mutuall y uphol d thei r rela tions. Sh e thu s interfere s effectivel y wit h th e youn g Englis h subal tern's (aptl y calle d Lesworth ) wishe s to marr y Lois . Myra Naylor' s muffled rag e i s les s explicitl y vente d whe n i t come s t o th e me n o f her ow n class . In he r relation s wit h Si r Richard , sh e successfull y follows a strateg y o f neutralizatio n b y containment . Whil e allowing he r t o organiz e lif e a t Danielstow n accordin g t o he r ow n indomitable will , thi s als o reveal s he r contemp t fo r he r husband' s impotence an d th e inefficac y o f upper-clas s me n generally . Th e complex way s i n whic h th e intersectin g discourse s o f gende r an d class operat e ar e perhaps mos t strikingl y expresse d i n th e fac t tha t the only person proving a match t o Lady Naylor's powerful tempe r is a femal e subordinate . Th e coo k Kathleen , "wh o resemble d he r mistress in personality s o closely that thei r relatio n wa s an affai r o f

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balance, wh o ha d mor e penetratio n tha n Lad y Naylo r an d wa s equally dominant, " apparentl y offer s Aun t Myr a he r onl y substan tial challeng e (169) . I n th e safet y o f clas s hierarchies , th e staunc h lady thus find s a rare significant othe r in a member o f the same sex. Lady Naylor' s admonitio n t o Loi s no t t o marr y ("There' s a future fo r girl s outside marriage" ) i s undoubtedly sincerel y felt . S o are her motive s fo r advocatin g a different course , which sh e articu lates wit h th e "inspiring " exclamation : '"Careers—ho w J shoul d have love d one' " (174) . These exhortations , however , sprin g mor e from he r ow n sens e o f frustratio n tha n fro m a n actua l recognitio n of Lois' s needs . Th e possibl e alternative s t o marriag e tha t sh e suggests, fo r example , a "schoo l o f art, " o r "takin g up " Frenc h or German , ar e offere d indiscriminatel y an d i n suc h a n off-han d manner a s t o soun d quit e fatuous . Lad y Naylor' s strateg y o f (self-)containment ha s inevitabl y le d t o nearl y absolut e indiffer ence. He r ferven t endeavor s t o kee p an y potentiall y disturbin g element a t ba y i s poignantl y reflecte d i n he r attitud e towar d th e political situation . A s sh e tell s he r visitors : '"Fro m al l th e tal k [about th e war] , yo u migh t thin k almos t anythin g wa s goin g t o happen, bu t w e neve r listen . I hav e mad e i t a rul e no t t o talk , either'" (26) . He r long-standin g practic e o f (self-)repressio n ha s made Aun t Myr a incapabl e o f an y dee p affectio n o r empathy . Th e nearest sh e get s t o showin g emotio n i s whe n sh e insist s tha t Loi s "knows better " tha n t o marry . I t i s o n thi s occasio n tha t sh e ca n give Loi s "on e o f he r rarest , mos t charming , direc t an d persona l glances" (174) . Bu t he r respons e t o th e announcemen t o f Geral d Lesworth's deat h reveal s that Aunt Myra i s as emotionally cripple d as he r husband . Sinc e th e challeng e o f compassio n i s beyon d her , her onl y optio n i s dodging it altogether : Lady Naylor though t firmly: "Now I must go and find Lois. But she did not go; things seemed to delay her. She looked into the drawing-room t o see whethe r something—sh e wasn' t certai n what—wa s there . Francie , red-eyed, looke d guiltil y ove r th e bac k o f th e sofa . The y di d no t sa y

Technologies of Female Adolescence jy anything. The roo m becam e s o sharply painfu l tha t Lad y Naylor almos t exclaimed: "Lois has not done the flowers!" (203) The mora l cowardic e resultin g fro m emotiona l desiccatio n an d sexual inerti a a s embodie d b y th e Naylor s represent s a constan t preoccupation i n Bowen' s work . In a n intervie w wit h Jocelyn e Brooke broadcas t b y th e BB C i n 1950 , th e autho r commente d o n what sh e considere d t o b e misleadin g notion s tha t ha d gathere d around he r best-know n novel , The Death of the Heart (1938 ; hereafter, DH). 57 He r statement s o n thi s novel' s them e an d it s central character s ar e equally relevan t t o LS: I've hear d [DH], for instance , calle d a traged y o f adolescence . I neve r thought of it that way when I wrote it and I must say I still don't see it in that wa y now . Th e on e adolescen t characte r i n it , th e youn g gir l Porti a seems to me to be less tragic than the others. She at least, has a hope, and she hasn't atrophied. The book is really a study, it might be presumptuous of m e to cal l i t a traged y o f atrophy , no t o f death so much as of death sleep. An d the function o f Portia i n the story is to be the awake one, in a sense therefore sh e was a required character . Sh e imparts meaning rather than carries meaning. (Italics mine.) While underscorin g th e significanc e o f th e femal e adolescen t a s a destabilizing figure i n th e (lethal ) stor y o f (heterosexual ) conven tion, these remarks shoul d no t obscur e the fact tha t th e Naylors d o not present a s bleak a picture of a lost civilization a s the disaffecte d Quaynes, th e centra l character s i n DH. Th e Naylor s clin g t o cul tural pattern s tha t ar e bein g erode d b y thei r ow n an d thei r era' s failure t o provid e th e mora l vigo r necessar y fo r revitalizin g them . The Quayne s ar e emotionall y an d morall y dispossesse d b y lackin g a sociocultura l framewor k entirely . Th e Naylors ' "atrophy " i s nonetheless undeniable . Lois , whos e sens e o f incoherenc e force s her t o perceiv e ho w "sh e an d thos e hom e surrounding s . . . penetrated eac h othe r mutuall y i n th e discover y o f a lack, " recognize s the fundamenta l decenterednes s o f bot h subjectivit y an d dominan t culture (166) . She fulfills he r role as the "awak e one " by experienc-

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ing an d exposin g th e fundamenta l lac k a t th e hear t o f th e estab lished power/meanin g structures—symbolize d b y Danielstow n — in which sh e is compelled t o negotiate a position . Such a concep t o f adolescenc e a s I hav e outline d abov e allow s us to discer n tha t Lois , on accoun t o f he r sexua l indefinitenes s an d her unfixe d gende r identity , "imparts " meanin g b y embodyin g the subject-in-proces s withi n ideology . He r crisis , reflecte d i n th e violence o f th e novel's sociopolitica l setting , represents th e struggl e of th e individua l i n her/hi s dialogi c relationshi p wit h th e world . The Naylor s shir k thei r moral responsibilit y b y recoilin g fro m th e challenge o f thei r "answerability. " Thei r "happ y dissatisfaction " stems fro m thei r unwillingness—o r rather , thei r inability—t o "b e really alive, " t o engag e i n th e heterogeneit y o f experienc e tha t forms th e groun d o f semiosis , o f givin g meanin g bot h t o one' s sel f and t o reality . Thei r recoi l signifie s a foregoin g o f wha t Bowe n calls the "struggl e fo r life. " It is this unremitting struggle , she adds, that "ma y b e said , i n fact , t o be lif e itself , an d [that ] shoul d no t therefore hav e anythin g terribl e abou t it." 5 8 Th e Naylors ' "deat h sleep" i s mor e tha n a persona l tragedy . Th e ambivalenc e o f thei r isolated positio n i n Irelan d an d thei r willfu l ignoranc e thereo f wil l ultimately resul t i n th e destructio n o f bot h Danielstow n an d th e Ascendency. Thi s indicate s tha t thei r persona l mora l failur e i s als o fundamentally a sociopolitical one . The Inscription in Experience. Precedin g th e narrativ e o f LS, w e find a lin e fro m Marce l Proust' s Le Temps Retrouve: "'li s on t le s chagrins qu'on t le s vierges et les paresseux.'" Servin g as the novel' s motto, th e lin e condemn s th e Naylor s t o th e categor y o f les paresseux fo r thei r reluctanc e t o embrac e experienc e i n it s destabilizin g multiplicity. Underlinin g th e ambivalenc e o f th e concep t o f "inno cence," the factua l lac k o f (firs t an d foremos t sexual ) experienc e i n les vierges is equally reproved. The distinction betwee n thes e form s of chagrin ye t support s a readin g o f th e adolescen t protagonis t a s the "awak e one " o f th e story . Althoug h Bowe n describe s he r a s a

Technologies of Female Adolescence 59 "creature stil l half-awake, th e sou l no t ye t open, no r ye t the eyes, " she als o assert s tha t Lois , "lik e i t o r no t . . . acquiesce d t o strife , abnormalities an d danger, " sinc e "violenc e wa s containe d i n he r sense o f life , alon g wit h dance-music , th e sweet-pe a i n th e garden , the inexorabl e rainines s o f days." 5 9 A s ye t waverin g i n he r sexua l orientation an d unfixe d i n he r gende r identity , th e adolescen t can not bu t activel y engag e i n whateve r dialogica l relation s sh e i s launched into . Lacking a plac e withi n th e traditiona l famil y triangle , Loi s i s particularly dependen t o n th e wide r contex t o f sociocultura l rela tions i n whic h sh e is to positio n herself . He r sens e of dislocatio n i s reinforced rathe r tha n alleviate d withi n th e Anglo-Iris h commu nity. Howeve r unstabl e th e politica l situatio n ma y be , al l o f he r relatives emphaticall y defin e themselve s i n national(ist) terms . Thi s strengthens Lois' s sens e o f exclusion . Sh e realize s tha t ther e i s "something els e that sh e could no t share : she could not conceiv e of her country emotionally " (34) . The multiple characte r o f subjectiv ity is foregrounded b y the simultaneous an d intersectin g operation s of thes e variou s powe r structure s i n th e contex t o f th e adolescen t quest. The connections betwee n th e discourses of nationality, class , and gende r acquir e ful l articulatio n i n Lois' s relationshi p wit h Gerald Lesworth . Sinc e psychosexuality form s a (i f no t the ) majo r substructure o f subjectiv e identity , I wil l primaril y focu s o n th e heroine's "struggl e fo r life " i n this respect . As w e hav e seen , a sens e o f Sel f i s essentiall y a "gift " o f (the ) Other/s. Th e concep t o f significan t other s a s i t i s use d b y Erikso n is therefore, a s I have alread y suggested , somewha t misleading . Hi s emphasis o n (the ) Other/s ' functio n a s mer e rol e model s presup poses a degree of autonom y an d choic e that th e fundamental ambi guity o f ideologica l interpellatio n clearl y refutes . Precisel y th e ten sion create d b y th e nee d t o b e authenticate d b y (the ) Other/ s an d simultaneously t o resist the constraints o f suc h "hailing " form s th e crux o f Lois' s predicament . Th e conflic t emerge s mos t conspicu ously i n "thos e incalculabl e springings-ou t o f min d throug h th e

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body" tha t fin d expressio n i n he r "intens e brimmin g wanderin g look" se t agains t a chi n showin g "emphasis, " seemin g "read y fo r determination" (28) . Th e gendere d natur e o f Lois' s ambivalenc e appears whe n th e adult s insis t that sh e must b e having a "wonder ful time " now tha t sh e has "grow n up" : "Oh, w e l l . . ." sai d Lois. She went across to the fireplaceand rose on her tiptoes, leanin g he r shoulder s agains t th e marble . Sh e trie d no t t o loo k conscious. She still felt a distinct pride at having grown up at all; it seemed an achievement , lik e marriag e o r fame . Havin g a wonderfu l time , sh e knew, meant being attractive to a number of young men. If she said, "Yes, I do," it implied "Yes, I am, very—" and she was not certain. She was not certain, either , ho w much sh e enjoyed herself . "Well, yes, I do," she said finally. (21 ) Such recognitio n i s thus bot h pleasing , reassurin g Loi s of he r adul t position, an d caus e fo r doub t becaus e o f th e questionabl e mean ings of th e position itself . Even so , Lois's misgivings do not preven t her fro m discernin g th e semiotic importance o f discursiv e position ing: "No t t o b e known seeme d lik e a doom: extinction " (34) . No r is she unaware of the constructed characte r o f what sh e has learne d to regar d a s her "personality" : She could no t hop e t o explai n tha t he r yout h seeme d t o he r als o rathe r theatrical an d tha t sh e wa s onl y youn g i n tha t wa y becaus e peopl e ex pected it. She had never refused a role. She could not forgo tha t intensifi cation, that kindling of her personality at being considered very happy and reckless, even if she were not. (32) These sequence s captur e th e ver y parado x o f identit y an d it s de termining categories , which, a s Judith Butle r points ou t i n a recen t essay, "ten d t o b e instrument s o f regulator y regimes , whethe r a s the normalizin g categorie s o f oppressiv e structure s o r a s th e ral lying point s fo r a liberator y contestatio n o f tha t ver y op pression." 60 While underscorin g th e gendere d meaning s o f adolescence , Lois's recognitio n o f th e theatrica l aspect s o f he r yout h an d he r role a s a n objec t o f mal e desir e attest s t o th e performativ e natur e

Technologies of Female Adolescence 61 of gendere d sexuality . Bu t th e second-cite d sequenc e als o show s that suc h a recognitio n doe s no t mea n tha t sh e ca n simpl y foreg o the proces s o f subjectiv e interpellatio n effecte d b y "regulatory " discursive practices . Give n th e sociohistorica l context , th e immedi ate rout e t o adul t identit y i s channele d throug h th e discourse s o f love an d marriage . Love , wit h it s "gif t o f importance, " present s itself a s a t leas t somethin g concret e t o Lois , a s a mean s t o fulfil l her profoun d nee d t o belon g (23) . Geral d Lesworth' s attractio n hence reside s precisel y i n hi s "eagernes s an d constancy. " A t th e same time, however, the young men who play their assigned gende r roles see m unimportant . The y "bloc k he r menta l vie w b y thei r extreme closeness " an d "mov e shadowles s i n a kind o f socia l glar e numbing t o th e imagination " (13) . Lois' s feeling s revea l tha t i t i s the heterosexua l teleolog y implici t i n th e dominan t cultura l sce nario tha t form s th e majo r "stumbling-block " i n he r ques t fo r her self. An overhear d conversatio n betwee n Lad y Naylo r an d Franci e Montmorency simultaneousl y suggest s t o Loi s th e politica l an d social interest s involve d i n th e maintenanc e o f th e heterosexua l contract an d confirm s tha t i t i s thei r internalize d heterosexualit y that define s femal e subjects ' complicit y i n th e syste m o f phallogo centrism: The voices spoke of love; they were full of protest. Love, [Lois] had learnt to assume , was the mainspring o f woman' s grievances . Illnesses all aros e from it , th e havin g o f children , th e illnesse s childre n had ; servant s also , since th e regula r practic e o f lov e involve d a home ; b y mone y i t wa s confined, proppe d an d moulded . Loi s flung off th e pillow s an d walke d round th e roo m quickly . Sh e was angry ; sh e straine d t o hea r now , sh e quite frankl y listened . Bu t whe n Mr s Montmorenc y cam e to : *Loi s i s very—" sh e wa s afrai d suddenly . Sh e ha d a panic . Sh e didn' t wan t t o know what sh e was, she couldn't bea r to: knowledge of this would stop, seal, finish one. Was she now to b e clapped dow n unde r a n adjective , t o crawl round lifelong inside some quality like a fly in a tumbler? (60) Since eve n th e mos t "provisiona l totalization " o f th e sel f i n lan guage entail s a radica l exclusio n o f tha t whic h exceed s suc h a

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determination, Loi s shirk s fro m bein g defined i n an y terms. 61 Hav ing prevented Franci e fro m finishing he r sentence , sh e realizes tha t now sh e "woul d neve r know " wha t sh e "was" Thi s wil l no t sto p her wondering , however , fo r sh e realize s tha t sh e canno t remai n forever i n a state of "indefiniteness " (60) . While it is psychologically impossibl e t o live without som e sens e of coheren t identity , th e very ambivalenc e o f languag e als o implie s that n o marke r o f th e sel f ca n i n effect b e "final." Indeed , a s Butler contends, th e noncoincidenc e o f subjectivit y entail s tha t i n an y performative ac t servin g t o identif y oneself , tha t whic h i s exclude d "remains constitutiv e o f tha t determinatio n itself. " In other words , any identificator y statemen t exceed s it s determinatio n an d "eve n produces tha t ver y exces s i n an d b y the ac t which seek s to exhaus t that semanti c field" o f th e self. 62 To pu t i t in Bakhtinian terms , th e irreducible indeterminac y o f subjectivit y spring s fro m th e inabilit y of al l aspect s o f languag e t o merg e wit h th e huma n subject . Th e dialogical basi s of identit y implie s that th e self i s a ceaseless projec t constituted i n otherness . Sinc e achievin g a sens e o f onesel f i s a n activity neve r t o b e completed , Lois' s struggl e canno t b e judged i n terms o f failur e o r success. 63 Th e contradictio n betwee n he r nee d for definitio n an d he r desir e t o escap e fro m th e restriction s im posed b y th e regulator y regime s o f establishe d power/knowledg e structures i s not a specifically adolescen t phenomenon. Being inherent i n th e proces s o f subjectivit y itself , th e conflic t i s ultimatel y unresolvable. Still , th e assumptio n tha t th e contradictio n i s there fore alway s suspende d o r maintaine d shoul d no t b e allowe d t o obscure th e gendere d operation s o f ideologica l discourses . Thes e place specific limitation s o n th e femal e adolescent . Hailing Peers and the Discourse of Love Th e secon d grou p o f "significant others " identifie d b y Erikso n ar e th e adolescent' s peers. Henc e th e importanc e o f Lois' s friend s Viol a an d Livv y Thompson. Thes e tw o character s migh t b e sai d t o functio n a t th e opposite end s o f th e axi s upo n whic h Lois' s thought s abou t lov e

Technologies of Female Adolescence 63 and marriag e revolve . No t actuall y appearin g o n th e narrativ e stage, th e heroine' s forme r schoolmat e Viol a perform s th e rol e o f alter ego , availabl e onl y i n discourse , i n th e intimac y o f thei r correspondence. Precisel y he r physica l absenc e signal s th e charac ter's representativ e functio n a s th e cultura l idea l o f "femininity. " Figuring in Lois's story a s the personification o f heterosexual wom anhood, sh e operates a s the standar d o f psychosexual "normality " that, a s Teres a d e Laureti s remind s us , "i s onl y conceivabl e b y approximation, mor e i n th e orde r o f a projectio n tha n a n actua l state o f being." 64 Livvy , in contrast , live s within ridin g distanc e o f Danielstown an d he r rathe r to o clos e presenc e invite s a certai n reserve i n Lois . Livv y bein g Iris h an d slightl y common , th e differ ences i n thei r respectiv e classe s an d socia l position s nonetheles s place th e characte r a t th e necessar y distanc e s o a s t o provid e a counterbalance t o th e Englis h schoolmate , whos e sophisticatio n Lois finds quit e intimidating . Th e momen t o f thei r parting , "anx ious betwee n th e enormou s pas t an d future, " mark s Lois' s kee n sense o f th e differenc e betwee n hersel f an d Viola . Th e memor y locates her anxiet y squarel y i n the issue of gender : They had lef t schoo l th e day before . Ye t the new life had bee n impatien t for Viola, drawing her away from Loi s in the taxi, appropriating her with certainty. Sh e ha d steppe d fro m thei r tax i topplin g wit h schoo l trunk s with a kin d o f solemnity , a s o n t o a carpe t stretche d fo r he r festa l ap proach from th e kerb to the doors of her home. Next day, when they said goodbye, he r hai r wa s in plac e already , woven int o her personality. He r pigtail ha d bee n th e one loose en d ther e was of her , a n extensio n o f he r that had independence, a puppyish walloping thing with nerves of its own. Now the hair was woven in bright sleek circles over her ears, each strand round lik e a n eel' s body . Th e effec t complete d her ; Loi s kne w sh e ha d been missin g o r els e discountin g somethin g al l thes e years . Viol a mus t have playe d a t bein g th e schoolgir l jus t a s Loi s woul d hav e t o pla y a t being a woman. (50) Lois's unnervin g recognitio n a t th e en d o f thi s sequenc e corrobo rates the poststructuralist concep t of the self as a produced/produc ing effect , articulate d an d realize d i n materia l practices . Usin g th e

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very sam e term s o f "playing-at-being, " Butler , i n th e essay cite d earlier, argue s tha t (lesbian ) sexualit y i s a "certai n performanc e and productio n o f a 'sel f whic h i s th e constituted effect o f a discourse tha t nevertheles s claim s t o 'represent ' tha t sel f a s a prio r truth." 6 5 T o sa y that "t o b e a lesbian " i s to "pla y a t bein g one," however, doe s no t den y th e "reality " o f sexua l identities , for , sh e maintains, this is "deep-seated, psychicall y entrenche d play" : This is not a performance fro m whic h I can take radical distance . . . and this "I" does not play its lesbianism as a role. Rather, i t is through th e repeated play of this sexuality that the "I" is insistently reconstituted a s a lesbian "I" ; paradoxically, i t is precisely th e repetition of tha t pla y tha t establishes a s well the instability of the very categor y tha t i t constitutes. For i f th e "I" is a site of repetition , tha t is , if th e "I" only achieve s the semblance o f identit y throug h a certain repetitio n o f itself , the n th e I is always displaced by the very repetition that sustains it. (18 ) Since the self i s constituted i n the repetition o f contextually signifi cant an d socioculturall y determine d meaningfu l performances , i t follows tha t ther e is no anterior sel f tha t "precede s th e gender tha t it i s sai d t o perform " (18) . Whil e Butler' s focu s i s o n lesbia n sexuality, thi s equall y hold s tru e fo r tha t whic h wa s in fac t "cre ated a s a counterpar t o f homosexuality, " tha t is , naturalized het erosexuality. 66 Onl y b y a compulsor y repetitio n o f itself , b y bein g always "i n th e proces s o f imitatin g an d approximatin g it s ow n phantasmatic idealization, " ca n heterosexuality produc e th e effec t of itsel f a s the natural, the original. 67 We recal l tha t i t i s only b y presupposing th e "natural " catego ries o f "man " an d "woman " tha t gendere d heterosexualit y ca n produce itsel f a s "normal " and , vic e versa , tha t i t i s onl y i n th e context o f th e heterosexual matri x tha t suc h stabl e sexua l catego ries obtain . Heterosexua l gende r identitie s ar e thu s th e "theatri cally produce d effects " o f th e entirel y interdependen t regulator y regimes o f phallogocentris m an d compulsor y heterosexuality. 68 This i s a t onc e reflecte d i n Lois' s appreciatio n o f th e theatrica l character o f her role as a grownup an d in her ambivalent reaction s

Technologies of Female Adolescence 6j to he r tw o friends ' endeavor s t o pla y a t "being " women . Th e sense o f inferiorit y incurre d b y Viola' s "adult " personalit y i s no t unqualified, fo r Loi s clearl y perceive s tha t he r friend' s instan t womanhood implie s the loss of what littl e independence sh e had a s a schoolgirl . He r ow n reluctanc e t o b e "clappe d down " unde r on e of the identity categorie s sustainin g the binary syste m of heterosex ualized genders , however , leave s he r wit h n o recognizable , mean ingful sens e of self a t all. She therefore feel s incapable of counterin g the "married-womanis h ton e o f encouragement " o f Viola' s letter s with somethin g equall y self-assure d o f he r own . Displacin g he r ambivalent feeling s abou t womanhoo d ont o Livvy , she regards th e Irish girl' s eagernes s t o practic e he r "feminin e sensibility " wit h silent scorn (38) . Both Livv y and Viol a prove worthy subject s t o the gender ideol ogy prevalen t withi n thei r respectiv e sociocultura l surroundings . Livvy get s secretl y engage d t o a n Englis h subaltern , whic h a t onc e makes he r fee l "al l th e soldiers ' woman " (39) . Viola, havin g "tw o expensive youn g men' s photograph s . . . o n he r mantelpiece " (whose position s see m "regularize d magicall y b y th e puttin g u p o f [her] hair") , embark s upo n he r caree r a s gendere d subjec t b y at tending ball s an d successfull y makin g "variou s peopl e . . . see m intrigued" (50-51) . By adopting thei r prescribe d role s in the socia l contract, Lois' s friend s no t onl y confor m t o bu t i n effec t reinforc e the regime s o f compulsor y heterosexualit y an d phallogocentris m subtending it . Despit e he r nee d t o b e recognized , t o "b e i n a pattern," ou r heroin e i s incapable o f suc h a wholehearted embrac e of he r assigne d plac e withi n th e establishe d power/knowledg e sys tem. Sensin g th e aridit y o f th e marriage s aroun d her , Loi s astutel y discerns th e limitation s impose d o n th e individua l spouse s b y th e institution o f heterosexualit y itself . Wantin g n o par t o f that , sh e can alleviat e her fea r o f bein g "locke d out " b y the elder generatio n by deriving a "feelin g o f mysteriousnes s an d destination " fro m th e thought tha t sh e wil l "penetrat e thirt y year s deepe r ahea d int o Time than the y could " (29) . She cannot s o easily afford t o distanc e

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herself fro m he r peers, however. Succeedin g the now "lost " leadin g elders, Viol a an d Livv y ar e th e other s o n whic h Loi s depend s for confirmatio n o f he r precariou s sens e o f self . He r consciou s reservations notwithstanding , sh e feel s compelle d t o follo w the m in tryin g t o b e a "pleasan t youn g person, " which , sh e has learned , entails bein g "attractiv e t o a number o f young men." Sh e therefor e hesitatingly accept s Gerald Lesworth' s persistent attentions . From th e outset , Loi s understand s tha t sh e an d Geral d ar e preserving a n "illusio n bot h wer e calle d upo n t o maintain " (33) . Her insigh t int o th e fictiona l characte r o f th e heterosexua l plo t initially strengthen s he r nee d fo r hi s dependability . Gerald' s "nice minded" self-assurance—h e "smile d everywher e . . . wen t every where"—contrasts sharpl y wit h he r ow n sens e o f unreality , o f being "nowhere " (35) . Lois's very susceptibility t o the fact tha t sh e is no mor e tha n actin g he r prescribe d rol e i n a n endlessl y repeate d cultural pla y equall y allow s he r t o understan d tha t sh e wil l neve r be acknowledge d b y Geral d a s a perso n i n he r ow n right . Whe n she observe s hi m "watchin g he r a s thoug h sh e wer e a n entirel y different person, " sh e i s le d t o reflect : "Som e ide a h e ha d forme d of hersel f remaine d inaccessibl e t o her ; sh e coul d no t affec t it " (48). In thi s scenari o sh e ca n merel y functio n a s th e Othe r t o his Self. Indeed, Gerald' s ostensibl e reliabilit y i s a direc t resul t o f hi s unquestioning incorporatio n o f meaning s an d value s produce d b y established power/knowledg e structures . Th e narrator' s loo k int o his "inne r landscape " disclose s th e ideologica l basi s o f th e mos t "private" aspects of subjectivity. Whil e additionally drawin g atten tion t o th e succes s with whic h ideologie s obscur e thei r ow n opera tions, th e narrativ e iron y underline s th e constrainin g effect s o f prevailing notion s suc h a s "romanti c love. " Livin g i n a worl d i n which affection s ar e "rar e an d squar e . . . unrelated an d positive, " [Gerald] di d no t conceiv e o f lov e as a nervous interchang e bu t a s something absolute, out of th e scope of thought , beyon d himself, matter fo r a confident outwar d rathe r tha n anxiou s inwar d looking . H e ha d sough t

Technologies of Female Adolescence 67 and was satisfied wit h a few—he though t final —repositories for his emotions: hi s mother , country , dog , school , a frien d o r two , now—crown ingly—Lois. Of these he asked only that they should be quiet and positive, not impinge d upon , not breaking boundaries from thei r generou s allot ment. Hi s lif e wa s a successio n o f practica l adjustments , int o whic h th e factor o f personality di d not ente r a t all. His reserve—to whic h on e was apt t o accor d a to o sensitiv e reverence—wa s a n affai r o f convenienc e rather than protection. Pressed for a statement, he could have said, "I love her," t o . . . anyon e there , withou t uneasiness , withou t a sens e o f th e words' vibration s o f alar m a t a lou d impac t o n somethin g hollow . (41; italics mine) In hi s unself-consciou s embrac e o f variou s mode s o f totalizin g thought, Geral d undoubtedl y belong s to les paresseux. Bu t whereas the Naylors ' complacenc y i s condemne d i n relativel y moderat e terms, th e damagin g implication s o f th e youn g Englis h subaltern' s lack o f self-awarenes s ar e far mor e bluntl y brough t t o the fore . Gerald's phallocrati c an d bigote d view s o n persona l relation s not surprisingl y exten d t o his fixed notion o f "civilization " an d th e colonialist discours e t o whic h h e adhere s i n orde r t o justif y th e English army' s presenc e i n Ireland . Hi s naiv e bu t b y n o mean s harmless nationalism—"n o on e coul d hav e a sounder respec t tha n himself an d hi s countr y fo r th e whol e principa l o f nationality" — barely allow s hi m "som e awarenes s o f misdirection , eve n o f para dox, tha t h e wa s ou t her e t o hun t an d shoo t th e Irish " (93) . Such thought s contras t sharpl y wit h Laurence' s reflection s o n th e political situation , a disparit y tha t i s underline d b y th e narrator' s shifting attitud e towar d thes e respectiv e characters . Gerald' s "baf fled" stat e o f min d is , a s show n above , analyze d wit h searchin g irony. Withou t a shad e o f ironi c distancing , th e narrativ e voic e then merge s wit h Laurence' s thought s t o defin e "civilization " a s a "rather perplexin g syste m o f nicetie s . . . a n unemotiona l kindnes s withering t o assertio n selfis h o r racial. " In this "silenc e col d with a comprehension i n whic h th e explainin g clamou r die d away, " w e are told, the "en d o f art , of desire , as it would b e the end of battle " is to b e foreseen (93) . While signalin g the devastating effect s o f th e

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prevailing regime s o f power/knowledge , th e tex t thu s underscore s the full y interdependen t relation s betwee n th e private an d th e pub lic, betwee n subjectiv e experienc e an d objectiv e "reality. " In th e character o f th e Englis h subalter n th e destructiv e consequence s o f an unquestionin g internalizatio n o f dominan t value s ar e suggeste d to b e the resul t o f mora l inadequacy , t o deriv e fro m a lack o f self consciousness—in persona l a s well a s political terms. 69 Gerald's failur e criticall y t o "behol d an d react, " t o assum e hi s "answerability," render s hi m al l bu t obliviou s t o Lois' s eroti c de sires. In th e absenc e o f an y (self-)reflexiv e tendencie s i n he r lover , Lois, o n he r part , i s initiall y primaril y impresse d wit h Gerald' s physical presence. Looking "a s thoug h hi s thoughts wer e under hi s eyelids," h e seem s t o represen t "emotio n . . . unclothe d i n th e demi-decency o f thought ; nakedness , no t a suggestiv e deshabille " (52). Geral d no t onl y seem s t o offe r a solutio n t o he r fea r o f exclusion bu t als o promise s th e fulfillmen t o f he r dawnin g sexua l needs. Attracte d b y hi s "beautifu l body " an d hi s "round , smoot h head," sh e excitedl y recollect s dancin g wit h hi m o n th e lawn , "hi s hand slidfing ] u p betwee n he r shoulders ; then , a s sh e steadie d back t o th e rhythm , dow n again " (33) . He r susceptibilit y t o th e potentially constrainin g powe r o f word s induce s Loi s t o desir e Gerald in his very "earthy vitality." Her lover's unequivocal (physi cal) presence , however , doe s no t automaticall y signif y tha t h e i s capable o f eroti c interaction. Sinc e the engagemen t i n what Bowe n designates "syntheti c experience " involves valid emotion , imagina tion a s wel l a s th e brain , Gerald' s mora l blindnes s an d lac k o f (self )reflection preclud e an y mod e o f dialogi c exchange . Loi s cor rectly trace s th e sourc e o f hi s inabilit y t o "tak e i n a wor d [she ] say[s]" whe n sh e exclaims : " I d o wis h yo u wouldn't , Gerald— I mean, b e s o actual" (88) . The apparen t contradictio n reveal s tha t she recognize s th e annihilatin g effect s impose d o n hersel f b y Ger ald's nee d t o suppres s anythin g tha t migh t "brea k boundaries. " The ambivalenc e o f Lois' s ide a o f Geral d a s "a t onc e clos e an d

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remote, know n an d un-personal, " issue s fro m he r doubl e inscrip tion i n gende r ideolog y (153) . Dancing, sh e can enjo y hi s closenes s "under th e lovel y compulsio n o f movement, " fo r suc h physicalit y seems to keep her temporaril y ou t o f th e "net " o f verbal discourse , the "littl e twist s o f conversatio n knotte d together " tha t mak e he r feel that "on e can' t move , one doesn't kno w wher e one is." Locked together i n a cultural contex t tha t forbid s her , a s it di d he r mothe r before her , t o expres s hersel f sexually , Loi s consider s i t a "night mare tha t eve n [Gerald ] shoul d begi n t o talk " (191) . Since h e fail s to se e that th e "onl y wa y across " for the m i s physical communica tion, h e eithe r "ignore[s ] o r reject[s] " Lois' s wordles s appeal . Th e paradoxical resul t i s a feelin g o f impotenc e an d desolatio n o n th e latter's part (190) . It i s Loi s hersel f wh o establishe s th e connectio n betwee n th e phallogocentric gende r an d nationalis t discourse s personifie d b y Gerald. He r sens e o f frustratio n enable s he r t o disclos e thei r full y intertwined operation s a s oppressive an d exclusionar y practices : It's all this dreadful ide a about self-control. When we [the Anglo-Irish] do nothing it is out of politeness, but England is so moral, so dreadfully kee n on no t losin g he r temper , o r bein g fo r hal f a momen t no t a grea t dea l more noble than anyone else. Can you wonder this country gets irritated? It's as bad for i t as being a woman. I can never see why women shouldn' t be hit, or should be saved from wreck s when everybody complains they're superfluous. (49) 70 Her words , however , resoundingl y bounc e of f agains t th e impene trable hollo w o f he r lover' s personality. Gerald' s "belie f i n [Lois's ] perfection a s a woman, " hi s convictio n tha t "sh e wa s hi s integ rity," reduc e he r t o wha t i s n o mor e tha n a functio n i n prevailin g cultural scenarios . Th e fac t tha t sh e i s a "woman " explain s "ex actly wh y i t wasn' t t o b e expecte d o r desire d sh e should under stand." Sinc e h e regard s th e relation s betwee n th e sexe s a s a n "affair o f function, " h e feel s tha t a "possibl e failur e i n harmony, a sometimes discordan t irreverence " i n th e gir l mus t chivalrousl y b e

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"excused" (49-50) . Suc h putativ e magnanimit y beautifull y exem plifies th e strateg y o f containmen t b y whic h hierarchica l gende r relations ar e traditionally sustained . Lois i s force d t o acknowledg e tha t Gerald' s thoroug h internal ization o f a n ideolog y o f self-contro l ha s made i t in fac t impossibl e for hi m t o mee t the demand s o f he r desire . After thei r first kiss, she reflects: "S o tha t wa s bein g kissed ; jus t a n impact , wit h insid e blankness." Th e ensuin g sens e o f disenchantment—"sh e wa s lonely an d sa w ther e wa s n o future"—firs t induce s Loi s t o clos e her eye s an d tr y "t o b e enclose d i n non-entity , i n som e idea l no place, perfect an d clea r a s a bubble." The next momen t sh e is filled by a yearnin g t o b e "a t a party , unrea l an d vivid , o r runnin g on har d sands " (88-89) . Th e conflictua l impulse s explai n Lois' s frequent association s o f Gerald , an d th e sexual desire s he evokes in her, wit h bot h deat h an d he r mothe r Laura . Echoin g he r earlie r sensations o f mixe d excitemen t an d fear , "fea r behin d reason , fea r before he r birth, " thes e association s ar e directl y linke d t o th e attractions an d danger s o f th e engulfin g safet y o f th e materna l womb: "Sh e though t o f deat h an d glance d a t hi s body , quick , lovely, presen t an d ye t destructible . Somethin g passe d sensatio n and touche d he r consciousnes s wit h a kind o f weigh t an d warmth ; she glimpsed a quiet beyon d experience , a s though fo r man y night s he ha d bee n sleepin g besid e her " (89) . Lois' s "quic k respons e t o [Gerald's] beauty " an d his picture in her "menta l ey e . .. a s thoug h he wer e dead , a s thoug h sh e ha d los t him " (52 ) confir m th e con nection betwee n deat h an d desire . Recalling th e en d o f th e infant' s dyadic unit y wit h th e mother , th e compulsor y spli t upo n which , according t o Lacan , th e subject' s entr y int o th e symboli c orde r depends, Lois' s association s signif y a reevocation o f th e los s of he r first lov e object , th e mother . Paradoxically , i t i s a feelin g o f los s a t "not bein g compelled " b y Gerald' s touc h tha t inflict s Loi s eventu ally with a sense of oppressio n tha t i s to propel he r awa y fro m hi m (190; italic s mine) . I t i s no t Lois' s presume d inabilit y t o lov e tha t

Technologies of Female Adolescence yi puts a n en d t o thei r relationshi p bu t Gerald' s overal l failur e t o respond, hi s lack of , i n Bakhtinian terms , "dialogic imagination. " Lois i s filled with a feelin g o f wistfulnes s an d deprivatio n whe n she reflects tha t sh e "would hav e loved to love" Gerald. The cause s for th e failur e o f thei r relationshi p ar e firmly locate d withi n th e ideological context , i n th e syste m o f compulsor y heterosexualit y and it s curtailing effects : If there coul d onl y b e some change, some movement—in her , outside of her, somewhere between them—some incalculable shifting of perspectives that would brin g him wholly into focus, mind and spirit, as she had been bodily i n focu s now—sh e coul d lov e him . Somethin g mus t b e trans muted. . .. O r else , possibly, i f h e would no t lov e her so , could giv e her air to grow in, not stifle imagination. (52) The discursiv e inscriptio n o f subjectivit y account s fo r th e fac t tha t the stillnes s betwee n Loi s an d Geral d is , i n th e final instance , o f decisive importance . Sinc e subjectivity ca n onl y obtai n i n dialogu e with (the ) Other/s , that is , within th e symbolic order, this addition ally explain s wh y th e ostensibl e safet y o f Gerald' s womblik e de pendability is , in effect , lethal . The critica l functio n o f discours e i n the productio n o f a sel f i s furthermor e underline d whe n Loi s see s Gerald a s a "foreigne r wit h who m b y som e failur e i n he r vocabu lary al l communicatio n wa s interrupted " (190) . I t i s no t Lois' s failure t o communicate , however , bu t th e recognitio n tha t he r lover ha s "nothin g t o d o wit h expression " (153 ) tha t finally force s her t o tur n awa y fro m him . I n th e nex t chapte r w e shal l se e t o what Other s Loi s turn s i n he r ques t fo r he r Self , an d i n wha t ways thei r potentia l fo r offerin g alternativ e mode s o f bein g is also, though differently , subjec t t o ideological constraint .

3 Authoring Sexual Identities Experience is the reaction t o what happens, not the happening itself. —"Sources of Influence "

Sexual Position(ing)s Lesbian Desire and Cultural Intelligibility. I t shoul d b e clea r b y now tha t th e constitutiv e functio n o f ideolog y doe s no t allo w Lois t o simpl y "withdraw " fro m th e heterosexua l contrac t i n which bot h Geral d an d he r friend s s o forcefull y urg e he r t o implicate herself . Th e restrictiv e socia l code s o f th e Anglo-Iris h community mak e an y deviatio n fro m establishe d pattern s o f behavior, le t alon e a transgressio n o f heterosexua l gende r boundaries, a risk y affair . Wit h th e intrusio n o f th e outsid e world upo n th e seclude d worl d o f Danielstow n i n th e for m o f Miss Mard a Norton , potentia l alternative s nonetheles s appea r t o offer themselves . Comprisin g th e secon d an d middl e chapte r o f LS, "Th e Visi t o f Mis s Norton " function s a s a pivo t i n th e novel's structur e a s a whole , an d henc e underline s th e critica l role o f thi s figure i n th e heroine' s quest . Mard a is , Loi s ha s gathered, someon e wh o "annoy s Aun t Myr a b y bein g unfortunate i n way s tha t ar e fa r mor e tryin g fo r othe r peopl e than fo r herself. " Year s ago , sh e ha d bee n th e caus e o f a grea t

7*

Authoring Sexual Identities y^ deal o f "fus s an d bloodiness " a t a children' s part y a t Danielstown, wher e sh e ha s sinc e the n continue d he r caree r o f disruption (75) . O n thi s occasion , th e unknow n woma n begin s her visi t b y seriousl y distressin g Si r Richar d whe n sh e leave s on e of he r suitcase s o n th e train . Marda' s tendenc y t o creat e disorde r in th e orderl y patter n o f lif e a t Danielstow n immediatel y turn s her int o a n objec t o f attractio n fo r Lois . My focu s o n th e novel' s character s i n th e precedin g chapte r has le d m e t o neglec t th e rol e o f th e Bi g House itself . "Manifestl y a write r fo r who m place s loo m large," 1 Bowe n succeed s i n attributing t o Danielstown' s "vas t facad e . . . star[ing ] coldl y over it s mountin g lawns " th e livin g aspec t o f a characte r (y). 2 A t one poin t behel d b y Loi s a s a t onc e a "reservoi r o f obscurity " and a "magne t t o [her ] dependence, " Danielstow n embodie s th e very stake s involve d i n he r ques t (67) . Whil e representin g th e stability an d securit y sh e craves , th e Bi g Hous e i s als o th e personification o f th e immutabl e sociocultura l pattern s fro m which sh e yearn s t o brea k away . Mard a Norton' s functio n a s a disruptive agen t highlight s Danielstown' s symboli c valu e a s th e seat o f phallocrati c power . He r prominen t presenc e a t th e cor e o f the narrativ e thu s underscore s th e centra l plac e take n u p b y th e questions o f gende r an d sexualit y i n th e adolescen t proces s an d in th e novel' s themati c framewor k a s a whole . Before Loi s encounter s Mard a i n th e flesh, sh e i s confronte d by th e materia l attribute s o f th e mysteriou s woman' s personality . She i s dul y impresse d wit h th e sophisticatio n an d th e lifestyl e these paraphernali a appea r t o convey . Lois' s respons e t o Marda' s possessions lyin g scattere d abou t th e hal l adequatel y testifie s t o the imitativ e characte r o f gendere d subjectivity . Regulator y discourses transmitte d b y mas s medi a suc h a s fashio n magazine s interpellate th e subjec t i n her/hi s gender identit y b y invitin g her / him t o (re)constitut e a sel f i n a n endlessl y repeate d serie s o f performative acts :

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Lois sa t o n th e hal l tabl e t o loo k a t th e Tatler. Early autum n fashion s reminded her—this wa s an opportunity t o try on the fur coat . She hoped for th e proper agony , findin g a coat sh e could no t liv e without. . . . Her arms slipped silkil y through; he r hand s appeared , almos t tiny, out o f th e huge cuffs. "Oh , the escape!" she thought, pressing her chin down, fading, dying into the rich heaviness. "Oh, th e escape in other people's clothes!" And sh e paced roun d th e hall wit h ne w movements: a dark, rare , rathe r wistful woman , elusive with jasmine. "No?" she said on an upward note; the voice startled her, experience was behind it. She touched the fur lightly, touched th e edg e o f a cabinet—he r fingertips drumme d wit h foreig n sensitiveness. An d th e blurre d panes , th e steamin g changin g trees , th e lonely cav e of the hall no longer had he r consciousness i n a clamp. How she could live, she felt. Sh e would not need anyone, she would b e like an orchestra playing all to itself. "Is it mink?" she wondered. (76-77 ) While th e sequenc e expose s th e Self t o b e a n effec t produce d by/i n what i s essentially Other , th e scene' s spatia l settin g underline s th e connection betwee n Lois' s sens e o f oppressio n an d th e patriarcha l power represente d b y th e Bi g House . Wit h it s "squar e blac k eye " and it s hol d o n he r consciousness , i t i s Danielstow n fro m whos e "whole col d shell " Loi s long s t o escap e (86-87) . O n e o f th e reasons wh y Mard a i s suc h a n eligibl e objec t o f he r fascina tion i s precisel y th e latter' s rebelliousness , whic h direct s itsel f against th e hous e an d wha t i t stand s for . Thi s poin t i s mad e quite explici t whe n Mard a trie s t o accoun t fo r th e disturbin g ef fects o n Danielstow n o f he r usuall y efficien t presenc e b y ascrib ing t o th e hous e itsel f a "kin d o f fatality. " Loi s i s struc k b y a sense o f recognition : suc h a n appreciatio n o f th e coerciv e powe r exerted b y Danielstow n make s a n "approac h see m possible, immi nent" {77). Marda's appearanc e an d he r independen t attitud e promis e th e possibility o f escape . Her "sophisticatio n open[s ] further horizons " to Lois . Bu t th e heroin e i s no t th e onl y on e t o b e affecte d b y Marda's dazzlin g presence : al l Danielstown' s resident s ar e jolte d into variou s form s o f self-awareness . Since , a s th e narrato r ex plains, Marda' s "stronghol d o f . . . indifference " turn s he r ever y

Authoring Sexual Identities 75 speech int o a "lightnin g attac k o n one' s integrity, " th e effec t i s a "heightening of ] one' s ow n consciousness. " Marda' s markedl y androgynous appearanc e indicate s tha t he r destabilizin g powe r i s of a decidedly sexua l nature . With he r bac k "lik e a young man' s i n its vigorou s slightness, " he r bod y "escape[s ] th e feminin e pear shape." B y blurrin g th e distinctio n betwee n mal e an d femal e bod ies and , a fortiori , b y challengin g th e "natura l categories " o f "man" an d "woman, " th e figure no t onl y defie s th e traditiona l system o f gende r relation s bu t call s into questio n th e very "fact" o f sexual difference underlyin g this cultural scenario . In her masculin e tallness, Marda force s th e othe r characters—sittin g "fixe d i n thei r row"—to loo k u p t o her , inflictin g the m wit h a "vagu e sensatio n of bein g abandoned. " B y underminin g th e "integrity " o f thei r sexual identities , th e figure destabilize s thei r overal l consciousnes s of themselves as selves (79-80) . Marda's assessin g ey e immediately detect s Hugo' s "lamenes s o f thought," Lad y Naylor' s "despairin g optimism, " an d th e "disap pointments" the y al l ar e t o Lois , who m sh e perceive s t o b e "sic k with eagerness " for somethin g "fatal " t o happen (81 , 83). She does not hesitate to shatte r th e married couples ' complacent composure . Having swiftl y establishe d tha t "t o b e loved is not [Lois's ] affai r a t all," Mard a declare s tha t "love " itsel f i s "quit e irrelevan t . . . a t any age" : it s stayin g powe r ca n onl y b e explaine d o n th e ground s that "on e ha s those ideas " (83) . The unsparing lucidit y with whic h she expose s th e fiction o f heterosexua l romanc e doe s no t mean , however, tha t Mard a ca n a s easil y debun k th e concrete , materia l consequences o f th e ultimat e socia l contract . Th e circumstanc e that she , at twenty-nine, has "no t brough t anythin g off " (a s Livvie Thompson crassl y put s it ) i s caus e fo r tru e anxiet y glintin g occa sionally throug h he r "defenc e o f manner " (118) . Still , Marda' s visit t o Danielstow n turn s ou t t o hav e bee n prompte d b y he r engagement t o th e Englis h stockbroke r Lesli e Law e (!) . He r reluc tance t o announc e thi s new s t o th e Naylors—who m sh e suspect s of thinkin g he r engagement s "fantastic " fo r havin g "al l com e t o

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nothing" (85)—reveal s tha t Marda' s kee n ey e fo r th e degradin g effects o f th e La w doe s no t preclud e he r fro m bein g subordinate d to it s sway . Althoug h sh e correctl y sense s the danger s o f nonexist ence springing fro m he r unwillingness t o "pla y a t being a woman, " she, unlik e th e othe r adult s surroundin g Lois , i s painfull y con scious of th e limitations impose d b y prevailing ideological regimes . This (self-)consciousnes s explain s wh y Marda , a s ye t anothe r dis gruntled characte r i n th e novel , present s a particularl y trenchan t portrait o f disenchantment . Marda's detachmen t impresse s Loi s a s indicativ e o f he r "bril liant life. " Sh e assumes that th e visitor's ai r of awarenes s i s a toke n of th e "polis h an d dept h o f experience " (96) . Marda , i n contras t to th e othe r adul t resident s o f Danielstown , feel s n o nee d t o war d off th e unnervin g sign s o f an d destabilizin g effect s produce d b y Lois's conditio n o f transience : sh e frankl y acknowledge s he r ow n state o f disaffectio n an d consequen t sens e o f dislocation . No t re buffed b y th e customar y self-protectin g gestures , Loi s feel s fre e t o express he r secre t misgiving s abou t he r appointe d cultura l rol e t o the olde r woman : " 'Bein g grow n u p seem s trivial , somehow . I mean, dressin g an d writin g note s instea d o f letters , an d tryin g t o make impressions . When yo u hav e to thin k s o much o f wha t othe r people fee l abou t yo u ther e seem s n o tim e t o thin k wha t yo u fee l about them . Everybod y i s genia l a t on e i n a monotonou s kin d o f way' " (97) . These frank remark s reveal why Lois's lack of (sexual ) experience, an d th e resultingly indeterminat e positio n sh e occupie s in th e field o f power/knowledge , hold s a n intolerabl e threa t o f exposure. He r palpabl e naivet y permit s he r t o questio n exactl y those "realities" that les paresseux canno t affor d t o let go, enabling her t o expos e th e precariou s natur e of , i n effect , al l truth s an d meanings. This allow s her to say things whose implications ma y b e positively startling . Sh e remarks , fo r instance , tha t "surel y lov e wouldn't ge t s o muc h talke d abou t i f ther e wer e no t somethin g i n it." Suggestin g th e discursiv e an d thu s illusor y natur e o f on e o f the mainstay s o f th e socia l order , Loi s continue s b y declarin g

Authoring Sexual Identities yy reassuringly: " ' I mea n eve n soap , yo u know, howeve r muc h the y advertise . . . ' " (97) . Marda respond s b y perfunctorily admittin g that Loi s i s probably right , tha t "ther e mus t be " (something i n it). Although thi s may suggest that she , too, betrays Lois by not taking her seriously , Marda' s repl y doe s not convey the penchant fo r self delusion o f les paresseux. He r reaction i s motivated b y her failur e to defeat th e oppressive ideological force s whos e operations excee d her control , b y he r blea k recognitio n tha t th e "frui t o f he r own relation t o experience , unwisdom , lackin g th e sublimer banality, " is "meaningless an d without value " to Lois (100) . Marda's profoun d cynicis m spring s fro m th e fact tha t socioeco nomic pressure s hav e force d he r finally t o subjec t hersel f t o th e laws of patriarchy. He r need for Leslie Lawe signifies a humiliatin g resignation t o th e politically an d sociall y intereste d regulator y re gimes o f phallogocentris m an d compulsor y heterosexuality . He r engagement mean s a los s o f sel f o f whic h sh e is full y aware . She tells Lois : " 'I f yo u never nee d anyon e a s much yo u will b e fortu nate. I don' t kno w fo r mysel f wha t i s worthwhile. I' m sic k o f all this tria l an d error' " (101) . He r sense o f frustratio n ha s issued in a thoroug h scepticis m towar d inte r subjective relations ; he r sens e of ineffectualit y ha s convince d he r tha t th e "infinit e variance " of th e relatio n betwee n sel f an d experienc e "break s th e spa n o f comprehension betwee n bein g an d being. " T o Marda , an y "at tempt a t sympathy " seem s t o b e destine d t o accomplis h n o mor e than th e "meres t fumblin g fo r outle t alon g th e boundarie s o f the self" (100) .

Lois a s ye t lack s th e experienc e tha t ha s hardene d Marda' s disenchantment. Althoug h sh e admit s tha t "persona l relation s make a perfec t havoc " o f her , sh e realize s tha t sh e depend s o n relating t o other s fo r he r sens e o f self . He r presen t "difficulties, " she informs Marda , sprin g fro m bein g expecte d t o be "beginning " with thi s onl y t o discove r tha t sh e does no t "see m t o find youn g men inspiring , somehow " (97). At once signalin g th e centrality of gendered (hetero)sexualit y i n the process o f subjectivity, a s well as

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the indeterminac y o f tha t necessar y fictio n calle d self , she nonethe less continue s t o insis t o n he r nee d t o "b e i n a patter n . . . t o b e related," appreciatin g tha t "jus t t o be i s so intransitive, s o lonely " (98). Loi s herewit h confirm s d e Lauretis' s notio n o f subjectivit y a s "not . . . th e fixed poin t o f departur e o r arriva l fro m whic h on e interacts wit h th e world, " bu t rathe r th e "effec t o f tha t interac tion." D e Lauretis emphasizes , however, tha t th e experienc e o f sel f is no t simpl y produce d b y "externa l ideas , value s o r materia l causes." She foregrounds instea d tha t onl y one's "personal , subjec tive engagemen t i n th e practices , discourses , an d institution s tha t lend significanc e t o the events of the world" ca n give the individua l a sens e o f her/hi s meaningfulness. 3 I t i s precisely th e gender-deter mined restriction s impose d o n suc h meaning-producing "subjectiv e engagement" tha t hav e resulte d i n Marda' s embittere d resignatio n to th e Law . He r insigh t int o th e constrainin g forc e o f dominan t regulatory regime s i s reflected i n he r urgin g Loi s no t t o "expec t t o be touche d o r changed—o r t o b e i n anythin g tha t yo u do . On e just watches. Pain i s one's misunderstanding " (102) . Lois suffer s a "shoc k o f flatness " whe n sh e learn s abou t Marda's engagement . Sh e sharpl y perceive s "ho w anxiou s t o marry Mard a mus t reall y b e . . . ho w al l he r distantnes s an d he r quick, rejectin g ai r mus t b e a fals e effect , accidenta l an d transi tory" (100) . Seein g he r formerl y vagu e misgiving s abou t woman hood thu s confirme d i n her new friend , Loi s emphatically professe s to "hat e women. " Th e binar y fram e o f se x doe s no t leav e he r much option , however , an d sh e admit s tha t sh e "can' t thin k t o begin t o b e anythin g else " (99). I n he r nee d t o disengag e bot h herself an d Mard a fro m th e male/femal e paradigm , Loi s feel s sud denly "certai n tha t Lesli e would di e o r brea k of f th e engagement. " She als o resolve s tha t sh e hersel f mus t b e a "woman' s woman " (103). Havin g thu s reassure d herself , sh e feel s "mor e alon e wit h Marda, an d nearer. " He r subsequen t sensatio n o f "movemen t . . . as thoug h sh e were o n th e pro w o f a ship " is nonetheless abruptl y brought t o a n en d whe n Laurenc e appear s o n th e scene . H e ruth -

Authoring Sexual Identities 7

9

lessly put s Loi s bac k int o plac e b y pointin g ou t tha t he r involve ment wit h Mard a wil l neve r excee d attendin g he r weddin g i n th e role o f a bridesmaid . Bot h Lois' s resolution s an d he r subversiv e fantasies sho w tha t th e dualit y o f sex ca n onl y b e ensure d b y compulsory heterosexuality . Tha t sexua l differenc e i s a highl y un stable preconditio n fo r th e patriarcha l socia l contrac t i s abun dantly clea r fro m th e ideologica l overkil l an d th e ver y insistenc e with whic h a wid e rang e o f institutiona l discourse s see k t o "natu ralize" thi s culturall y produced , an d thu s contingent , effect . Th e remarkable fac t tha t Laurence , wh o ha s consistentl y demonstrate d his otherwis e complet e indifferenc e t o Lois' s personality , step s i n to la y dow n th e La w a t th e ver y momen t whe n sh e ha s decide d t o be a "woman' s woman " an d appear s t o ente r int o nonnormativ e relations wit h Mard a thu s signal s th e precariousness o f th e found ing structure o f society . Marda's defea t i n th e fac e o f th e overpowerin g strengt h o f dominant gende r ideologie s i s undeniabl y a disappointmen t t o Lois. Thei r friendshi p ye t strengthen s he r self-confidence , fo r i t involves a degre e o f intimac y an d trul y dialogi c exchang e formerl y unknown t o her . Newl y confronte d wit h Livvi e Thompson' s suc cess wit h th e Englis h soldiers , Loi s no w envisage s hersel f a s "ver y singular, distant , an d destined " ( n o ) . Althoug h suc h detachmen t enables he r rathe r disdainfull y t o denounc e he r friend' s conform ism, her position "a t th e crossroads" does not allo w for a complet e alleviation o f he r anxiou s feelings . He r stanc e toward s th e Iris h girl's engagemen t remain s ambivalent : Livvi e seem s to b e "a t onc e in a pit and upo n a pinnacle" (118) . The perils of exclusion ar e still lurking everywhere , an d th e though t o f "anybod y doin g anythin g without her " continue s t o fill Loi s wit h "vivi d an d dee p disap pointment" (113—14) . Thes e recurrin g fear s invariabl y issu e i n a renewed determinatio n tha t sh e "mus t marr y Gerald. " Lois' s a s yet frai l sens e of sel f i s clearly mos t alarmingl y shake n b y the mer e thought o f a position outsid e patriarchy's foundin g myth . Even i f Mard a canno t fulfil l th e promis e o f releas e Loi s ha d

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hoped for , sh e doe s pla y a crucia l rol e i n th e heroine' s ques t b y bringing abou t it s momen t o f revelation . On e mornin g th e tw o decide to take a walk i n the company o f Hugo, who has meanwhil e rather feebl y falle n i n lov e wit h Marda . Instea d o f bein g a sig n o f restored vigor , thi s merel y confirm s Hugo' s emotiona l deficiency : to accommodat e hi s secre t passion , h e ha s ha d t o creat e "som e kind o f non-existence, " a fantas y worl d i n whic h h e "coul d com mand [Marda's ] whol e rang e imaginatively " (176) . In suggestin g that th e heterosexua l plo t i s essentiall y a mal e fantasy , th e tex t prepares th e groun d fo r th e subsequen t inscriptio n o f a differen t sexual scenario . Explorin g th e fields, the thre e stroller s com e upo n an abandone d mil l tha t sit s "staring , light-eyed , ghoulishly , roun d a ben d o f th e valley " (122) . Th e intimatio n o f deat h i s a t onc e linked u p wit h sexuality . T o Hug o th e "ide a o f escap e appea r [s] irresistible," whil e i n Loi s th e mil l evoke s a "fea r sh e didn' t wan t to ge t over , a kin d o f deliciousness. " Mard a tantalizingl y call s he r a "shockin g littl e coward," therewit h lurin g Loi s into enterin g thi s "nightmare." Whe n the y investigat e th e mil l together , th e scen e acquires bot h th e attribute s an d th e significanc e o f a n initiatio n rite. 4 The connectio n betwee n sexualit y an d death , previousl y estab lished i n th e contex t o f Lois' s memorie s o f he r mothe r an d i n her (frustrated ) desir e fo r Gerald' s "womblike " body , convey s th e ambivalence o f th e sexua l impuls e itself , i n bot h it s engulfin g an d its differentiatin g aspects , an d underline s th e subject' s primar y desirous investmen t i n th e femal e body . Marda' s pressur e i n con ducting Loi s into th e mill—i n shar p contras t t o Gerald' s failur e t o "compel" her—facilitate s th e releas e o f th e protagonist' s hithert o repressed desires : Marda pu t a n ar m roun d he r waist , an d i n a n ecstas y a t thi s compulsio n Lois entere d th e mill . Fea r heightene d he r gratification ; sh e welcome d it s inrush, lettin g he r loo k clim b th e scabb y an d livi d wall s t o th e frightfu l stare of th e sky. Cracks ran down ; sh e expected, no w wit h detachment , t o

Authoring Sexual Identities 81 see them widen, to see the walls peel back from a cleft—like th e house of Usher's. (123-24) The suggestiv e verba l detai l an d th e evocativ e imager y o f th e pas sage clearl y locat e th e dynamic s o f th e scen e i n a n activ e femal e same-sex, o r lesbian , eroticism . Whil e Marda' s solicitud e an d Lois's confidenc e i n subjectin g hersel f t o he r guidanc e underlin e the initiatory aspec t of the event, any moment o f relaxation i n thei r interchange i s succeeded b y anothe r onrus h o f fea r an d desire . The discursive movemen t o f th e tex t thu s reflect s th e eb b an d flo w o f a sexual practic e that , i n it s lac k o f closure , distinguishe s itsel f fro m heterosexual coitus . Th e followin g sequenc e illustrate s Bowen' s superb talen t fo r presentin g suc h intricatel y intertwinin g theme s with grea t subtlety : The su n cas t i n throug h th e windo w socket s som e wil d gol d square s twisted by the beams; grasses along the windows trembled in light. Marda turned an d went picking her way through th e nettles; there was a furthe r door, int o darkness—somewhere , a roof stil l held. . . . Shuddering exaggeratedly, leaping in a scared way over the nettles, Lois also made for the dark doorway, eager for comment, contempt, consolation. She was a little idiot—appealing, she felt quite certain, to a particular tenderness. (124) While th e "particula r tenderness " appeale d t o b y Loi s signifie s th e nonnormative qualit y o f he r sexua l desires , th e nettle s acquir e explicit significanc e a s a symbo l o f femal e heterosexualit y whe n the tw o discove r a ma n sleepin g i n th e mill . Loi s notice s tha t th e man's "fis t . . . straye d t o a clum p o f nettles " an d figures tha t hi s "knuckles mus t hav e bee n stun g quit e white." But sinc e he i s lying face dow n a s though h e "coul d no t fee l th e nettles, " she is amaze d to find tha t h e i s obviously insensitiv e t o the m (124) . Indicativ e o f man's inabilit y t o perceiv e femal e sexualit y excep t i n relatio n t o his own , thi s support s th e feminis t concep t o f th e mal e gaz e a s fixing Woman i n her position a s Other t o his Self. 5 This suggestio n is soon confirmed .

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The shel l o f femal e same-se x intimac y i s rudely shattere d b y th e intrusion o f th e mal e element . A Sin n Feine r apparentl y o n th e run fro m th e Blac k an d Tans , th e ma n verifie s th e violenc e o f phallogocentric powe r b y pointing a gun a t Lois an d Marda . "Em barrassed b y thi s curiou s confrontation, " the y sens e tha t th e bon d between them , havin g bee n forge d o n th e exclusio n o f Hug o (stil l sulking an d smokin g outside ) t o begi n with , i s no w broke n fro m within. Th e connectio n betwee n femal e subordinatio n an d th e male gaz e i s mad e explicit : "Framed " b y th e Sin n Feiner' s look , "as thoug h confrontin g a camera, " Loi s an d Mard a ar e force d t o regain thei r temporaril y suspende d consciousnes s o f themselve s a s "women." Sinc e Marda i s thoroughly practice d i n her gende r role , she i s quic k t o resum e he r accustome d position . Lois , however, a t once feel s "quit e rule d out. " Th e convictio n tha t "ther e wa s noth ing a t al l fo r he r here " land s he r wit h ful l forc e bac k int o he r dilemma: "Sh e ha d bette r b e going—but where? " Her recognitio n that sh e does not fit within th e heterosexual matri x leave s her quit e literally wit h n o discursiv e sit e i n whic h t o articulat e herself , an d with nowher e t o go . By falling outsid e th e "gri d o f cultura l intelli gibility tha t regulate s th e rea l an d th e nameable," 6 lesbia n sexual ity i s indee d quit e effectivel y "rule d out, " rendere d invisible , un nameable an d henc e unthinkabl e withi n th e dominan t cultura l domain. Sinc e ther e i s n o outsid e t o th e field o f discursiv e power / knowledge, th e onl y recours e Loi s ca n thin k o f is , once again , tha t she "must marr y Gerald " (125) . Under th e threa t o f hi s phalli c power , Loi s an d Mard a ar e forced t o swea r thei r silenc e t o th e Sin n Feine r abou t th e event s a t the mill . Subordinate d t o th e politica l interest s structurin g th e historical plot , thei r ow n "dialogue " i s thus erase d fro m th e large r cultural scenario . Whe n th e man' s gu n goe s of f b y accident , th e bullet scrape s th e bac k o f Marda' s hand . Th e fac t tha t i t is Mard a and no t Loi s wh o i s injure d indicate s tha t th e conclusio n o f th e adolescent protagonist's sexua l initiation simultaneousl y mark s th e older woman' s definitive subjectio n t o th e Law . He r willingnes s t o

Authoring Sexual Identities 83 silence her transgressiv e sexualit y an d t o take up her proper gende r position i s suggeste d t o b e n o les s than a n ac t o f self-mutilation , a wound inflicte d b y the sway of the powerful phallus . Freud, in fact , describes th e proces s o f becomin g "feminine " quit e explicitl y i n terms o f "injury" : adul t "femininity " i s th e poin t a t whic h a woman, acknowledgin g th e "fact " o f he r castration , ha s becom e "aware o f th e woun d t o he r narcissism, " a s a resul t o f whic h sh e "develops, like a scar, a sense of inferiority." 7 Marda' s irrevocabl e conversion t o "tru e womanhood " i s underlined b y Hugo's ineffec tive bu t vehemen t reactio n t o th e incident . B y thu s betrayin g hi s secret longin g fo r her , Hug o establishe s hi s masculin e Sel f i n it s dependence o n feminin e Otherness . Instead o f implicatin g th e protagonis t i n a "conspirac y o f adul tery," a s Heat h woul d hav e it , th e "emotiona l shock " Loi s suffer s at thi s poin t issue s fro m he r recognitio n tha t mal e self-presenc e requires th e "injury " o f femininit y a s its guarantee. Sh e infers tha t it i s thi s tha t make s Hugo , se t o n "transgressin g th e decencies, " into a n encroachment upo n he r own sexuality/subjectivity . Observ ing "ho w th e ver y suggestio n o f death " cause s hi m t o brin g abou t "this awfu l unprivacy, " Loi s trie s t o recaptur e th e bon d betwee n Marda an d herself . I n mutua l recognitio n o f th e predator y natur e of mal e sexuality , th e tw o "acknowledg e silently " tha t thei r sex constitutes a "stronghold " agains t th e inroad s o f (male ) violence . But, whil e thei r unLawfu l sexua l relation s ma y serv e a s a valuabl e protective shield , thei r gende r identit y withi n th e La w confine s them t o a positio n i n whic h thei r subjectiv e agenc y i s reduce d t o passive resistanc e only . Th e reassurin g though t tha t "traditionally , one coul d alway s retrea t o n collapse " henc e simultaneousl y mark s a recognition o f their inevitable subordination t o phallocratic dom inance (127) . As we hav e seen , fo r Marda , th e adventur e a t th e mil l turns ou t to hav e bee n a fina l ac t o f defianc e i n term s o f sexua l deviancy . Falling i n wit h th e prevailin g myth s b y whic h lesbia n sexualit y i s relegated t o th e margin s o f Wester n culture , an d i n particula r t o

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the adolescen t period, sh e maintains that fro m no w on , "one won' t be girlis h again. " Sh e reveals , however , tha t sh e i s full y awar e o f what he r subjectio n t o th e Law(e ) i n enterin g int o adul t femininit y entails: She expected , som e forty-eigh t hour s ahead , t o b e walkin g wit h [Lesli e Lawe] i n a clippe d an d traditiona l garden , i n Kentis h light . Unde r thes e influences, sh e would b e giving accoun t o f herself . Leslie' s attention , hi s straight grey gaze , wer e t o modif y thes e wanderin g week s o f he r ow n incalculably, no t a valu e coul d fai l t o b e affecte d b y him . So much of herself that was fluid must, too, he moulded by his idea of her. Essentials were fixed and localized by their being together—to becom e as the bricks and wallpaper of a home. (129; italics mine)8 Since lesbia n sexualit y fall s quit e literall y outsid e th e phallogocen tric economy, th e violent conclusio n o f th e scen e at the mil l is here confirmed t o entail th e relinquishment o f muc h mor e than Marda' s social independence . Eve n so , he r chillin g resignatio n t o woman hood shoul d no t obscur e th e positive significanc e o f th e experienc e for Lois . Conscious o f a sens e o f los s a s a resul t o f he r revelation , Loi s concedes tha t sh e "wa s to o damne d innocent " befor e (129 , 128) . Having bee n initiate d int o "carna l knowledge, " Loi s i s n o longe r the vierge whos e "business " i t i s t o b e "throw n ou t o f th e garde n of Eden, " t o los e he r innocence . I n psychoanalytic terms , bot h th e subject's entranc e int o th e symboli c orde r an d th e adolescen t crisi s are wholl y centere d o n loss . A s th e reemergenc e o f th e oedipa l crisis i n whic h th e infan t i s force d t o giv e u p it s first lov e object , adolescence reevoke s thi s primar y los s upo n whic h th e subject' s entry int o th e symboli c orde r depends . Wit h th e los s o f th e Real , the chil d i s compelle d hencefort h t o repres s it s desir e fo r th e mother. Heterosexua l gende r stratificatio n seek s t o ensur e that , when thi s represse d desir e reawaken s a t th e onse t o f puberty , th e adolescent's searc h fo r a secondar y objec t i s "normally " directe d at member s o f th e opposite sex . Since the primary los s involves th e loss o f th e materna l figure fo r mal e an d femal e infant s alike , thei r

Authoring Sexual Identities 85 respective attempt s a t recover y necessaril y tak e radicall y differen t forms. Whil e bot h mus t giv e u p th e mothe r a s a lov e object , th e heterosexual paradig m allow s th e bo y merel y t o postpon e hi s de sire unti l adulthood . Th e continue d focu s o f hi s desire o n a femal e object i s bot h ensure d an d full y sanctione d b y dominan t ideology . In contrast , th e femal e adolescen t i s oblige d bot h t o giv e u p he r original objec t an d t o redirec t he r desir e int o a n entirel y opposit e direction. The girl's normative cours e of heterosexua l developmen t is thus fa r mor e complicate d i n tha t i t prescribes a complet e with drawal o f desir e fro m th e femal e figure. I t i s hence fa r mor e likel y that th e adolescen t gir l woul d inves t he r reemergin g desir e i n a member o f th e same sex . Indeed, th e insistenc e wit h whic h bot h literar y an d psychoana lytic texts sugges t tha t th e femal e adolescent' s "crush " o n a n olde r woman i s i n fac t quit e "normal " signal s th e precariou s founda tions o n whic h th e heterosexua l gende r syste m rests . B y almos t unexceptionally situatin g th e phenomeno n o f th e same-se x crus h strictly withi n th e adolescen t phase , these discourse s functio n s o a s to naturaliz e wha t i s clearl y a rathe r unstabl y "fixed " standard : that whic h ma y b e considere d t o b e health y o r "normal " durin g an earlie r stag e o f subjectiv e developmen t become s "abnormal, " regressive, and/o r pathologica l onc e thi s perio d ha s officiall y ended. 9 W e ma y therefor e fairl y assum e tha t i t i s primaril y th e enforcement o f heterosexua l gende r ideolog y tha t compel s th e fe male adolescent t o turn t o a male secondary objec t instead. 10 Wha t is more , th e girl' s "forbidden " objec t fro m the n o n represent s the negativ e (female ) t o th e positiv e (male) . Th e discourse s o f phallogocentrism an d compulsor y heterosexualit y thu s interac t i n such a wa y a s t o reinforc e eac h other . Th e inescapabilit y an d compelling forc e o f ideologica l interpellatio n i s perhaps mos t strik ingly foregrounde d b y th e otherwis e unaccountabl e circumstanc e that th e majorit y o f femal e subject s "willingly " assum e thei r posi tions withi n th e heterosexua l matrix . Thi s i s eve n mor e amazin g when w e conside r that , i n additio n t o bein g denie d acces s t o

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women a s object s o f he r ow n desire , th e adolescen t gir l learn s that sh e hersel f belong s t o thi s "negative " category— a fac t tha t not seldoml y lead s t o a sens e o f inferiorit y i f no t t o virtua l self hatred. These consideration s attes t t o th e critica l significanc e o f th e mil l scene a s th e heroine' s initiatio n int o a nonnormative , subversiv e sexuality. They als o highlight the female adolescent' s cultura l func tion a s a figure o f sexua l indeterminacy , and , b y extension, qualif y its valu e a s a prototypica l characte r i n Bowen' s fiction. Loi s ha s gained insigh t int o th e clos e link s betwee n sexualit y an d deat h a s well as access to her own reemergin g sexual desires, and the experience wit h Mard a ha s allowe d he r t o se t u p a femal e subjec t i n th e position o f "self-giving " other , a position ideologicall y reserve d fo r a member o f the opposite sex only. Since Lois's loss of the materna l object ha s i n fac t bee n "doubled " b y th e prematur e deat h o f Laura—a sexua l rebe l i n he r ow n right , who m Loi s primaril y recollects i n sensua l terms—i t i s no t surprisin g tha t sh e finds a worthy secondar y objec t i n a female subject . This is not t o sa y tha t Lois ca n hencefort h simpl y sideste p heterosexua l gende r ideology . Gerald's importanc e lie s in the security h e represents i n sociocultu ral terms , an d thes e canno t b e s o easil y discounted . However , w e have see n thi s potentia l secondar y objec t tur n int o somethin g o f a stumbling bloc k i n Lois' s "struggl e fo r life. " Instea d o f providin g her wit h a n outle t fo r he r sexua l desires , th e youn g ma n ha s consistently curtaile d Lois' s attempt s a t self-definitio n i n thi s a s much a s i n an y othe r respect . Havin g triumphe d ove r th e revive d oedipal depressio n (o n whic h th e continuatio n o f th e subjectiv e process depends ) throug h he r sexua l encounte r wit h Marda , Ger ald ha s i n fac t becom e quit e irrelevan t t o th e heroine' s psychosex ual development . Takin g int o account , however , tha t th e settin g of th e nove l i s th e Anglo-Irelan d o f th e 1920s , th e hazard s o f transgressing cultura l boundarie s b y rejectin g th e narrativ e o f het erosexual romanc e woul d ye t see m fata l t o th e adolescent' s ques t

Authoring Sexual Identities 87 for a socia l identity . Eve n i f Lois' s sexua l initiatio n therefor e doe s not allo w he r t o abando n he r rol e i n thi s dominan t cultura l sce nario, a change o f visio n has definitel y bee n achieved . The eroti c encounte r wit h Mard a ha s taugh t Loi s t o apprehen d her sexualit y a s distinc t fro m femininity . He r gende r n o longe r merely represent s a liabilit y fro m whos e socia l consequence s sh e needs t o brea k away : i t ha s bee n reveale d t o b e a potentia l sourc e of strength an d vitality a s well. This recognition i s underlined whe n Marda ostensibl y inconsequentiall y remark s tha t sh e woul d "hat e to b e barren, " therewit h articulatin g th e contras t betwee n he r sexual potentia l an d Hugo' s (male ) sterilit y (128) . Lois's initiatio n into "carna l knowledge " entail s a n altere d vie w o f herself , whic h makes it harder fo r he r to "imagin e what [she]'1 1 be doing or wher e [she] shal l be " tomorrow . He r uncertaint y i s enhanced b y th e fac t that Marda , i n relatio n t o who m sh e has define d he r ne w self , will by that tim e hav e departe d int o he r ow n rigidl y define d "straight " future. Bu t becaus e sh e ca n carr y awa y th e "perfec t secret " o f he r sexual awakening , Loi s i s als o relieve d tha t "a t present , th e mil l [is] behin d her. " Sh e reassume s he r ques t wit h a n intensifie d sens e of agency : "A s thoug h breakin g a spell, " sh e "shift[s ] awa y dow n the parapet " an d "put[s ] he r fee t t o th e ground " (129) . Th e fac t that sh e ha s broke n th e spel l o f th e "illusion " tha t sh e ha d fel t called upo n t o maintai n i n he r relationshi p wit h Geral d doe s no t imply, however , tha t th e resultin g shif t i n perspectiv e extend s be yond Lois' s ow n sens e o f herself . Instea d o f bringin g abou t th e overall transmutatio n sh e ha d hope d for , th e worl d aroun d he r generally, an d Geral d i n particular, d o not appea r t o be in any wa y affected b y th e expans e o f he r personality . Whil e Loi s ca n no w bring Geral d "wholl y int o focus, " sh e doe s s o i n a wa y tha t i s contrary t o wha t wa s onc e th e intende d effec t o f suc h focu s (52) . The "los s o f he r innocence " ha s rendere d hi m eve n les s eligibl e a s the objec t o f he r desir e tha n before . Th e incontrovertibl e proo f o f Gerald's superfluousnes s i n the narrative o f Lois' s quest i s reflecte d

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in the title of the novel's third chapter , "Th e Departure o f Gerald. " This casua l phras e refer s t o th e youn g subaltern' s almos t equall y casual deat h i n a n ambush . The Lure of Disintegration. Followin g th e highl y charge d centra l chapter, th e event s i n th e novel' s concludin g sectio n ar e somewha t of a n anticlimax . Instea d o f continuin g to focus primaril y o n Lois' s development, th e narrato r take s th e actio n ou t o f th e enclose d setting o f Danielstown , a widenin g o f scop e tha t i s in itsel f signifi cant wit h regar d t o th e protagonist' s itinerary . Th e mai n scen e o f the chapter i s set in one of the English officers' hut s near the village of Clonmore . Depicting a party organize d b y several of the officers ' wives, the scen e forms a sharply satirica l attac k o n th e vulgarity o f the Englis h middl e classes . Th e highl y unsympatheti c narrativ e tone o f voic e stand s i n marke d contras t t o th e mildly critica l term s in which , throughou t th e novel , th e eccentricitie s an d snobber y o f the Anglo-Iris h ar e presented . Bot h th e ruthles s qualit y o f th e sociocultural critiqu e an d th e widenin g o f th e narrativ e scen e tur n the part y int o a suitabl y tens e backgroun d t o th e nex t stag e o f th e protagonist's quest . Displayin g he r talent fo r creatin g a compellin g atmosphere, Bowe n succeed s i n settin g th e perfec t stag e fo r Lois' s unnerving encounte r wit h a senior subalter n calle d Daventry. 11 Daventry i s a shell-shocke d Worl d Wa r I veteran wh o i s read y to g o "ove r th e edge " bu t fo r a grea t dea l o f whiske y an d hi s vigorous hatre d o f th e Iris h (145) . I n th e hut , buffete d b y a fierce storm sendin g "shudders " dow n it s wall s "lik e a lunatic, " h e i s evidently i n hi s element . "Elegant , tal l an d a shad e satanic, " Mr . Daventry i s th e od d on e ou t i n thi s roo m "stick y wit h strawberr y light." Whil e th e dancer s appea r t o b e "movin g slowl y in jam," h e emanates a n ai r of desperation t o which Lois feels curiously drawn . Whereas Geral d might , fo r al l sh e knows , hav e bee n "seale d u p permanently i n tin , lik e a lobster, " Loi s detect s i n thi s diabolica l ghost o f a ma n a qualit y fo r whic h sh e "coul d hav e loved " hi m (146). Stil l caugh t betwee n he r transgressiv e desire s an d he r nee d

Authoring Sexual Identities 89 to belong , sh e feel s nonetheles s urge d t o g o alon g wit h th e danc e and i s rathe r anxiou s whethe r sh e wil l i n fac t b e "claimed " b y Gerald. Bu t sinc e th e spel l o f th e "illusion " o f lov e ha s bee n broken, i t i s impossibl e fo r he r t o abando n hersel f t o th e evening , which i s runnin g alon g wit h a "hig h impetuousnes s ou t o f every body's control. " Daventry , wit h hi s "discomfortin g . . . intensity, " gives her acces s to a n aspec t o f hersel f tha t sh e realizes Gerald wil l never even begi n to recognize (149 , 156-57) . Daventry's principl e attractio n i s his instability an d th e threat of disintegration h e embodies . Althoug h sh e sense s th e differenc e from th e fearful "deliciousness " provoked i n her b y Marda, Loi s is "startled t o mee t th e dar k look " i n th e man' s eye s "on a level" with he r ow n (156 ; italics mine). She perceives that wha t Daventr y has to offer he r i s not th e gift o f her sel f i n dialogic exchange. Since there i s "no t a ma n here , hardl y a person, " i t i s clea r tha t th e subaltern ha s nothing to give. Yet, in his total detachmen t fro m th e play being enacted aroun d them , he allows Lois a space in which t o be, a spac e tha t Gerald' s "actuality " simpl y canno t accommodate . Because sh e feel s "framed " b y th e "generou s allotment " th e latte r has grante d her , Lois' s sens e o f "no t bein g understood " b y hi m i s reinforced whe n sh e discover s tha t she , i n he r turn , canno t "see " Gerald, fo r "ther e wa s nothing , i n fact , t o whic h t o attac h he r look" (158) . B y no t appealin g t o he r i n conventionall y romanti c terms, Daventr y open s Lois' s eye s t o th e lac k o f passio n i n he r response t o Gerald' s first kiss : "Sh e coul d no t remember , thoug h she ha d rea d s o man y books , who spok e first afte r th e first kis s had been , no t exchange d but—administered . Th e tw o reactions , outrage, capitulation , ha d no t bee n her own " (152) . Trying to pla y by th e rule s o f th e heterosexua l contract , Loi s ha d fake d a "natu ral" feminin e response . Whe n sh e realize s he r mistake , Loi s ha s already promise d t o marr y Gerald . He r desperat e question — " 'Wha t hav e I done? ' "—i s therefor e swiftl y succeede d b y th e hopeful though t tha t "perhap s i t wil l see m natura l tomorrow " (158). He r recentl y acquire d knowledge , however , prevent s Loi s

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from naturalizin g wha t obviousl y i s no t "natural " t o he r a t all . While n o longe r a vierge, th e adolescen t is , i n he r rol e a s th e "awake one, " unlik e les paresseux, an d henc e unabl e t o suppres s her desire s o r t o cur b th e widenin g o f he r consciousnes s fo r th e sake o f expediency . O n th e contrary , he r newl y attaine d insight s give ris e t o searchin g question s tha t exten d fro m he r ow n sexua l identity t o th e ideological practice s by/i n which suc h categorie s ar e produced. Increasingl y "sh y o f [Gerald's ] uncomprehensio n o f a particular notio n o f livin g sh e seeme d onl y no w t o hav e formed, " Lois's (self- ) scrutin y irrevocabl y lead s he r t o questio n th e regime s of power/knowledg e makin g u p th e socia l field : "Wher e wa s th e flaw? O r wa s Gerald , sublimely , th e instrumen t o f som e larg e imposture?" Th e paramoun t "imposture " o f dominan t ideolog y is suggeste d t o b e th e "naturalness " o f heterosexuality . Thi s i s underlined whe n Lois , afte r anothe r confrontatio n wit h Gerald' s agonizing "singleness, " give s ven t t o he r utte r frustratio n b y ex pressing the wish tha t "h e were a woman" (172) . Lady Naylor' s determinatio n t o interfer e wit h Gerald' s design s is undoubtedl y informe d b y he r ow n sens e o f (sexual ) frustration . By a n ac t o f subtl e scheming , sh e succeed s i n inducin g Loi s t o break th e cultura l contract . In a splendi d piec e o f socia l satire , th e young ma n show s hi s willingnes s t o subjec t himsel f unequivocall y to th e hierarchica l clas s syste m tha t legitimize s Lad y Naylor' s pre sumed superio r power . I t i s thi s surrender—thoug h entirel y i n character—that convince s Loi s that sh e must tr y an d "transmute " perspectives withou t Gerald . Althoug h th e youn g soldier' s ensuin g death ma y see m shockin g i n it s abruptness , i t i s no t a tragedy ; i t forms, rather , th e inevitabl e conclusio n t o a full y substantiate d course of (narrative ) events . When th e new s o f Gerald' s deat h i s (quit e appropriately ) con veyed t o he r b y Daventry , Loi s i s le d t o th e reflectio n quote d a t an earlie r point , wher e th e narrato r merge s wit h th e heroine' s consciousness t o asser t tha t lif e i s "on e ac t o f apprehension , th e apprehension o f death. " This , I hav e argued , i s no t th e ultimat e

Authoring Sexual Identities 91 expression o f despai r (a s Le e suggests) , bu t a deliberat e an d con scious acceptanc e o f th e challeng e o f life . Loi s belong s t o th e people Bowe n classifie s a s "thos e wh o wis h t o b e really alive" : sh e cannot bu t op t fo r facin g th e challenge . Concisel y summin g u p Gerald's character— ' "H e love d me , h e believe d i n th e Britis h Empire' "—sh e subsequentl y reject s Laurence' s suppositio n tha t "one probabl y get s past things. " Pointin g ou t tha t thi s i s precisel y what sh e "do[es]n' t wan t t o " (203) , Loi s voice s th e author' s con viction tha t th e "struggl e fo r life, " bein g a "struggle " b y necessity , "should . . . no t hav e anythin g terribl e abou t it." 1 2 B y thu s con sciously assumin g he r rol e a s a subjec t answerabl e t o th e world , and answerabl e fo r he r ow n responses , th e heroin e conclude s he r appearance o n th e narrative scene . The Adolescent Paradigm. Th e conclusio n o f Lois' s ques t under lines that , withi n Bowen' s ethica l framework , th e individua l ca n only liv e up t o her/hi s potentia l b y activel y engagin g i n th e experi ence o f lif e generally , an d o f sexualit y i n particular , i n al l o f it s destabilizing multiplicity . Th e crucia l influenc e o f th e "her e an d now" o n th e protagonist' s searc h fo r a sens e o f meaning/sel f fore grounds th e subject' s inscriptio n i n materiality , and , a fortiori , th e inscription o f her/hi s identit y i n deeds an d actions . Attesting to th e contingent natur e o f subjectivity/sexuality , th e novel unequivocall y advances a notio n o f lif e a s a never-endin g activity , o f th e sel f a s an endles s proces s o f (re)constitutio n performe d i n th e field o f discursive power/knowledge . Sinc e nothin g i s fixed onc e an d fo r all, lif e i s essentiall y a matte r o f negotiatio n an d compromise . Or , as th e narrato r i n anothe r o f th e earl y novel s avers : "On e ha s t o live ho w on e can." 1 3 I n Bowen , th e "business " o f livin g is , a s w e have seen , losin g one' s innocenc e by/i n experience . Thi s entail s that t o tr y t o remai n a vierge i s no t onl y a caus e fo r persona l chagrin; i t i s a fundamentall y mora l fla w an d thu s unacceptable . Nor ca n on e shir k one' s responsibilit y b y takin g u p a positio n among les paresseux. Althoug h "ver y fe w remai n ennobled " i n th e

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process of "experience," 14 i t is in only in the dialogue betwee n Self and (the ) Others/ s tha t th e subject' s answerability—whic h i s lif e itself—is located . My discussio n s o fa r ha s attempte d t o sho w tha t i t woul d b e reductive t o regar d Lois' s adolescen t struggl e i n traditiona l terms , that i s to say , to regar d it s characteristic sexua l indeterminac y a s a crisis i n identit y restricte d t o a give n perio d o f one' s life . No r would th e frequenc y wit h whic h th e young girl appears i n Bowen' s novels validat e a categorizatio n o f th e characte r a s merel y a typi cally Bowenesque picture of preadulthood. Beginnin g with he r wa r novel The Heat of the Day (1949) , Bowen' s heroine s graduall y "grow older, " mor e o r les s in lin e with th e novelist' s ow n advanc ing age. 15 Al l he r protagonist s fac e crise s simila r t o Lois's , how ever. Thi s allow s u s t o approac h th e adolescen t characte r a s a figure o f sexua l ambivalenc e an d indeterminac y wit h a fa r wide r significance tha n dominan t regime s o f knowledg e ar e willin g t o concede. As my readings in the following chapter s will confirm, th e female adolescen t function s a s a prototyp e i n Bowen' s work , a s a representative figure throug h whic h sh e coul d explor e th e conflict s and contradiction s lyin g a t th e hear t o f femal e sexuality/subjectiv ity a s such . Lois' s predicamen t i s undeniably linke d t o he r lac k o f experience; thi s i s what make s her , i n contras t t o the adul t charac ters i n LS, criticall y susceptibl e t o th e influenc e o f externa l (socio cultural) conditions . Bu t th e genera l stat e o f sexua l instabilit y an d psychic dislocatio n i n whic h sh e i s presente d i s no t exceptiona l so muc h a s inheren t i n th e perpetua l struggl e calle d life . Bowe n underlines thi s centra l insigh t a s follow s i n on e o f he r autobio graphical sketches : "I have thriven . . . o n the changes and chances , the dislocations an d . . . the contrasts which have made up so much of m y life." 16 Th e adolescen t generally , bu t th e femal e adolescen t in patriarchal cultur e in particular, i s unquestionably i n an eminen t position t o experienc e suc h dislocation s an d contrast s intensely . This i s wh y Lois' s ques t s o adequatel y reflect s th e proces s o f (fe male) sexuality , fo r thi s concern s precisel y th e negotiatio n o f a

Authoring Sexual Identities 9

3

position withi n a myria d o f constrainin g an d ofte n conflictin g ideological discourses . Sinc e th e typica l Bowe n characte r i s consistently show n t o b e "i n transi t consciously," th e heroin e o f LS i s a representative instanc e o f wha t Bowe n call s "sensationalists, " those individual s wh o ar e "abl e t o reexperienc e wha t the y do , o r equally, wha t i s don e t o them , ever y day, " an d wh o "ten d t o behold afres h an d reac t accordingly." 17 Defined a s such , th e adolescen t emerge s no t onl y a s th e proto type of th e Bowen characte r bu t als o a s the fictional representatio n of (th e concept of ) th e subject-in-process whos e (sexual ) identit y i s never determine d onc e an d fo r al l bu t rathe r endlessl y displace d in a serie s o f performativ e acts . A s a n instanc e o f wha t Gayatr i Chakravorty Spiva k call s "'non-expository ' theor y i n practice," 18 the nove l delineate s a ques t tha t i s th e conditio n o f gendere d subjectivity pe r se . The heroin e i s presented a s a sit e o f contradic tion, show n t o b e "perpetuall y i n th e proces s o f construction , thrown int o crisi s b y alteration s i n languag e an d i n th e socia l formation," an d therefor e als o "capable o f change." 19 A s a textua l configuration o f sexua l indeterminacy , th e adolescen t acquire s fur ther significanc e o n th e extrafictiona l o r extradiegeti c leve l o f th e text, an d therewit h shed s significan t ligh t o n th e narrative' s con cluding scene. 20 Interpretation, Transference,

and

Authorial Control

(Auto)biographical Inscriptions. Th e narrativ e o f LS doe s no t end wit h Lois' s off-stag e departur e int o a n appropriatel y indeterminate future—sh e ha s finally no t entere d a schoo l o f ar t but ha s gon e o n "tours, " "fo r he r French, " a s Lad y Naylo r tw o weeks late r report s t o he r frien d Mrs . Tren t (204) . Th e novel' s closing scen e center s o n Danielstown . Th e Bi g House , it s inhabitants' desiccate d wa y o f life , an d it s symboli c valu e a s th e seat o f patriarcha l powe r henc e receiv e ful l dramati c emphasis . All it s summe r guest s havin g left , Danielstown' s "no w settle d

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emptiness" seem s t o hav e "gaine d composure. " Bu t bot h Mrs . Trent's "uneasy , expose d look " an d Lad y Naylor' s "restlessly , lightly folde d hands " expres s th e abidin g atmospher e o f subdue d tension an d impendin g crisis . An d justifiabl y so , th e narrato r confirms, sinc e th e "tw o di d no t . . . agai n se e Danielstow n a t such a moment , suc h a particula r happ y poin t o f declin e i n th e short curv e o f th e day , th e lon g curv e o f th e season, " fo r "b y next yea r ligh t ha d possesse d itsel f o f th e vacancy , stil l wit h surprise" (205-6) . Se t t o fire b y Iris h nationalists , Danielstow n shares a fat e suffere d b y man y othe r suc h bi g houses . Althoug h to thei r owner s i t seem s a s i f a n "extr a day , unreckoned, ha d come t o abortiv e birt h tha t thes e thing s migh t happen " (206 ; italics mine) , th e act s o f destructio n ar e presente d a s par t o f a n irreversibly evolvin g design . The en d o f th e Ascendency , o f th e Anglo-Iris h communit y an d its cultural tradition , i s not to be taken a s an ac t of God—howeve r suggestive th e all-consumin g flames ma y be . It is definitely no t Hi s final da y o f "reckoning " tha t i s referre d t o here . Th e "death—o r execution rather " o f th e bi g house s i s accomplishe d b y huma n hands, an d i t i s th e executioner s who m th e Anglo-Iris h ha d no t reckoned with . B y closing thei r eye s to themselves , these paresseux have bee n livin g within a state o f unawarenes s personall y harmful , but thei r complacenc y ha s als o prevente d the m fro m recognizin g their constituting/constitute d role s withi n th e large r sociopolitica l field. A s a consequence , the y hav e faile d t o notic e th e graduall y multiplying crack s i n th e structur e o f thei r seemingl y timeles s cul tural order . Th e shor t descriptio n o f th e nigh t tha t see s Dan ielstown burnin g succinctl y capture s thes e implication s an d con veys them i n al l their ambivalence : The roads i n unnatural dus k ra n dar k wit h movement , secretiv e or terrified; no t a tree, brushed pale by wind from th e flames, not a cabin pressed in despair to the bosom of night, not a gate too starkly visible but had its place in th e design of order and panic. At Danielstown, half-wa y u p the avenue unde r th e beeches , th e thi n iro n gat e twange d (misse d it s latch ,

Authoring Sexual Identities 95 remained swinging aghast) as the last unlit car slid out with the executioners blan d fro m accomplishe d duty . Th e soun d o f th e las t ca r widened , gave itself t o the open an d empt y country an d was demolished. Then the first wave of silence that was to be ultimate flowed back, confident, t o the steps. Abov e th e steps , th e doo r stoo d ope n hospitabl y upo n a furnace . (206; italics mine) The closin g sentenc e o f th e nove l reaffirm s th e inextricabl e lin k between th e privat e an d th e public , th e persona l an d th e political , the subjectiv e an d th e objective , th e Self an d (the ) Other/s . Movin g from th e hous e standin g pre y t o th e devourin g flames, th e narra tor's all-purveyin g loo k int o th e futur e shift s t o zoo m i n o n th e Naylors, therewit h establishin g a straightforwar d connectio n be tween th e exposur e o f Danielstown' s feebl e foundation s an d it s owners' mora l lassitude . Equall y ruthlessl y exposed , "Si r Richar d and Lad y Naylor , no t sayin g anything , di d no t loo k a t eac h other , for i n the light fro m th e sk y they sa w too distinctly " (206) . Articulating a n unequivoca l mora l stanc e an d passin g a pointe d political judgment , thi s closin g scen e provide s a suitabl e endin g to th e sustaine d ideologica l critiqu e couche d withi n a narrativ e pervaded b y a n unremittin g atmospher e o f suspende d crisis . How ever, th e burnin g o f Danielstow n additionall y demand s attentio n on wha t I hav e calle d th e extradiegeti c leve l o f th e text . Wha t ulterior motiv e ma y Bowe n hav e ha d t o conclud e thi s "wor k o f instinct rathe r tha n knowledge, " thi s "recall " book , wit h suc h a n act o f willful violence ? Indeed , wh y doe s th e nove l en d wit h th e destruction o f th e hous e tha t beyon d an y doub t is he r famil y home? Historicall y speaking , th e even t i s plausibl e enough , fo r a number o f bi g houses in Bowen's Court' s immediat e neighborhoo d were i n fac t burne d b y th e Iris h a t th e tim e o f th e Troubles . Still , although Bowe n late r wrote , "S o ofte n i n my mind' s ey e di d I see it burning " tha t th e "terribl e las t even t i n The Last September i s more rea l tha n anythin g I have live d through, " i n realit y Bowen' s Court "staye d untouched " a t th e time. 21 I t woul d b e bot h facil e and besid e m y poin t t o dispatc h th e matte r b y puttin g i t dow n a s

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the author' s persona l ac t o f "reckoning " wit h he r parent s and/o r her Anglo-Iris h girlhood . Afte r all , when Bowe n wrot e LS, sh e wa s thirty year s old , had bee n livin g in England fo r ove r te n years , an d was full y establishe d a s a writer . Wha t I woul d lik e t o dwel l on , then, ar e th e possibl e meaning s o f th e novel' s conclusio n i n th e context o f th e paradigmati c significanc e o f th e adolescen t crisi s and it s relatio n t o th e notio n o f authoria l control . Thi s take s m e back t o th e author' s prefac e t o LS, an d i n particula r t o a poin t mentioned a t the beginnin g of th e previous chapter . We recall that LS i s the only of Bowen's novels that i s "set back , deliberately, i n a forme r time. " I n al l others , sh e "wante d reader s to contemplat e wha t coul d b e th e immediat e moment—s o muc h so, tha t t o giv e th e sens e o f th e 'now ' ha s been , fo r me , on e imperative o f writing " (96). 22 Thes e emphase s sugges t tha t a n intertextual reading , linkin g u p th e them e o f adolescence , Bowen' s autobiographical reflections , an d he r observation s o n th e ar t o f writing, offers a constructive approac h t o the question. I will therefore mak e a short detou r throug h thes e various intertexts . Considering he r obviou s preoccupatio n wit h th e phenomenon , it i s surprisin g t o find tha t Bowe n seldo m explicitl y refer s t o th e crisis structur e o f adolescence . I n on e o f th e ver y fe w instance s i n which sh e use s th e ter m i n relatio n t o herself , sh e flatly denie s having experience d an y "overpowerin g onslaugh t o f adolescence, " maintaining tha t i t "apparentl y by-passe d me—o r i f I eve r di d have it , I got of f light. " Th e contex t i n whic h thes e assertion s ar e made i s revealing. What Bowe n i s trying t o accoun t fo r her e i s her sudden transformatio n fro m a brigh t chil d int o a "dunce " gir l a t the ag e o f thirteen . Sh e almos t casuall y posit s tha t he r "stupidit y may hav e bee n du e t o denie d sorrow, " sinc e i t manifeste d itsel f a few week s afte r sh e ha d suffere d th e terribl e los s o f he r mother. 23 The precedin g five years , w e recall , Bowe n an d he r mothe r ha d been travelin g togethe r i n England . Th e enforce d intimac y mus t have mad e th e impac t o f Florenc e Bowen' s deat h o n th e youn g Elizabeth particularl y devastating . Leaving her in a prolonged stat e

Authoring Sexual Identities 97 of shock , it apparently urge d he r to continue her earlier-embarked upon "caree r o f withstoo d emotion " wit h renewe d vigor. 24 After ward, Bowe n discloses , sh e "coul d no t remembe r he r [mother] , think o f her, speak o f her or suffer t o hear he r spoken of." 25 Suc h silencing wa s t o resul t i n a n exacerbatio n o f th e stamme r tha t became a strikin g featur e o f he r adul t personality. 26 I n orde r t o screen hersel f fro m th e "sens e o f disfigurement , disgrace , mortifi cation" tha t followe d he r "tota l bereavement, " Bowe n becam e a "high-ranking initiato r o f school-crazes. " I n thi s "lifeles s tim e i n [her] own life, somethin g outstandin g an d startling was what [she ] needed." 27 Whil e stil l allowin g fo r he r "farouche " natur e t o ex press itself , w e ca n safel y assum e tha t he r "carniva l o f bravado " served t o protect Bowe n agains t unbearabl e emotions . The display of "sensation " that , a s distinc t fro m emotion , i s somethin g th e author claim s t o "hav e neve r fough t sh y o f o r don e anythin g t o restrain" was clearly set up as a shield agains t inexpressible feeling s of grief . It appears equall y viabl e tha t i t deflected th e experience of any "tormenting nameles s disturbances, conflicts, cravings " Bowen associated wit h adolescence. 28 Looking bac k o n her girlhood, Bowe n primaril y remember s he r preadult year s a s a perio d durin g whic h " I aske d mysel f what I should be , an d when?" 2 9 Thi s agonizin g question , w e recall , i s almost literall y echoe d b y her protagonist Lois . At the tim e whe n she was writing th e preface t o her second nove l i n 1952 , however, the autho r wa s in a position t o reflect als o on the period separatin g this forme r sel f fro m th e on e wh o assemble d he r int o a fictional character. I t is these years , betwee n twent y an d twenty-five, whic h Bowen identifie s a s "ofte n important , packe d wit h changes , deci sive." I f w e rea d thi s statemen t a s merel y reflectiv e o f a force d postponement o f adolescence—whos e destabilizin g effect s ha d earlier bee n too much t o bear—we fai l to take into accoun t its farreaching implications . The shift signifie s mor e tha n a displacemen t of a critical phas e i n the process o f identity formation . For , having been transpose d t o a differen t spatio-tempora l setting , th e mean-

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ings o f thi s transformativ e phas e ha d decisivel y altere d a s well . When Bowe n sa t writin g LS i n Oxford , "192 0 seeme d a lon g time ago" : I myself wa s n o longe r a tenni s gir l bu t a writer; aimlessnes s wa s gone, like a morning mist. Not a n hour ha d no t a meaning, and a centre. Als o changes had altered my sense of space—Ireland seemed immensely distant from Oxford , mor e lik e anothe r worl d tha n anothe r land . Her e I was, living a lif e dreame d o f when , lik e Lois , I drov e th e pon y tra p alon g endless lanes. Civilization ( a word constantl y o n my 192 8 lips) was now around me . I was i n compan y wit h th e articulat e an d th e learned . (97 ; italics mine) Remarkable abou t thi s passage is first of all the implicit recognitio n that meanin g an d coherenc e ar e acquire d onl y i n experience , wit h the subsidiar y acknowledgmen t o f th e constitutiv e rol e o f tim e and spac e i n th e proces s o f self-construction . Secondly , an d mor e importantly i n th e presen t context , th e retrospectivel y perceive d transformation i s define d no t i n term s o f sexualit y o r gender , bu t is explicitly cas t a s a coming-into-bein g a s a writer. Bowen' s sens e of dislocatio n i n the wake o f he r mother' s deat h wa s reinforce d b y her havin g bee n "i n an d ou t o f th e hom e o f my relatives " an d "shuttling betwee n tw o countries " eve r since . Thi s issue d i n th e "sub-merged fea r tha t I migh t fai l t o establis h grown-u p status. " We have see n suc h anxiet y t o b e directly reflecte d i n Lois' s genderoriented predicament . I t wa s precisel y thi s fear , Bowe n assumes , that "egge d [her ] o n t o writing : a n author , a grown-up , mus t the y not b e synonymous? " Unlik e Lois , therefore , wh o canno t "thin k how t o begi n t o b e anythin g else " bu t a "woman, " Bowe n doe s not locat e th e cente r o f he r sens e o f adul t identit y i n th e first instance i n he r gender , bu t i n he r sociocultura l positio n a s author . Furthermore, b y assumin g a plac e amon g th e "learne d an d th e articulate," sh e firmly situate d hersel f withi n wha t eve n toda y is, bu t certainl y i n th e 1920 s was , a male-dominate d sectio n o f "civilization." Al l thi s woul d see m t o sugges t that , a s a conse quence o f he r emotiona l "nonexistence " durin g preadulthood ,

Authoring Sexual Identities 99 Bowen too k o n th e struggl e fo r identit y consciously onl y when sh e was alread y full y embedde d withi n th e sociocultura l order . I t wa s in th e worl d o f discours e pa r excellenc e tha t sh e foun d a positio n from whic h t o spea k an d articulat e hersel f wit h authority . This o f cours e i s no t t o sugges t tha t Bowe n simpl y "skipped " adolescence, o r di d no t pas s through th e process o f gende r acquisi tion. It is nonetheless clea r that sh e first an d foremos t identifie d he r self a s a writer, t o th e exten t tha t sh e tended t o separat e thes e tw o aspects o f herself . In a lette r writte n t o V . S . Pritchet t i n 1948 , Bowen declares : " I d o no t kno w exactl y wha t i s involve d i n th e being o f a full-tim e intelligen t person . I a m full y intelligen t onl y when I write. I have a certai n amoun t o f small-chang e intelligence , which I carry roun d . . . fo r th e need s o f th e day , th e non-writin g day. Bu t i t seem s t o m e tha t I seldo m purel y think." 30 Sh e elabo rates o n th e contras t betwee n "thinking " an d "living " b y differ entiating he r publi c fro m he r privat e selves . Whil e beginnin g b y casting thi s spli t i n term s o f sexua l difference , Bowe n a t onc e demolishes th e separation , callin g int o questio n th e distinctio n a s such: "Fo r m e personally , a s a woman , an y sor t o f kindnes s o r being wishe d wel l o r though t wel l o f i s th e breat h o f life . No r i s that nee d wholl y personal , womanish : i t exist s i n th e writin g par t of m e too." 3 1 Wherea s th e persona l i s connote d a s "womanish, " the implie d contras t i s no t extende d t o a definitio n o f writin g a s "mannish" o r masculine . I f no t exactl y a n opposition , surel y ther e is a conflic t betwee n thes e tw o aspects . Bowen' s ambivalen t sens e of sel f woul d appea r t o reflec t th e internalize d contradictio n o f phallogocentric discourse s i n whic h powe r an d authorit y ar e a s a rule predicated o n th e possession o f a penis. This may explai n wh y she invariably refer s t o the writer i n male terms—even whe n sh e is expressly discussin g herself . The conflic t i n Bowen' s self-perceptio n a s a "woma n writer " attests t o th e tenacit y o f th e dominan t myt h underlyin g al l binar y oppositions, th e "natura l fact " o f th e dualit y o f sex . In spit e o f the resultin g tensions , th e author' s self-awarenes s preclude d an y

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subscription t o notion s whos e untenabilit y sh e wa s to o astut e no t to discern , suc h a s th e relegatio n o f th e emotional/intellectua l as pects o f he r identit y t o he r gender/authoria l roles , respectively . From th e convictio n tha t "though t exceed s consciousness, " sh e infers tha t though t an d emotio n ar e i n th e fina l instanc e insepara ble. Thi s lead s he r t o assum e tha t "perhap s on e emotiona l reaso n why on e ma y writ e i s the nee d t o wor k off , ou t o f th e system , th e sense o f bein g solitar y an d farouche, " fo r "solitar y an d farouch e people don' t hav e relationships : the y ar e quit e unrelatable. " Sinc e it i s onl y throug h ou r inscriptio n i n a give n sociocultura l contex t that w e acquir e meaning , th e ac t o f positionin g ourselve s withi n a network o f dialogi c relationship s i s an ontologica l imperative . Fo r Bowen, writin g serve d a s a "substitut e fo r . . . a so-calle d norma l relation t o society, " forgin g th e necessar y lin k betwee n he r Sel f and (the ) Other/s : "M y book s are my relation t o society." 32 In her letter to Pritchett , Bowen' s mai n concer n i s the role of th e writer i n society. 33 Sh e argues tha t th e writer , b y creatin g fictional patterns, i s capabl e o f givin g meaningfu l shap e t o a n otherwis e meaningless reality . This constitutes th e writer's gif t t o the reader : Shapelessness, lack o f meaning , and being without directio n i s most people's nightmare, once they begin to think. . .. T o the individual, the possibility tha t hi s lif e shoul d b e unmeaning , a serie s o f i n th e mai n rathe r hurting fortuities, and that his death should be insignificant, is unbearable. Temporarily, fo r th e reade r . . . ar t put s u p a buttress agains t that—or , still more important, makes a counter-assertion. 34 While conceivin g o f th e writer i n a position o f authorit y ove r bot h text an d reader , Bowe n doe s no t concea l tha t th e writin g sub ject i s equally i n nee d o f meaningfu l form . Positin g tha t a writer i s "simply tryin g t o trac e ou t som e patter n aroun d himself, " o r t o "uncover a master-patter n i n whic h h e ha s hi s place, " sh e ac knowledges tha t he r fictional discours e i s als o a mod e o f self construction. Pressin g th e matte r further , sh e wonders : "Couldn' t it b e tha t th e wish , th e deman d fo r shap e i s more tha n individual , that it' s a mass thing? O r rather , th e mass's wish o r deman d no t t o

Authoring Sexual Identities 101 have t o g o o n bein g a mas s merely?" 35 Bowe n her e clearl y ap proaches th e poststructuralist notio n o f th e subjec t a s interpellate d by the sam e discursiv e structure s upo n whic h s/h e depend s fo r her / his self-differentiatio n an d self-determination . Th e poin t i s mad e even mor e explicitl y i n he r autobiographica l sketc h "Picture s an d Conversations" (1975) : A main trait of human nature is its amorphousness, the amorphousness of the drifting an d flopping jellyfish in a cloudy tide, and secret fears (suc h as fear of nonentity), discouragement and demoralising misgivings prey upon individuals made aware of this. There results an obsessive wish to acquire outline, to be unmistakably demarcated, to take shape. (58-59) Bowen's consisten t choic e fo r a n omniscien t narrator , "unmistak ably" i n contro l o f he r fiction, i s thu s no t merel y a matte r o f narrative strateg y o r technique : i t i s essentiall y a defens e agains t the fea r o f "nonentity. " And , a s Heat h correctl y point s out , th e author's "concep t o f a savin g pattern " i s a centra l them e i n al l o f her novels. 36 Bowen's reflection s o n th e interconnection s betwee n ar t an d reality validate my speculations o n the relations between her "post poned" adolescen t crisi s an d he r authorship . Fo r i s no t th e essen tial "amorphousness " o f huma n natur e mos t strikingl y contraste d to th e writer' s authorit y i n th e litera l extinctio n o f Danielstow n a t the en d o f LSf Th e imaginar y experienc e apparentl y no t onl y served t o subdu e th e author' s fea r tha t he r famil y hom e migh t thu s be destroye d bu t als o t o deflec t th e destabilizin g effect s th e envis aged even t woul d hav e o n her . Furthermore , Bowen' s belie f i n fiction a s "realler " tha n lif e entail s tha t th e ac t o f fictionalizing allowed he r a kind o f contro l tha t so-calle d rea l lif e certainl y coul d not supply . A s a n autho r "playin g God " ove r he r fictional worl d she created her own, reassuringly meaningfu l reality . Bowen's exer tion o f he r authoria l powe r i n th e closin g sectio n ma y see m a n overly dramatic move on the narrative leve l of LS. O n th e extradie getic level , however , i t enable d he r t o prov e he r "overlordship "

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over he r character s an d thu s t o com e t o term s wit h th e irreducibl e lack o f meanin g a t th e hear t o f subjectivity . Tha t thi s intrinsi c shapelessness finds it s locu s i n sexuality , is , a s I hav e argued , most undisguisedl y brough t t o th e for e i n th e adolescen t quest . By enacting sexua l dispersa l a t it s narrative level , by writing th e stor y of th e subject-in-process , th e tex t itsel f therefor e simultaneousl y undermines th e author' s control . See n i n thi s perspective , th e ten sion pervadin g LS woul d see m t o mirro r th e contradictio n tha t defined th e author' s sens e of he r self. Textual Transference. Th e narrator' s authorit y surface s mos t pal pably i n th e iron y an d satir e qualifyin g th e novel' s closin g pages . Stressing it s functio n a s a measur e o f containment , Heat h finds fault wit h Bowen' s impositio n o f a "savin g pattern " here , a s "to o explicit a defens e agains t th e los s o f control." 37 Th e sens e o f unease expresse d b y thi s commen t suggest s th e valu e th e adoles cent, a s a paradigmati c figure o f sexua l instabilit y an d "unmean ing," obtain s i n relatio n t o bot h write r an d reader . B y shiftin g Heath's emphasi s in the opposite direction , we can read the contra diction betwee n th e diegeti c an d extradiegeti c level s o f th e tex t i n its irreducibility . This , i n turn , woul d enabl e u s t o accoun t fo r the disconcertin g ambivalenc e tha t th e equall y irresistibl e pull s o f disintegration an d contro l creat e in the reader o f LS. In "Th e Adolescen t Novel " (1990) , Juli a Kristev a approache s the relatio n betwee n th e autho r o f th e nove l o f developmen t an d her/his subjec t matte r fro m a psychoanalyti c perspective . Sh e ar gues tha t thes e contradictor y pull s ar e inheren t i n th e writin g o f adolescence generally. 38 Employin g a notion o f th e adolescen t a s a product o f th e imaginary , Kristev a define s thi s mythi c figure a s "less a n ag e category tha n a n ope n psychi c structure. " Thi s allow s her t o conside r writin g adolescenc e a s a n ac t o f "interrogatin g oneself o n th e role of th e imaginary" (8) . She begins b y noting tha t adolescence ca n b e calle d a crisis structure "onl y throug h th e eye s of a n ideal , stabl e law"—tha t is , fro m withi n dominan t (clinical )

Authoring Sexual Identities 103 discourse—and goe s o n t o posi t tha t adolescenc e involve s a resur gence of th e (repressed ) imaginar y "i n th e aftermat h o f th e oedipa l stabilization o f subjectiv e identity. " Th e reemergenc e o f th e re pressed lead s t o a renewe d questionin g o f th e individual' s identifi cations "alon g wit h hi s [sic] capacities fo r speec h an d symboliza tion." As an open-structure personality , the adolescent in this sens e "maintain[s] a renewabl e identit y throug h interactio n wit h an other." Consequently , th e imaginar y activit y o f writin g fiction ca n "permit a genuin e inscriptio n o f unconsciou s content s withi n lan guage" (9 ) while simultaneousl y protectin g th e subjec t "fro m pho bic affects," sinc e fictionalizing enable s her/him t o "reelaborat e hi s [sic] psychi c space " (10) . What Kristev a define s a s the tw o psychi c "registers" of writin g coincide s exactl y wit h th e aspect s o f destabi lization an d contro l structurin g th e discours e o f LS. In Western societies , Kristeva asserts , the adolescent has a "righ t to th e imaginary, " whil e t o th e adul t thi s righ t i s granted "onl y a s a reade r o r spectato r . . . o r a s artist. " Sh e narrows he r discussio n to th e genr e o f th e novel , because , a s a n ope n structur e pa r excel lence, novelisti c discours e i s "largel y tributor y . . . t o th e 'adoles cent' economy. " Narrativ e fiction generall y ca n thu s b e viewe d a s the "wor k o f a perpetua l subject-adolescent " (11) . Hence , severa l early (fifteenth-century ) adolescen t novel s singl e ou t th e "topos o f incompleteness tha t i s als o tha t o f al l possibilities " a s th e definin g feature o f th e genre . Tracin g th e Frenc h nove l o f developmen t through th e centuries , Kristev a locate s th e emergence o f th e "ques tion o f sexua l differenc e a s a n unresolve d problematic " i n th e eighteenth-century variet y o f th e genre . W e recal l that , i n psychi c terms, the adolescent, a s yet unfixed i n her/his object choice, directs her/his ques t a t the recovery o f a (second ) lov e object. Th e fictional inscription o f adolescen t perversio n o r insanity , functionin g a s th e novelist's "powerfu l scree n agains t madness " (20) , ca n therefor e be seen t o b e increasingly expresse d i n terms o f "sexua l ambiguity , disguise, polynymia " (18) . The gradua l establishmen t o f th e inne r psychic spac e tha t wa s t o becom e characteristi c o f th e nineteenth -

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century psychologica l nove l is , Kristev a maintains , initiall y se t u p as "delirium , chaos , o r emptiness. " Sinc e suc h a spac e need s a powerful orderin g principle , th e autho r subsequentl y too k u p a position o f unrestraine d powe r ove r characters , action , an d plot . The ful l developmen t o f th e novelisti c genr e ca n henc e b e argue d to reflect th e birth o f adolescenc e as crisis. The nove l for m serve s t o accommodat e th e reemergenc e o f re pressed unconsciou s content s a s wel l a s thei r recollectio n i n a process o f psychi c reorganization—usuall y calle d identit y forma tion. Kristev a conclude s tha t th e figure o f th e adolescen t i s centra l to narrativ e fiction bot h a s the "emble m o f a subjectivit y i n crisis " and a s a "mean s t o displa y th e psychic breakdow n u p t o th e poin t of psychosi s an d a t th e sam e tim e t o recollec t it , to unif y i t withi n the unit y o f th e novel " (15 , 18) . I t i s th e essentia l polyvalenc e or , to us e a Bakhtinia n term , polyphon y o f th e novelisti c genr e tha t allows fo r thes e conflictin g impulse s t o coexis t an d operat e simul taneously. In carrying over onto the reader th e intrinsic precariousness o f th e authoria l "triumph " ove r th e reemergin g oedipa l de pression, th e adolescen t nove l force s th e reade r als o full y t o experience th e threa t o f disintegratio n underlyin g her/hi s ow n sense of self. Furthermore, becaus e of the sexual overdeterminatio n of th e adolescen t crisis , reading such a text affect s her/hi m first an d foremost i n her/hi s sens e o f sexua l identity . This , incidentally , would see m to provide a convincing explanation o f Heath's uneas y objections t o th e closin g part o f LS. Kristeva's unwaverin g bia s fo r male-authore d text s prevents he r from considerin g an y femal e adolescen t novels . No r doe s sh e ex plore th e gendere d aspect s o f eithe r adolescenc e o r authoria l con trol. Even so , her genera l argumen t woul d see m to substantiat e my reading o f th e tensio n sustaine d i n th e discours e o f LS. Ther e i s a further elemen t i n th e psychoanalyti c accoun t o f adolescenc e tha t appears relevan t t o Bowen' s novels . A s a n ope n structur e enacte d by/in it s discourse , th e adolescen t nove l present s a n illuminatin g perspective o n th e writer' s psychi c investmen t i n her/hi s protago -

Authoring Sexual Identities 105 nist's searc h fo r a secon d lov e object . Kristev a maintain s tha t th e fictional representatio n o f adolescenc e provide s th e write r wit h a means t o expres s her/hi s "ow n laten t exhibitionis m o r homosexu ality." Ther e is , moreover , als o a "certai n identificatio n o f th e narrator wit h hi s seductres s o r seducer." 39 Adolescents , sh e ex plains, "escap e al l categories—eve n thos e o f code d perversions — and impos e themselve s o n novelist s a s metaphor s fo r wha t i s no t yet formed : metapho r o f wha t await s th e writer , o f wha t call s t o him, the mirag e o f prelanguag e o r unname d body " (21). 40 Because it constitute s a primaril y suggestiv e an d implici t eroticism , th e representation o f adolescenc e i s an "eroti c game " i n which "noth ing b u t . . . allusions t o junction s o f detours, " "nothin g bu t signs" are articulated . This , o f course , i s wha t th e novelis t her/himsel f i s basically concerne d with : th e "effor t t o name , t o mak e uncertai n meaning appea r a t th e frontie r o f wor d an d drive " (21-22) . W e have see n th e erotic tension i n LS accumulat e i n the middle sectio n upon whic h th e nove l hinges , durin g "Th e Visi t o f Mis s Norton. " Kristeva's observation s enabl e u s t o discer n tha t thi s tensio n i s structurally inscribe d a s unequivocall y a lesbia n eroticism , op erating o n th e narrativ e leve l betwee n Loi s an d Marda , an d o n it s extradiegetic leve l betwee n th e autho r an d he r create d seduc tress(es). Bearin g i n min d tha t Bowe n wrot e withi n a heterosexis t as muc h a s a phallocentri c cultura l context , w e ca n thu s rea d the sexua l indeterminacy , enacte d by/i n th e figure o f th e femal e adolescent an d equall y reflecte d i n th e novel' s discourse , a s th e expression o f th e author' s ow n (conflictual ) same-se x desire . Kristeva assume s th e interactio n betwee n writer/text/reade r t o be a dynamic s involvin g bot h "transferenc e an d interpretation. " I t follows tha t th e desirou s investmen t o n th e writer' s par t i s dis placed ont o her/hi s tex t and , similarly , carrie d ove r ont o th e reader. Th e objec t o f th e reader' s desir e i s located i n th e figure o f the adolescen t an d b y extensio n i n th e novelisti c form, fo r th e tex t itself constitute s th e "writing-mimesi s o f a structur e essentiall y open, incomplete. " A s th e "semioti c elaboration " o f reawakene d

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imaginary material , th e adolescen t novel , Kristev a contends , ca n for th e reade r b e "anythin g bu t a drug " (22) . The implication s o f the transferenc e effec t sugges t tha t he r ow n exclusiv e focu s o n male adolescen t novel s i s perhap s mor e tha n simpl y a matte r o f convenience o r establishe d practice. 41 Lee' s curiou s silenc e o n th e sexual qualit y o f Lois' s encounte r wit h Marda , an d he r failur e generally t o explor e th e lesbian aspect s o f Bowen' s work , ar e here with als o cas t i n somewha t o f a differen t light. 42 I t hardl y need s pointing ou t tha t th e transferenc e effec t t o som e exten t explain s and, I ma y hope , sufficientl y validate s th e emphase s I hav e bee n placing in (re)constructin g th e meanings of LS. I have tried to sho w that rathe r tha n a nostalgi c retur n t o th e past , Bowen' s "recall " book i s a nove l o f adolescenc e an d subversiv e sexua l desire , a s well a s a thoroughl y moral/politica l work . Th e author' s growin g preoccupation wit h the technologies o f gender in relation to discur sive power wil l b e the focu s o f m y nex t chapter , wher e thes e issue s will b e linked u p with histor y an d th e movement o f narrative .

4 Histories of Narrative Desire There cannot b e a moment in which nothin g happens. —The Heat of the Day

The Fictitious Reality

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Fragmented Figments. In LS, Bowe n present s a n a s ye t unforme d character tryin g t o negotiat e he r positio n withi n fixed an d oppressive ideologica l structures . Embodie d i n th e figure o f th e female adolescent , gendere d subjectivit y itsel f represent s th e unstable, disruptive , o r indeterminat e element . I n he r war-tim e novel, The Heat of the Day (hereafter , HD), th e sam e theme s o f dislocation an d dispersa l emerge , bu t th e role s o f agenc y hav e been reversed : i t i s no t interna l bu t externa l force s tha t ar e i n flux an d tha t se t i n motio n a proces s o f destabilizatio n i n th e middle-aged protagonist . Althoug h no t a n adolescen t i n th e clinical sense , Stell a Rodne y face s a dilemm a simila r t o Lois' s when sh e finds hersel f surrounde d b y a worl d i n whic h n o structure, materia l o r ideological , appear s t o hold . HD's heroin e i s newl y expose d t o th e crisi s inheren t i n th e process o f subjectivit y whe n th e sociocultura l framework s tha t define he r quit e literall y brea k down . Th e questio n o f subjectivit y is approache d fro m a differen t angle : i t i s no t th e individual' s struggle t o demarcat e hersel f i n relatio n t o externa l structure s bu t 107

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the de(con)structio n o f a constitute d sens e o f femal e sel f tha t i s central t o th e novel . Wherea s identit y i s expose d a s a "necessar y fiction" withi n a contingen t se t o f discursiv e power/knowledg e relations, th e tex t focuse s o n wha t happen s whe n thi s networ k i s violently obliterated , whil e th e heterosexua l contrac t underpinning i t stil l holds . Th e sens e o f suspende d crisis pervading LS reache s a poin t o f explosio n an d acquire s a gruesome actualit y i n th e almos t ephemera l qualit y o f HD' s setting: bombed-ou t Londo n afte r th e Blitz . B y situatin g th e forces o f destabilizatio n i n th e materia l "timespace " i n whic h th e story unfolds , th e tex t bring s th e historica l basi s o f gendere d subjectivity t o th e for e i n a n extremel y disturbin g manner . Recognition o f th e operation s o f tim e an d narrativ e histor y o n the individua l subject' s sens e o f realit y force s Stell a Rodne y t o reconsider he r experienc e o f sel f a s wel l a s th e mora l orde r i n relation t o whic h sh e ha s thu s fa r define d thi s self . Wherea s lesbian sexualit y play s a mino r rol e o n th e representationa l leve l of th e text , bein g largel y confine d t o on e o f th e novel' s subplots , such narrativ e displacemen t an d th e novel' s radica l critiqu e o f the intertwinin g system s o f phallogocentris m an d compulsor y heterosexuality nonetheles s invit e a lesbia n feminis t readin g o f HD, Befor e movin g o n t o th e narrativ e proper , I wil l briefl y discuss som e o f Bowen' s (nonfictional ) observation s o n th e wa r and war-tim e writin g s o a s t o contextualiz e HD i n th e author' s continuing effor t a t "transpose d autobiography. " Appearing i n 1949 , HD wa s Bowen' s first full-lengt h nove l t o be publishe d i n eleve n years . Althoug h sh e ha d finished th e first five chapter s b y 1944 , th e upheaval s o f th e time s mad e i t impossible fo r he r t o maintai n th e sustaine d concentratio n necessary fo r th e completio n o f a wor k o f suc h lengt h an d complexity. Throughou t th e war , sh e worke d a s a journalis t an d as a reporte r fo r th e Ministr y o f Intelligenc e and , i n addition , published a n autobiographica l accoun t o f he r childhoo d i n Ireland, th e previousl y mentione d histor y o f he r family , an d a

Histories of Narrative Desire 109 work o f literar y criticism, 1 whil e a t th e sam e tim e carryin g ou t her dutie s a s a n AR P warden . Prevente d fro m completin g HD y Bowen restricte d he r writin g o f fiction t o th e shor t story . Collected i n The Demon Lover (1945 ; hereafter , DL), he r war time storie s featur e a "snapshot " quality , whic h sh e late r accounted fo r b y declarin g tha t "yo u canno t render , yo u ca n only embrac e . . . somethin g vas t tha t i s happenin g righ t o n to p of you." 2 I n a n essa y writte n i n 1942 , Bowe n explaine d wha t th e "closeness" o f th e war-tim e event s implied : There is at present evident, in the reflective writer, not so much inhibition or dulling of his own feelin g a s an inability to obtain th e focus necessar y for art. One cannot reflect, or reflect on, what is not wholly in view. These years rebuf f th e imaginatio n a s muc h b y bein g fragmentar y a s b y bein g violent. It is by dislocations, by recurrent checks to his desire for meaning, that the writer is most thrown out. The imagination cannot simply endure events; for it the passive role is impossible. Where it cannot dominate, it is put out of action. 3 As w e hav e seen , Bowe n ha d alway s regarde d writin g a s a mean s to creat e patterns i n a n otherwis e incoheren t an d meaningles s real ity, a s a dialogic/discursiv e proces s involvin g bot h write r an d reader. Th e passage cite d her e doe s not , therefore , sugges t tha t th e war suddenl y introduce s fragmentatio n an d violatio n i n a hereto fore homogeneou s an d amenabl e world . Wha t i t doe s indicat e i s that fragmentatio n o n th e leve l o f empirica l realit y effect s a mea sure of disintegratio n tha t transgresses th e limits of subjectiv e com prehension. Th e wa r produce d a degre e o f meaninglessnes s tha t fell outsid e anyone' s imaginativ e scope . The storie s Bowe n produce d betwee n th e sprin g o f 194 1 an d the lat e autum n o f 194 4 wer e al l writte n o n commission , a s i f sh e felt entitle d t o indulg e i n th e privat e ac t o f writin g o n publi c demand only . Ye t it was i n th e practice o f he r ar t tha t th e author' s views o n th e socia l basi s o f subjectiv e experienc e or , i n Bakhtinia n terms, th e dialogi c natur e o f th e self , wer e reaffirmed . A s sh e observed abou t he r war-tim e storie s i n retrospect : "the y wer e fly-

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ing particle s o f somethin g enormou s an d inchoat e tha t ha d bee n going on . The y wer e spark s fro m experience—a n experienc e no t necessarily m y own." 4 Havin g elsewher e define d experienc e a s th e "reaction t o wha t happens , no t th e happenin g itself, " and , w e recall, a s a writer' s "uniqu e susceptibility " tha t i n it s tur n consti tutes her/hi s subjectivity , Bowe n apparentl y continue d t o us e writ ing a s a protectiv e shiel d agains t th e fea r o f "shapelessness " tha t had induce d he r t o becom e a write r i n th e first place. 5 Bowen' s discursive power s enable d he r t o surviv e th e chao s tha t threatene d annihilation—physically a s muc h a s mentally . B y giving symboli c form t o th e "things—ideas , images , emotions—[that ] cam e through wit h forc e an d rapidity , sometime s violence " a s soo n a s she sa t dow n t o write , Bowe n "authored " he r bewilderin g experi ence. Unabl e t o "dominate " entirel y a n intellectuall y unaccount able "objective" reality , she continued t o fee l ambivalen t abou t he r attempts t o impos e orde r an d for m upo n it . Later sh e was to asser t that he r war-tim e storie s ha d "thei r ow n momentum , whic h [she ] had t o control, " th e "acts " i n the m havin g a n "authorit y whic h [she] coul d no t question." 6 B y linking authorshi p t o th e desir e fo r meaning an d th e wil l t o power , bot h her e an d i n th e passag e quoted above , Bowe n reveal s tha t th e magnifyin g effect s o f th e war, whil e addin g t o th e urgenc y o f he r fictions, gav e new impetu s to her idea s abou t th e relations betwee n power , language , and sub jectivity. Bowen concede d tha t sh e "woul d no t hav e misse d bein g i n London throughou t th e war fo r anything : i t was the 'mos t interest ing period o f [her ] life. ' " 7 On e o f th e reason s wh y th e war wa s s o fascinating wa s tha t it s amplifyin g forc e affecte d everyon e o n th e subjective level . Or , a s a characte r i n on e o f th e war-tim e storie s asserts: " 'Whateve r yo u ar e thes e days , yo u ar e rathe r mor e so . That's on e thin g I'v e discovere d abou t thi s war. ' " 8 A "sensation alist" lik e s o man y o f he r protagonists , whos e "imaginatio n . . . [was] mos t caught , mos t fired, mos t worke d upo n b y th e unfamil iar," Bowe n live d throug h th e wa r "wit h ever y por e open. " 9 Th e

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major preoccupation s controllin g he r prewa r fiction accordingl y became mor e pronounced : he r "ow n values " wer e "accentuate d rather tha n changed." 10 Still , a noticeabl e shif t di d occu r i n th e author's view s o n he r relatio n t o society . A s we hav e seen , Bowe n had alway s maintaine d tha t sh e wa s "quit e unrelatable." 11 I n th e postscript t o th e first U.S . editio n o f he r collectio n o f war-tim e stories, sh e dwell s o n th e chang e th e wa r effecte d i n thi s respect . Her "sens e o f th e abnormal, " havin g alway s bee n "acute " i n "so called 'normal ' times, " wa s temporaril y alleviate d b y th e collaps e of everythin g "normal. " A s "mor e a territor y tha n . . . a pag e o f history," Bowe n describe s th e wa r climat e a s on e i n whic h "w e all live d i n a stat e o f luci d abnormality. " He r "feelin g o f sligh t differentiation" wa s suspended : sh e fel t "on e with , an d jus t like , everyone else. " Th e violen t breakdow n o f socia l barrier s an d boundaries mad e Bowe n fee l tha t sh e "live d man y lives , an d stil l more, lived unde r th e repercussion s o f s o many thousand s o f othe r lives." 12 Thi s resulte d i n a n expansio n o f wha t sh e ha d terme d "synthetic experience, " formerl y use d onl y wit h referenc e t o th e "layers o f fictitious memory, " th e "overlappin g an d hauntin g o f life by fiction" sh e considered necessar y "t o mak e oneself." 13 Fro m the inferenc e tha t "almos t n o experience " finding it s wa y int o he r war-time work wa s to be "vouched fo r a s being wholly [her ] own, " the notio n o f "syntheti c experience " came , unde r th e pressur e o f war, t o comprehen d so-calle d rea l life . Suc h a blurrin g o f th e boundaries betwee n fac t an d fiction or , mor e precisely , betwee n Self an d (the ) Other/s , signifie s tha t Bowe n full y appreciate d th e profoundly psychi c level on whic h th e phenomenon o f wha t Bakh tin designate s dialogis m occurs : "Durin g th e wa r th e overcharge d subconsciousnesses o f everybod y overflowe d an d merged." 14 The war confirme d tha t ideolog y an d subjectivit y ar e contingen t processes tha t operat e in/throug h materia l practice s an d actions . The importanc e o f materia l framework s ha d bee n born e i n o n Bowen fro m he r earl y childhoo d onward . He r persona l history , full o f emotiona l an d physica l upheavals , ha d produce d i n he r a n

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ingrained sens e o f exile. 15 He r sens e o f plac e an d it s functio n a s a defense (i n th e psychoanalyti c sense ) agains t disintegratio n ha d always bee n acute . Th e crucia l functio n o f materia l realit y i s ren dered explici t b y the narrator i n The Death of the Heart: After insid e upheavals , i t i s importan t t o fix o n imperturbabl e things. Their imperturbableness, thei r ai r that nothin g has happened renew s our guarantee. Pictures would not be hung plumb over the centres of fireplaces or wallpaper s paste d o n wit h suc h precisio n tha t thei r seam s mak e n o break in the pattern if life were really not possible to adjudicate for . These things ar e what w e mean whe n w e speak o f civilization : the y remin d u s how exceedingly seldo m the unseemly or unforeseeable raise s its head. In this sense , th e destructio n o f building s an d furnitur e i s mor e palpabl y dreadful t o the spirit than the destruction o f human life. . . . Only outside disaster is irreparable. (207-8) The passage was written i n 1938 . Rather tha n appearin g "painful " in the " l i g h t . . . o f what happene d s o soon after," 16 w e may safel y assume tha t Bowen' s consciou s acknowledgmen t o f th e materia l inscription o f subjectivit y enable d he r t o dea l wit h th e "mos t pal pably dreadful " whe n th e "unseemly " cam e abou t i n th e for m o f World Wa r II . Suc h a n awarenes s allowe d he r t o conside r th e social an d mora l implication s o f th e wa r and , a t th e sam e time , t o give artisti c expressio n t o it s effect s o n th e inter - an d intrasubjec tive levels. Bowen's perceptio n o f th e almos t grotesqu e form s tha t huma n behavior ma y tak e unde r extrem e circumstance s deepene d he r un derstanding of the interdependence o f fiction an d so-called rea l life . She saw tha t th e constriction s o f livin g in a cit y unde r sieg e mean t that "self-expressio n i n smal l way s stoppe d . . . smal l way s [that ] had bee n s o ver y smal l tha t w e ha d no t realize d ho w muc h the y amounted to. " Signifying practice s were shown t o constitute rathe r then merel y demarcat e (self-)identity : "Yo u use d t o know what you were lik e from th e things you liked , and chose . Now ther e wa s not wha t yo u liked , an d yo u di d no t choose." 17 I f Bowe n had , i n 1938, insisted tha t th e imperturbablenes s o f materia l realit y serve s

Histories of Narrative Desire 113 as a guarante e agains t th e possibilit y o f th e individua l subject' s essential meaninglessness , b y 194 5 sh e had com e to th e conclusio n that i t i s onl y withi n concret e sociohistorica l context s tha t som e form o f coheren t subjectivit y ca n com e int o existenc e a t all . A s means o f (self-)representation , th e (provisional ) meaning s o f mate rial object s amoun t t o th e meanin g o f th e individua l her/himself : "People whos e home s ha d bee n blow n u p wen t t o infinit e length s to assembl e bit s o f themselves—broke n ornaments , od d shoes , torn scrap s o f th e curtain s tha t ha d hun g i n a room—fro m th e wreckage." Th e war , b y disruptin g th e symboli c process , threat ened th e tota l extinctio n o f th e self . This recognitio n gav e furthe r significance t o Bowen' s view s o n th e psychologica l functio n o f literature an d language . Notin g tha t peopl e "assemble d an d checked themselve s fro m storie s an d poems , fro m thei r memories , from on e another' s talk, " sh e retrospectivel y maintaine d tha t "al l wartime writin g i s . . . resistanc e writing." 18 B y creatin g fictiona l worlds, assemble d bot h fro m th e past an d fro m th e "anaesthetize d and bewildere d present, " th e write r put s u p a defens e agains t th e threat o f tota l disintegration : Every writer during this time was aware of the personal cry of the individual. And he was aware of th e passionate attachmen t o f me n an d wome n to ever y objec t o r imag e o r plac e o r lov e o r fragmen t o f memor y wit h which his or her destiny seemed to be identified, an d by which the destiny seemed to be assured. 19 Instead o f underminin g Bowen' s notio n o f th e "insufficienc y o f so called rea l life, " th e constan t "desiccation " o f dail y lif e tha t th e war entaile d foregrounde d th e critica l functio n o f fiction. Particu larly i n a period o f full-scal e disaster , whe n al l "direction " i s lost , the write r seem s stil l capabl e o f offerin g th e "possibilit y o f shape." 20 When sh e wa s preparin g th e collectio n o f he r storie s afte r th e war, Bowe n sa w reflecte d i n the m a "risin g tid e o f hallucination. " She emphasize d tha t thes e "hallucination s . . . are no t a peril ; no r

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are th e storie s studie s o f menta l peril . Th e hallucination s ar e a n unconscious, instinctive , savin g resor t o n th e par t o f th e charac ters." Th e creatio n o f thes e "small-worlds-within-world s o f hallu cination" functione d a s a "savin g resort " fo r characters , readers , and autho r alike : the y were Bo wen's wa y o f answerin g to a realit y in whic h "wha t wa s happenin g wa s ou t o f al l proportio n t o ou r faculties fo r knowing , thinkin g an d checkin g up. " Recognizing th e stakes o f al l form s o f signifyin g practic e t o b e subjectivit y itself , she asserts tha t i n al l these "littl e dea r savin g illusory worlds, " it is "the T tha t i s sought—and retrieve d a t th e cos t o f n o littl e pain. " By constructing patterns—"th e conventiona l patter n on e doe s no t easily break , an d i s loat h t o brea k becaus e i t i s T saving"—th e writer, w e ma y infer , i s tryin g t o giv e meanin g t o inchoat e realit y as much a s to her/himself. 21 Constructed Realities. Th e wa r gav e focu s t o Bowen' s thought s on histor y an d historiography . Sh e recognize d tha t he r fictional reconsiderations o f th e pas t wer e essentiall y act s o f self-(re ) construction. Returnin g t o HD i n 1945 , sh e foun d i t "fa r th e mos t difficult" nove l sh e ha d attempte d s o far . Th e "enormousl y com prehensive" scop e sh e intende d i t t o hav e le d he r fa r beyon d a historical perio d tha t i n itsel f wa s alread y difficul t t o grasp. 22 Writing t o he r love r Charle s Ritchie , she complained: "[HD ] pres ents ever y possibl e proble m i n th e worl d . . . almost anythin g tha t happens roun d m e contribute s t o it." 2 3 Sh e professe d tha t sh e "would no t i n th e leas t mind " i f thi s wer e he r "las t shot, " i f sh e "never wrot e anythin g els e again. " Anticipatin g tha t a numbe r o f Bowen's majo r theme s woul d converg e i n HD, thes e comment s attest t o the pivotal positio n o f th e novel in her oeuvre as a whole. As indicated earlier , Bowe n had , i n literatur e a s much a s in rea l life, alway s bee n explicitl y concerne d wit h th e operatio n o f th e past i n th e here an d now . I n "Th e Ben d Back, " a n essa y written i n 1951, sh e discusse s th e significanc e o f th e prevailin g moo d o f nostalgia i n postwa r literature. 24 Castin g bac k ove r th e century ,

Histories of Narrative Desire 115 the autho r trace s th e "declin e o f lov e fo r th e present " an d th e concomitant "los s o f fait h i n it " bac k t o 1914 . Th e psychologica l climate followin g Worl d Wa r I , sh e argues , gav e ris e t o a "litera ture o f contemporar y sensation " tha t prove d s o ephemera l a s t o have disappeare d eve n befor e Worl d Wa r I I obliterate d whateve r "confidence i n living " ma y stil l hav e remained . Th e postwa r writer, sh e claims, in turning to the past, i n "loving life b y loving it at one remove," is trying to recover the "prepossession wit h living " rather tha n exten d th e "vacuum " lef t b y predecessors . Th e activ e engagement wit h th e pas t i s no t a "compromise " s o muc h a s a n ontological necessity , fo r i t i s only thu s tha t th e "life-illusion " ca n be sustained . Bowe n clarifie s th e poin t b y emphasizin g tha t "on e invests one' s identit y in one' s memory . T o re-liv e an y moment , acutely, i s t o b e mad e certai n tha t on e no t onl y wa s bu t is." 2 5 Shifting he r focu s t o th e historic a s distinct fro m th e personal past , Bowen contend s tha t this , too , ca n onl y b e know n b y bein g "re created i n term s o f art. " Suc h a clai m almos t literall y articulate s one o f th e basi c tenet s o f postmoder n thought : tha t bot h histor y and realit y ar e accessible only through thei r textua l inscriptions . As ne w historicis t Hayde n Whit e point s out , historica l "facts " are constitute d rathe r tha n given. 26 Wha t historian s choos e t o sa y (describe an d interpret ) abou t th e worl d i s no t onl y determine d by thei r socioeconomi c context s bu t als o b y discursiv e codes . T o historicize i s t o naturaliz e o r familiariz e perception s int o pattern s of coherence . Sinc e th e impuls e t o mythologiz e i s inheren t i n lan guage, i n discourse , i t i s "b y figuration tha t th e historia n constitutes th e subjec t o f th e discourse." 27 Writin g histor y i s thu s no t simply reductio n (throug h selection ) bu t i s i n fac t a distortio n o f the phenomen a i t i s presume d t o describe . Writer s o f fiction an d historians alik e produc e ideologicall y determine d representation s of som e sor t o f "reality. " White' s theor y o f histor y implie s tha t both presen t an d pas t ar e discursiv e constructs—whethe r cas t i n terms o f societ y o r o f individua l subjectivity . I t i s precisely suc h a view tha t emerge s fro m Bowen' s essa y "Th e Ben d Back. " In orde r

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to construc t reality , sh e maintains , th e write r mus t brin g int o pla y "factitious memory, " tha t is , s/he mus t mak e u s "see m t o remem ber tha t whic h w e hav e no t actuall y known " (56) . Since i t i s "no t the pas t bu t th e ide a o f th e past " tha t i s bein g recreate d i n dis course, the historian deal s in "illusions" just as the writer o f fiction does. Moreover , a s a consequenc e o f th e "ver y necessit y t o com pose a picture, " bot h th e historia n an d th e fiction write r "canno t but eliminate , edit—and so , falsify." Thi s i s why bot h historiogra phy an d th e writin g o f fiction ar e directl y linke d t o th e regulator y regimes o f power/knowledge : tha t whic h ca n b e sai d a s muc h a s the way s i n whic h i t ca n b e sai d depend s o n th e distributio n o f positions o f discursiv e authorit y i n a give n societ y a t a give n time . As Bowe n put s it : agains t "th e favoure d few " t o who m position s from whic h t o spea k ar e available , ther e ar e th e "million s . . . leaving behin d n o trace, " whos e "brutalisin g humiliations " ar e therefore simpl y "forgotten." 28 These view s anticipat e Foucault' s argumen t i n The Archeology of Knowledge and Discourse on Language (1969) , where he main tains tha t "i n ever y societ y th e productio n o f discours e i s a t onc e controlled, selected , organised , an d redistribute d accordin g t o a certain numbe r o f procedures, " amon g whic h are , first an d fore most, the "rule s o f exclusion 9':29 We kno w perfectl y wel l tha t w e ar e no t fre e t o sa y jus t anything , tha t w e cannot simpl y spea k o f anything , whe n w e lik e o r wher e w e like ; no t just anyone , finally, ma y spea k o f jus t anything . W e hav e thre e type s o f prohibition, coverin g objects , ritua l wit h it s surroundin g circumstances , the privilege d o r exclusiv e right t o spea k o f a particula r subject ; thes e prohibitions interrelate , reinforc e an d complemen t eac h other , formin g a complex web , continuall y subjec t t o modification . . . . I n appearance , speech ma y wel l b e o f littl e account , bu t th e prohibition s surroundin g i t soon revea l it s link s wit h desir e an d power . Thi s shoul d no t b e ver y surprising, fo r psychoanalysi s ha s alread y show n u s tha t speec h i s no t merely th e medium whic h manifests—o r dissembles—desire ; i t is also th e object o f desire . (216 )

Histories of Narrative Desire ny The inextricable link s among desire , power/knowledge, an d discur sive practice s form , a s wil l b e clear , on e o f th e centra l preoccupa tions withi n Bowen' s preoccupatio n wit h th e past . He r concer n with thes e issue s di d no t suddenl y aris e during o r afte r Worl d Wa r II. 30 Sh e had , i n effect , starte d workin g o n he r majo r historica l work (Bowen's Court) i n th e earl y summe r o f 193 9 an d develope d most o f he r idea s i n th e are a o f historiograph y whil e tracin g th e history o f he r ow n family . Th e horrifyin g event s o f th e wa r high lighted th e pertinence of he r considerations an d gav e them a dread ful actuality . A s sh e wa s t o explai n i n th e afterwor d (1963 ) t o Bowen's Court: I have stresse d a s dominant i n th e Bowen s factor s I saw a s dominan t i n the world I wrote in—for instance , subjection t o fantasy an d infatuatio n with th e ide a o f power . . . . Fantasy i s toxic: th e private cruelt y an d th e world wa r bot h hav e their star t i n the heated brain . Showin g fantasy , i n one for m o r another , d o it s unhapp y wor k i n th e live s o f m y ancestors , I wa s consciou s a t almos t ever y momen t o f nightmaris h bi g analogie s everywhere. Also, the idea o f th e idea o f powe r governe d m y analysis of the Bowen s an d o f th e mean s they took—thes e being , i n som e cases , emotional—to enforce themselves on their world. (454-55 ) The implication s o f th e presume d interconnection s amon g ideas , fantasy, an d th e will to power wil l emerge i n the cours e o f thi s an d the nex t chapter . Wha t I wan t t o emphasiz e a t thi s poin t i s tha t Bowen's stud y o f th e past, he r look int o the "microcosmic " societ y of he r Anglo-Iris h family , intensifie d he r awarenes s o f th e contex tual inscriptio n o f th e subjec t i n history , impressin g he r ane w wit h the fundamental reciprocit y o f thes e processes : I begin to notice . . . the pattern [th e Bowens] unconsciously went to make. And I can see that that pattern has its relation to the outside more definite pattern o f history. . . . My family, thoug h notabl y "unhistoric, " had their part i n a dram a outsid e themselves . Thei r assertions , thei r compliances , their refusals a s men and women went, year by year, generation by generation, t o giv e histor y direction , a s wel l a s colou r an d stuff . Eac h o f th e

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family, i n thei r differen t manners , were more than thei r time' s products ; they were its agents. (452) The extremit y o f th e time s deepene d Bowen' s appreciatio n o f th e operation o f th e pas t an d strengthene d rathe r tha n weakene d he r engagement i n the present : The war-time urgency of the present. . . seemed to communicate itself t o one's vie w o f th e past , until , t o th e mos t privat e ac t o r decision , ther e attached one' s sens e of it s part i n some campaign. . . . The past—privat e just a s much a s historic—seemed t o m e . .. t o matte r mor e than ever : it acquired meanin g . . . detail s leape d ou t wit h significance . Nothin g tha t ever happened, nothin g tha t wa s ever even willed, planned o r envisaged , could see m irrelevant . Wa r i s no t a n accident : i t i s a n outcome . On e cannot look back too far to ask, of what? (454) Central t o HD i s this question concernin g the interdependent oper ations o f bot h privat e an d publi c history, which a t thei r constantl y shifting point s o f intersection constitut e the individual subjec t who , in her/hi s turn , leave s her/hi s ow n meaning-engenderin g trace s o n the ma p o f "reality. " Thu s HD bring s togethe r severa l b y no w familiar Bowe n themes . Whil e providin g a distinc t lin k betwee n her wor k an d curren t critica l theory , th e wa r novel' s focu s o n the interrelation s betwee n powe r an d discours e gain s particula r relevance sinc e Bowen—unlik e Foucault—pay s specifi c attentio n to th e structurin g rol e o f sexua l differenc e i n thes e variou s pro cesses of narrativization . Inscribing the Self. HD brough t Bowe n he r greates t popula r suc cess: it a t onc e sol d forty-fiv e thousan d copie s an d ha s becom e on e of th e classi c novel s i n Englis h literatur e abou t Worl d Wa r II. 31 Even so , th e boo k ha s provoke d mixe d responses , bot h immedi ately afte r it s publicatio n an d amon g late r critics. 32 On e o f th e problems HD present s i s it s unwillingnes s t o b e fitted int o an y traditional novelisti c genre . A s a n evocatio n o f a pivotal perio d i n English culture , th e nove l combine s element s o f a sp y stor y wit h a

Histories of Narrative Desire 119 narrative o f psychologica l developmen t couche d i n wha t Bowe n herself calle d th e "point-blan k melodrama " o f a lov e story. 33 HD is b y n o mean s a sp y stor y i n th e ordinar y sense ; it s suspens e derives fro m psycholog y rathe r tha n plot. 34 Stylistically, th e nove l i s als o problematic . Th e disruptiv e tech niques featurin g i n Bowen' s previou s work—doubl e negatives , in versions, broke n syntacti c order , an d unconventiona l passiv e con structions—acquire suc h frequenc y an d prominenc e tha t the y ma y seem sign s o f affectation . A s a result , HD ha s bee n variousl y criticized a s "strained " an d "contorted, " it s textua l surfac e a s "distracting" an d "evasive." 35 Whe n Jocelyn e Brook e expresse d such criticism s i n a n intervie w wit h th e autho r i n 1950 , Bowe n responded tha t " a certai n overstrai n whic h yo u felt , whic h a grea t number o f othe r peopl e hav e bee n awar e o f probabl y cam e fro m a too hig h tensio n fro m m y tryin g t o pu t languag e t o wha t fo r m e was a totall y ne w use , an d wha t perhap s was , showe d itsel f t o be , a quit e impossibl e use." 3 6 Althoug h a novelis t ca n neve r b e th e final authorit y o n he r work , I conside r thi s commen t valuabl e i n that i t supports m y claim that the idiosyncratic stylisti c contortion s in HD ar e closel y entwine d wit h th e novel' s thematics. 37 Rathe r than showin g a los s o f control , th e textua l eccentricitie s for m a n intrinsic part o f th e continuin g discursiv e "struggle " that th e nove l represents i n the author' s writin g practice . There i s als o th e proble m o f scope . A s m y introductor y com ments suggest , HD deal s with a wide range o f comple x issues . On e of th e questions i t addresses i s the functionin g o f plot an d plotting . The intricate ways i n which plo t operates ar e problematized o n th e intra- a s wel l a s o n th e extradiegeti c level s o f th e text . Th e mai n plot, concernin g Stella' s quest , i s offset b y tw o subplots . Althoug h interrelated, thes e variou s stor y line s ar e no t full y integrated . Th e fragmented structur e an d th e comprehensivenes s o f th e novel' s scope giv e th e tex t a s a whol e a fundamentall y disjunctiv e aspect . My attemp t a t delineatin g som e of th e majo r problem s i t poses ha s

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occasionally becom e a n experience o f profound disorientation ; thi s in turn wil l no doub t have found it s way into the following (re ) construction o f th e text's operations . Narrativization and Historical Time. It s disruptiv e styl e an d dis jointed structur e notwithstanding , HD wa s Bowen' s "mos t 'narra tive' nove l t o date." 3 8 Temporall y se t agains t a clearl y define d historical period , th e stor y unfold s i n a serie s o f scene s whos e spatial setting s operat e lik e the changin g scener y i n a theater, eac h acquiring a role of agenc y simila r t o that o f th e dramati s personae . The nove l open s i n Septembe r 194 2 an d end s exactl y tw o year s later wit h th e beginnin g o f th e Allie d victor y i n Europe . Situate d for th e large r par t i n th e darkes t middl e perio d o f th e war , i t depicts a fe w month s o f th e drawn-ou t lul l afte r th e Blitz , th e time aroun d Montgomery' s victor y i n Egyp t an d lon g befor e th e establishment o f th e Secon d Front . An y majo r inciden t o r shif t i n the developmen t o f th e narrativ e coincide s wit h a n incisiv e even t upon th e large r stag e o f history . Wit h th e exceptio n o f a numbe r of flashbacks int o th e recen t an d th e mor e distan t past , th e stor y follows a chronologica l progression . Th e closin g sectio n i s marke d off fro m th e res t o f th e tex t b y a tim e ga p occurrin g jus t afte r th e Allied landing s i n Nort h Africa . Th e intervenin g historica l event s are summarized b y the narrator. Foregrounde d b y a chain o f refer ences t o clock s an d watches , frequen t indication s o f th e time s o f day an d night , an d a n evocativ e renderin g o f th e movemen t o f the seasons , th e emphati c presenc e o f tim e produce s a n overal l atmosphere o f sustaine d tension . Th e stric t tim e schem e further more create s a n effec t o f ostensibl e realis m tha t sit s particularl y oddly wit h th e surrea l spatia l settings . Time an d th e inscriptio n o f the individua l withi n th e tex t o f histor y ar e thu s highlighte d fro m the start . We hav e see n tha t Bowen , whe n pushe d t o th e defens e o f HD, stressed tha t it s cente r i s a lov e stor y fro m whic h th e "res t o f th e plot germinates. " Sh e adde d tha t "love , especiall y whe n i t i s cou -

Histories of Narrative Desire 121 pled wit h fear , an y kin d o f fear , make s it s ow n scene , make s the landscap e again ; a Caligari-like subjective , exaggerated , highl y defined, perhap s slightl y ou t o f th e tru e world." 3 9 Th e novel' s narrator, i n contrast , ascertain s tha t th e lov e affai r o f Stell a Rod ney and Robert Kelwa y is not "out of the true world." Havin g met each othe r durin g th e earl y day s o f th e war, the lover s coul d no t "have love d eac h othe r bette r a t a bette r time, " fo r "a t n o othe r would the y hav e bee n themselves " (195) . Bein g "creature s o f history," J

They were not alone, nor had they bee n from th e start, from th e start of love. Thei r tim e sa t in the third plac e a t thei r table . . . . [Their ] comin g together was of a nature possible in no other day—th e da y was inherent in the nature. Which must have been always true of lovers, if it had taken till now to be seen. The relation of people to one another is subject to the relation o f eac h t o time, to what i s happening. . . . The more imperativ e the love , the deeper it s draft o n beings, til l i t has taken u p all that eve r went to their making, and according to what it draws on its nature is. . . . War a t present worke d a s a thinning o f th e membrane betwee n th e this and th e that, i t wa s a becomin g apparent—bu t the n wha t els e i s love? (194-95)

By disrupting th e linear developmen t o f the historical plot , the war not onl y destroy s th e materia l socia l orde r bu t call s int o questio n the ver y ideologie s o f linearit y an d coherenc e underlyin g both . Since history i s written fro m withi n th e same desir e for meaningfu l integration a s an y othe r for m o f narrative , th e wa r expose s th e contradictions inheren t i n the interdependent operation s o f mythi cal and historical time . In "Desir e in Narrative" (1984) , Teresa d e Lauretis explore s the crucial functio n o f sexua l differenc e i n th e operatio n o f narrativ e time. 40 Recapitulatin g Juri j Lotman' s theor y o f plot , define d a s a "text-generating mechanis m . . . coextensiv e wit h th e origi n o f culture itself, " sh e maintain s tha t mythica l text s engendere d b y this mechanis m ar e "subjec t t o a n exclusivel y cyclical-tempora l movement," withi n whic h huma n lif e i s seen a s a "recurrent , self -

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repeating cycle " ( i 16-17). Servin g t o "construc t a pictur e o f th e world i n whic h th e mos t remot e phenomen a coul d b e see n a s intimately relate d t o one another, " suc h mythica l text s could "pla y the rol e o f science, " creatin g "invarian t images " o r fixe d distinc tions t o whic h diversitie s an d varietie s coul d b e reduced. Anythin g in lif e "contravenin g . . . th e mythicall y establishe d orde r o f things" therefor e require s a text-generatin g mechanis m tha t func tions a s a "counterpart " t o th e centra l one . Thi s countermecha nism result s i n "plot-texts, " fictional narrative s i n whic h phenom ena ar e "organize d accordin g t o a linear , tempora l successio n o f events." Lotman' s analyse s sho w tha t th e "mythical-textua l me chanics" structur e th e worl d alon g th e line s o f a "simpl e chai n o f two functions , ope n a t bot h end s an d thu s endlessl y repeatable : 'entry int o a close d space , an d emergenc e fro m it ' " (118) . Sinc e the "close d space " o r obstacl e i s invariabl y connote d female , th e mythical her o is , de Lauretis infers , b y definition male . As a conse quence, Opposite pairs such as inside/outside . .. o r life/death appea r to be merely derivatives of the fundamental oppositio n between boundary and passage; and i f passag e ma y b e in eithe r directio n . . . nonetheless al l thes e term s are predicated o n th e single figureof th e hero who crosses the boundar y and penetrates the other space. In so doing the hero, the mythical subject , is constructed a s human bein g an d a s male ; he is the activ e principl e of culture, the establisher o f distinction , the creator of differences. Femal e is what i s not susceptibl e t o transformation , t o lif e o r death ; sh e (it ) i s an element of plot-space, a topos, a resistance, matrix and matter. (119) The primar y distinctio n upo n whic h mythica l though t rest s is , d e Lauretis concludes , sexua l difference , which , w e hav e noted , i s i n effect heterosexual difference . Lotman posit s th e moder n narrativ e tex t a s th e produc t o f th e "reciprocal influenc e o f the two typologically olde r kinds of texts. " These conflictin g aspect s functio n i n a relatio n o f mutua l interde pendence. Plo t ultimatel y "mediates , integrate s an d . . . reconcile s the mythica l an d th e historical, norm an d excess, " and th e moder n

Histories of Narrative Desire 123 narrative text—o n whic h th e "mythica l o r eschatologica l schema " continues t o b e imposed—take s ove r th e tas k o f th e mythica l subject i n constructin g differences . D e Laureti s henc e assert s tha t the "wor k o f narrative " ha s becom e th e "mappin g o f differences , and specifically , first an d foremost , o f sexua l differenc e int o eac h text" (120 , 121) . Th e tensio n resultin g fro m th e join t operatio n of cyclical/mythica l an d linear/historica l tim e i n th e tex t o f HD immediately establishe s a lin k betwee n th e interlockin g plot s an d the inscriptio n o f (hetero)sexua l differenc e i n th e movemen t o f th e narrative. Th e disintegratio n o f th e phallogocentri c syste m o f power/knowledge (th e organizin g principl e o f th e symboli c order ) effected b y the war therefor e implie s a recasting of bot h traditiona l historical an d mythica l notions . Th e text' s focu s o n th e "myt h o f heterosexual romance " confirm s th e centra l plac e o f sexua l differ ence withi n th e novel' s plo t a s muc h a s i n th e tex t o f history . Presenting a protagonis t "younge r b y a yea r o r tw o tha n th e cen tury," HD problematize s th e questio n o f gende r i n relatio n t o narrativization a t severa l intersectin g textua l levels . As a n "instrumen t o f he r century, " Stell a Rodne y i s force d t o recognize her answerabilit y a s a female subjec t in/t o a "true world " whose (masculine ) plo t has a t the same time produced he r (25) . O n the fac e o f it , HD' s narrativ e for m conform s t o th e patter n o f th e mythical plot , o r rather , t o tha t o f th e novelisti c genr e i n whic h such a plo t structur e ha s bee n traditionall y reinscribed , th e so called nove l o f awakening. 41 Stella' s ques t begin s whe n a ma n called Harriso n come s t o he r furnishe d fla t i n Weymout h Street . Identifying himsel f a s engage d i n counterespionage , h e accuse s Stella's lover , Rober t Kelway , o f spyin g fo r th e German s fro m hi s position a t th e Wa r Office . Harriso n offer s t o kee p hi s incriminat ing information secre t o n conditio n tha t Stell a tak e himself instea d of Rober t a s a lover an d companion . Thi s proposition immediatel y alerts u s to th e complication s t o whic h th e operatio n o f heterosex ual differenc e i n narrativizatio n gives ris e onc e th e subjec t o f a narrative i s gendered femal e instea d o f male .

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We ar e dealin g wit h a femal e protagonis t whos e itinerar y o f self-discovery motivate s th e story' s development . Genr e conven tions woul d lea d u s t o expec t a resolutio n i n th e for m o f Stella' s "awakening." After all , a s Jonatha n Culle r remind s us , th e "her meneutic code " withi n classi c realis t fictio n work s primaril y through suspens e o r mystery . Paraphrasin g Rolan d Barthes , Culle r clarifies tha t "on e coul d brin g unde r thi s headin g [o f mystery ] anything which , a s on e goe s throug h th e tex t fro m beginnin g t o end, seem s insufficientl y explained , pose s problems , arouse s a de sire to kno w th e truth." 4 2 Th e centra l functio n o f th e "momen t o f revelation" within suc h a narrative line is underscored b y the fram e of th e sp y plo t i n whic h Stella' s searc h fo r identit y i s cast . Bu t i f the desir e t o kno w i s indeed th e structurin g forc e withi n th e stor y of he r psychologica l development , th e hermeneuti c cod e i s a t th e same tim e confuse d b y th e fac t tha t Stell a i s implicate d i n a sp y plot i n which no t sh e but tw o male character s perfor m th e roles of subjective agency . Rathe r tha n movin g th e stor y "inevitabl y to wards closure whic h i s als o disclosure , th e dissolutio n o f th e enigma throug h th e reestablishmen t o f order," 4 3 th e contradictor y organization o f gende r role s i n HD actuall y preclude s a resolutio n of eithe r th e heroine' s ques t o r th e sp y plot . Suc h a frustratio n o f the hermeneuti c cod e i s not accidental . Th e tex t emphaticall y em ploys the two additiona l feature s that , Catherin e Belse y points out , characterize classi c realism, tha t is , "illusionism" an d a "hierarchy of discourses" —which work s "b y mean s o f a privileged discours e which place s a s subordinat e al l th e discourse s tha t ar e literall y o r figuratively betwee n inverte d commas." 44 Therefor e th e unre solved endin g of eithe r stor y i n effect constitute s a deliberate ac t of subversion. B y rendering th e resolutio n o f th e mal e plot ultimatel y irrelevant, the text foreground s th e dual role of the female protago nist i n th e myt h o f masculinity—i n whic h plo t structur e sh e i s necessarily inscribe d a s bot h subjec t an d object—an d denatural izes the mythical plo t o f heterosexua l difference .

Histories of Narrative Desire 12

j

The Historical Inscription of the Self Emplotment. Harrison' s schem e evolve s fro m th e movemen t o f masculine desire . D e Laureti s contend s tha t th e passag e o f th e mythical subjec t int o manhoo d construct s Woma n a s th e topo s of obstacl e o r object . Th e ques t fo r (self-)knowledge , inscribe d both i n narrativ e an d i n th e tex t o f history , thu s implie s tha t the symboli c orde r itself , organize d aroun d th e Same/Othe r opposition, i s a n econom y o f th e same . The socia l o r heterosexua l contract is—t o us e Luc e Irigaray' s term—i n fac t a syste m o f "hom(m)osexuality," translatin g th e functio n o f Woma n a s Othe r into women' s statu s a s th e object s o f mal e (symbolic ) exchange. 45 In sociopolitica l terms , i t i s women' s limite d acces s t o knowledg e and powe r tha t sustain s th e phallogocentri c order . HD bot h reinscribes an d undermine s dominan t gende r discourses . Un willingly draw n int o Harrison' s plot , Stell a is , while continuin g t o function a s th e subjec t o f th e narrativ e quest , als o transforme d into th e objec t o f mal e exchange . B y positionin g he r i n thes e conflicting functions , th e tex t a t onc e sustain s an d subvert s th e movement o f masculin e desire . Althoug h thi s movemen t is , a s I have suggested , eventuall y defeate d b y th e text' s lac k o f closure , the discursiv e natur e o f subjectivit y entail s tha t Stella' s itinerar y necessarily partake s o f th e "hom(m)osexual " econom y fro m which th e mal e character s obtai n thei r power . Th e dualit y o f th e heroine's positio n i s additionall y foregrounde d i n tha t sh e i s herself employe d i n "secret , exacting , no t unimportan t work" : sh e is "no t a woma n wh o doe s no t kno w wher e t o go " i n orde r t o check u p o n Harrison' s credentials . Bu t eve n i f Harrison' s stor y strikes Stell a a s highl y implausible , ther e i s somethin g abou t thi s man, wh o seem s "no t t o b e accounte d fo r i n an y othe r way, " tha t prevents he r fro m doin g s o (26 , 40, 39) . Increasingly compelle d t o subject hersel f t o th e structurin g o f hi s plot , Stell a stall s it s denouement b y neithe r rejectin g no r acceptin g th e "truth " o f Harrison's accusations .

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When Harriso n confront s Stell a o n th e "firs t Sunda y o f September 1942, " w e hav e alread y me t hi m i n th e evocativ e opening page s o f th e novel . Th e scen e i s Regent' s Park , wher e a crowd ha s gathere d t o atten d a n outdoo r concert . Harrison , whose "excessiv e stillnes s gav e th e effec t no t o f abando n bu t o f cryptic behaviour, " i s accoste d b y lonel y an d naiv e Loui e Lewis , whose struggle s with se x an d languag e I will discus s i n more detai l at a late r poin t (8) . Th e youn g woma n i s rudel y rebuffed , fo r Harrison see s "n o behaviou r a s bein g apar t fro m motive , an d an y motive a s worth examinin g twice " (10) . The ma n i s established a s at onc e "interesting " an d threatening : One o f hi s eye s eithe r wa s o r behave d a s bein g jus t perceptibl y highe r than th e other . Thi s la g o r inequalit y i n hi s visio n gav e [Louie ] th e feeling o f bein g looked a t twice—bein g viewe d the n checke d ove r agai n in th e sam e moment . . .. Thi s wa s a fac e wit h a gat e behin d it . . . . A face, i f no t withou t meaning , totall y an d forbiddingl y withou t mood. " (12)

The word s "meaning " an d "mood " aler t u s t o th e character' s existence a s th e produc t o f hi s (verbal ) action s and , b y extension , to th e discursivit y o f subjectivit y pe r se . Harrison, w e ar e soo n t o learn, i s a calculato r wh o ha s "neve r ye t no t com e o n a polic y which bot h satisfie d hi m an d i n th e en d worked " (14) . H e deal s with huma n being s a s though "thinkin g ou t a succession o f move s in chess" ; th e war , i n fact , form s par t o f hi s "calculations " (26 , 34). He points ou t t o Stella : " 'Wha t yo u se e now i s what I'v e see n all along. ' " (33 ) Th e latte r instantl y discern s wha t make s he r persecutor dangerous . From the fact tha t Harriso n seem s "impervi ous t o everythin g sh e felt " sh e infers tha t somethin g ha s bee n "lef t out o f [his ] composition " (30) ; th e semanti c valu e o f thi s subject effect i s unqualifie d b y "mood. " Indeed , Harriso n himsel f i s th e first t o admi t tha t love , t o him , i s a "bi t o f th e spanne r i n th e works," sinc e h e ha s "n o feeling " (22 , 31) . This , Stell a infers , i s what make s hi m difficul t t o "tape. " Underlinin g th e inextricabl e

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7

links betwee n lif e an d literature , sh e reflect s tha t Harriso n is , as a "character 'impossible,' " which , i n turn , prevent s he r fro m "giv[ing] hi m an y possibl e plac e i n th e huma n scene " (140) . Con fronted wit h he r tormentor' s "psychic , hi s mora l blindness, " th e heroine graduall y come s t o a n understandin g o f th e sociopolitica l effects o f suc h "emotiona l idiocy " o n th e par t o f individual s (42 , 142). Furthermore, th e fact tha t wa r i s Harrison's elemen t ( " Thi s is wher e I com e in ' " ) enhance s Stella' s awarenes s o f he r ow n contextualized positio n i n history (34) . Harrison's affinit y wit h th e time s show s tha t th e traditiona l separation o f th e privat e fro m th e publi c i s an ideologica l illusion . Up unti l now , Stell a ha s onl y engage d hersel f wit h th e "world , th e time whos e creatur e sh e was, " b y no t blamin g i t fo r an y o f th e "deception[s]" sh e has suffere d (133) . Passively watchin g a "clear sightedly helples s progres s toward s disaster " i n th e stor y bot h o f the worl d an d o f he r self , sh e has com e t o believ e that th e "fatefu l course of he r centur y seeme d mor e an d mor e her own." He r stanc e toward either , however, ha s remained equall y inactiv e an d submis sive. Harrison' s threat s simultaneousl y reinforc e an d giv e a twis t to Stella' s identificatio n wit h th e times . He r feelin g o f dislocatio n in a thoroughl y dislocate d worl d i s enhance d b y th e possibilit y o f a furthe r los s o f sel f i n th e fac e o f hi s attempte d blackmail . Sh e feels a s i f "togethe r sh e an d [th e world ] ha d com e t o th e testin g extremities o f thei r noonday " (133—34) . Sinc e th e figure o f th e counterspy underscore s th e artificia l natur e o f th e boundarie s be tween Sel f an d (the ) Other/s , h e compel s Stell a t o reconside r he r implication i n th e historica l present . Whe n Harriso n aptl y ob serves: " 'War , i f yo u com e t o thin k o f it , hasn' t starte d anythin g that wasn' t alread y there ' " (33) , suc h a recognitio n o f complicit y becomes positively devastating : To [Stella], tonight, "outside" meant the harmless world: the mischief was in her ow n an d i n other rooms . The grind an d scream of battles , mechanized advances excoriating flesh and country , tearin g through nerve s and

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tearing u p trees , were indoor-plotted ; thi s was a war o f dr y cerebratio n inside windowless walls. No act was not part of some calculation; spontaneity was in tatters; from th e point of view of nothing more than the heart any action was enemy action now. (142) The passag e make s clea r tha t th e discours e o f violenc e revolve s around th e issu e of emotion , o r rather , th e lac k o f it . This is not t o suggest, however, that the text sets up a straightforward oppositio n between "dr y cerebration " an d "th e heart, " th e traditiona l dicho tomy extrapolate d fro m th e binar y fram e o f sex . Nor i s Harrison , as th e almos t grotesqu e personificatio n o f mechanize d thought , placed i n th e positio n o f bein g simpl y Stella' s opposite , a s mal e versus female . I n th e end , i t i s thi s "nobody " wh o wil l convinc e Stella that "belo w on e level, everybody's horribl y alike " (138) . The heroine's dilemm a i s thus no t tha t sh e faces a choic e betwee n "th e heart" an d destructiv e "calculation" : n o suc h either/o r choic e i s available to her; nor , indeed , is such a dichotomy tenabl e a t all, fo r "in a falle n world, " w e recall , i t i s "n o us e t o attemp t a picni c in Eden. " The contradictor y positio n o f the female subjec t i n phallogocen tric culture, at once inside and outsid e the dominant field of power / knowledge, acquire s particula r poignanc y i n th e war context . Thi s is reveale d whe n Stell a sum s u p he r option s t o Harrison : "'I' m t o form a disagreeabl e associatio n i n orde r tha t a ma n b e lef t fre e t o go o n sellin g hi s country' " (36) . Because Stell a i s the othe r withi n a "hom(m)osexual " syste m o f symboli c exchange , her investment s in notions suc h a s "love " o r "country " ar e fundamentall y divided . This immediatel y pertain s t o th e leve l o f objectiv e reality , fo r i n her professiona l capacit y Stell a activel y participate s i n this "wa r o f dry cerebration" ; and , a s Harriso n submits , th e "funny " thin g about th e wa r i s th e "wa y everybody' s o n on e sid e o r th e other. " As i t happens , Stell a i s i n thi s respec t o n Harrison' s side , an d i s hence a n "enemy " o f he r traitor-love r Rober t (31) . But the conflic t also affect s he r o n th e subjectiv e level , fo r i f th e tex t woul d see m to sugges t tha t th e heroine' s characte r represent s emotio n a s op -

Histories of Narrative Desire 129 posed t o Harrison' s calculation , i t soo n turn s ou t tha t Stella' s capacity fo r actin g upon he r feeling s i s of fairl y recen t date . It is, in effect, a direc t consequenc e o f th e war : onl y wit h th e breakdow n of establishe d cultura l pattern s an d socia l structure s ha s Stell a allowed thi s long-repressed facult y t o (re)emerge . Contradictory Pulls. Whe n Harriso n first confront s Stella , sh e i s still convince d tha t "lif e ha d supplie d t o he r s o fa r nothin g s o positive a s th e abandone d past. " Havin g "com e loos e fro m he r moorings" a t a n earl y age , sh e ha s assume d th e positio n o f th e "hybrid" an d accordingl y ha s forme d n o attachment s excep t wit h her so n Roderic k (115) . Suc h a repudiatio n o f commitmen t i s reflected i n th e interio r o f he r Londo n flat. Accentuatin g Stella' s imbrication i n th e textur e o f history , th e furnishe d flat epitomize s the chillin g outcom e o f scientifi c thought , o f discursiv e practice s that "mean " withou t "mood. " A s such, it reflects th e "dry cerebra tion" tha t characterize s th e times . Permanentl y blinded , th e roo m lacks th e "apprehensio n o f time . Insid e i t th e sense s wer e cu t of f from fro m hou r an d season . . . . Sealed u p i n it s artificia l light , [it ] remained exaggerate d an d cerebral " {$6). It hardly need s pointing ou t tha t Harriso n i s much impresse d b y the flat's efficien t arrangements . Bu t th e symboli c valu e o f thi s space is not a s straightforward a s it may seem . The text's problem atization o f either/o r choice s generally , an d it s highlightin g o f th e "complificating" facto r o f binar y gender-relation s withi n them, 46 is rendere d concret e i n tha t thi s artificia l space , wher e Stell a ca n enjoy th e "irritatio n o f bein g surrounde d b y somebod y else' s irre proachable taste, " a t th e sam e tim e symbolize s he r defianc e o f th e patriarchal La w that woul d confin e he r a s a woman an d mothe r t o the hom e (24) . Henc e he r so n Roderick' s astut e observation : thi s room, i n whic h an y piec e o f furnitur e i s "withou t environment, " definitely doe s "no t loo k lik e home " (47-48) . Lackin g th e "musi c of the familiar," hi s mother's flat constitutes, he is forced t o realize, a "scen e in which h e could pla y n o part" (47 , 52).

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Though precedin g he r "emotiona l rebirth, " Stella' s rejectio n o f the traditiona l femal e rol e i s nonetheles s o f similarl y recen t date . Only whe n he r so n wa s calle d int o th e arm y di d sh e fee l a t libert y to seiz e th e "opportunit y t o mak e o r break , t o fre e hersel f o f he r house, t o com e t o Londo n t o work " (25) . While callin g attentio n to th e liberatin g effect s tha t th e disruptio n o f th e socia l orde r ha s entailed fo r (a t least some ) women, thi s is not t o sugges t that Stell a has benefite d fro m th e war i n the same way a s brazen opportunist s such a s Harriso n have . Wit h alway s "tw o o r thre e place s wher e [he] can tur n in, " Harrison's lif e is essentially organized aroun d hi s lack o f ties : i n thi s respect , h e i s hardl y affecte d b y th e curren t grand-scale dislocation . Stella , i n contrast , i s caugh t betwee n th e conflicting pull s o f he r responsibilitie s a s a mothe r an d he r desir e to brea k awa y fro m th e constraint s o f patriarcha l convention . Th e psychological cos t o f suc h a conflic t i s trenchantl y brough t t o th e fore whe n Roderic k come s to spen d a short leav e at her flat. Her son' s presenc e make s Stell a suddenl y awar e o f th e "unreal ity of the room." Apprehendin g that th e "absence of any inanimat e thing [h e and she ] had i n common se t up a n undue strain " betwee n them, sh e perceive s tha t eve n th e mos t persona l relationship s ac quire meanin g onl y b y thei r inscriptio n i n material , tha t is , publi c contexts. Both sh e and Roderic k ar e filled with a sense of "instinc tive loss " tha t the y bot h kno w t o b e mor e tha n th e "romanti c dismay o f tw o nature s romanticall y akin. " Thi s los s is , a s th e narrator point s out , " a sign , in them, of th e impoverishment o f th e world" (55-56) : Wariness ha d drive n awa y poetry : fro m hesitatin g t o fee l cam e th e moment whe n yo u n o longe r could . Wa s thi s war' s doing ? B y ever y day , every night , existenc e wa s bein g furthe r drained—you , yourself , mad e conscious o f wha t wa s happenin g onl y b y som e moment , som e meetin g such as tonight's. (55) The text goes on t o question whethe r i t is not the failure o f civiliza tion pe r s e that ha s resulte d i n th e "ban , th e check , th e cautio n a s

Histories of Narrative Desire 131 to al l spendin g an d mos t o f al l th e expenditur e o f feeling. " Evi dently, th e discours e o f violenc e ha s rendere d th e subject s i t pro duces a s seriousl y lackin g a s i t ha s show n itsel f t o be , insofa r a s the violation s i t generate s fin d thei r ultimat e destinatio n i n th e individual. Th e crisi s o f th e time s bot h reflect s an d i s reflecte d i n the "impoverishment " o f intersubjectiv e relations. 47 Stella' s sens e of los s an d guil t i s relate d t o th e fac t tha t bot h sh e an d Roderic k are produce d b y an d dependen t o n phallocrati c technologies . I f Stella's inside/outsid e positio n allow s her , t o a limite d extent , t o defy thei r constraints , her son—literall y th e arme d defende r o f th e Law—is clearl y no t i n a positio n t o d o so . Th e socia l disintegra tion tha t ha s brough t he r a degre e o f relativ e autonom y a s a woman demand s it s pric e precisel y i n th e field i n whic h Stella' s position i s most contradictory , i n he r rol e a s a mother—which, i n phallogocentric term s i s almost synonymou s wit h femininity . Her shar p insigh t int o th e interpellatin g operation s o f ideolog y surfaces explicitl y when Stell a reflects tha t Roderic k has apparentl y come t o see k "som e identit y lef t b y hi m i n he r keeping. " Sh e dreads a "dissolutio n insid e hi s lif e . . . neve r t o b e repaired, " fearing tha t he r "so n migh t possibl y disappea r . . . i n the cours e o f a process , a bein g processed " i n th e arm y (48-49) . Stell a further more know s tha t he r ow n an d he r son' s investment s i n th e sym bolic orde r ar e i n th e final instanc e irreconcilable . Thi s realizatio n forms th e background t o her self-searchin g questions : [Stella's] anxiet y mingle d wit h self-reproach—ho w i f h e came to se t to o much store by a world of which she . .. had deprived him? He would have esteemed, for instance, organic family life; she had not only lost his father for hi m bu t estrange d hersel f (an d hi m wit h her ) fro m al l hi s father' s relations. (61) Whereas Stella has, if not quit e deliberately a t least self-consciousl y distanced hersel f fro m th e establishe d order , Roderic k ha s bee n taken u p b y a wa r tha t ha s "denie d meaning " t o a worl d i n which h e ha d a s ye t "neve r engage d himself " (49) . Lik e Loi s an d

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Laurence i n LS, h e is , a t seventeen , exceedingl y amenabl e t o th e interpellating power s o f ideologica l agents . Hi s limite d subjectiv e investments ar e divide d betwee n Stell a an d hi s arm y frien d Fred . Her son' s "unconsciou s purpos e t o underlin e everythin g h e an d [Stella] ha d i n common " i s therefor e countere d b y a n equall y strong nee d t o relat e t o hi s peers. As true defender s o f th e patriar chal order , hi s fello w soldier s ar e "al l fo r th e authoritarianis m o f home life"—th e "las t thin g the y wishe d wa s Libert y Hall " (52) . Recognizing th e danger s o f suc h formativ e influences , Stell a i s increasingly "alarmed " b y her son' s "idealizatio n o f pattern" : She could perceive , too , tha t Roderic k wa s read y t o entertai n a high , if abstract, idea of society—when h e had been a baby she had amuse d him by opening and shutting a painted fan, and of that beau monde of figures, grouped and placed and linked by gestures or garlands, he never had, she suspected, interior sight. The fan on its fragile ivor y spokes now remained closed: sh e fel t hi m mos t happ y whe n the y coul d recreat e it s illusion i n their talk. (61) Foregrounding th e fragil e qualit y o f th e illusio n calle d "society, " this sequenc e signal s a connectio n betwee n Roderick' s "idealiza tion o f pattern " an d th e wa r discours e o f "dr y cerebration. " Th e point o f intersectio n i s locate d i n th e (in)capacit y fo r trul y "dia logic exchange" that th e boy an d Harriso n hav e in common: whil e the latte r treat s peopl e a s i f the y wer e piece s o n th e ches s board , the onl y thin g th e forme r like s abou t peopl e i s the "orde r i n whic h they coul d b e arranged " (61) . Roderic k remain s "passiv e i n hi s relations wit h people"—a s distinc t fro m "myth s o r objects " (60) . Faced wit h Harrison' s "emotiona l idiocy, " Stella' s anxiet y abou t what sh e ha s thu s fa r regarde d a s he r son' s "only-childishness " increases. Harriso n teache s he r tha t th e difference s betwee n hi s "moral blindness, " Roderick' s emotiona l "oddness, " an d he r ow n inclination towar d disengagemen t ar e difference s o f degre e rathe r than kind . He r doubt s abou t he r rol e a s a Self-givin g Othe r i n relation t o he r so n tur n ou t t o b e no t entirel y unjustified . Suc h expanding self-consciousnes s lead s Stella back t o her "abandoned "

Histories of Narrative Desire 133 past, a past , moreover , int o whic h Roderic k i s unexpectedl y fitted by hi s inheritin g Moun t Morris , th e Iris h estat e o f hi s lat e father' s cousin Francis . The Myth of Heterosexual Romance. Lik e so many Bi g Houses i n Bowen's work , Moun t Morri s play s a n importan t par t i n further ing th e novel' s plot . It s functio n i n th e narrativ e presen t i s inaugu rated b y two significant point s in the recent an d i n the more distan t past. Som e month s befor e th e momen t a t whic h th e nove l opens , Stella ha d bee n notifie d abou t Cousi n Francis' s death . Th e new s had initiall y don e "littl e mor e tha n sti r u p unwelcom e memories " in her . Th e invitatio n t o atten d hi s funeral , however , ha d oblige d her t o "present . . . some sor t o f fac e t o he r onc e relations-in-law " (66). Vaguel y consciou s o f doin g hi m a wrong , Stell a ha d kep t Roderick ignoran t o f Francis' s death , tellin g hersel f tha t he r deci sion t o d o s o ha d sprun g fro m a nee d t o protec t hi m agains t th e possibility o f bein g treate d lik e a "ba d mother' s fatherles s son " (71). I t i s nonetheles s clea r tha t sh e primaril y seek s t o protec t herself. He r succes s a t survivin g th e "earl y failur e o f he r earl y marriage" had , w e ar e give n t o understand , require d he r t o brea k off al l relation s wit h th e pas t an d t o develo p a "sor t o f hardines s as a poor resource " (25) . Since the "worl d i n which on e coul d stil l be see n a s declassee wa s o n th e whol e ignore d b y her , bu t no t ye t quite," th e unexpecte d obligatio n t o fac e th e pas t mean s a threa t to Stella' s shiel d o f protectio n (71) . Bu t Roderick' s inheritanc e also forge s th e connectio n betwee n he r an d Harrison : a t Francis' s funeral Stell a first encounter s hi m "steppin g cranelik e ove r th e graves" (66). Althoug h sh e doe s no t kno w him , sh e allow s hersel f to b e place d i n associatio n wit h th e intrude r for , "delinquen t i n being known wh o sh e was, she coul d no t fai l t o recogniz e [him ] a s a fellow-delinquen t i n bein g no t know n t o b e anyone " (72) . Re garding hersel f a s a socia l outcast , sh e thinks i t is "like he r t o hav e attached thi s person, " wh o "fro m ever y poin t o f vie w [is ] th e las t straw" (78) .

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The suggestio n o f a lin k betwee n Harriso n an d Stell a i s rein forced when , a t a late r point , i t i s t o hi m rathe r tha n t o he r love r Robert tha t th e heroin e divulge s th e exac t circumstance s o f he r divorce fro m Victo r (! ) Rodney . Th e stor y testifie s t o th e critica l operations o f th e discourse s o f lov e an d marriag e i n ensurin g tha t the female adolescen t assume s her adul t position withi n th e heterosexual matrix . Lookin g back , Stell a perceive s tha t i t wa s precisel y her nee d t o fit int o a patter n tha t mad e he r think—lik e Loi s i n LS—that marriag e woul d provid e her wit h suc h a n ancho r point : "Half-baked, bottomlessl y unconfiden t i n mysel f a s a woman, frenziedl y acting up. Not having found myself , at a time when—how borin g it was, how littl e i t matter s now!—i t wa s reall y exceedingl y difficul t t o find anything. Having bee n married b y Victor, having had Roderic k lik e anyone else , mad e m e thin k I might kno w wher e I was . Then , thi s [th e divorce] happened—so, no: apparently not." (223-24 ) The heroine's us e of th e passive voice a t th e en d o f thi s sequence is in itsel f revealin g abou t "woman' s prope r place " within th e socia l contract. Whil e Stella' s retrospective appreciatio n o f th e performa tive natur e o f heterosexua l gende r ma y induc e he r t o thin k tha t i t "matters little " to he r no w tha t sh e failed i n properly "acting " he r part, a t th e tim e whe n Victo r lef t he r fo r anothe r woman , th e prospect o f bein g regarded a s a failure i n her primary functio n a s a gendered subjec t meant , quit e literally , th e threa t o f erasure . Suc h dreaded "los s o f face " prevente d he r fro m contradictin g th e "op posite story . . . o f how [she ] walked ou t on Victor," onc e it starte d to go round : "Whoever th e story had been, I let it be mine. I let it ride, and more—i t came to be my story, and I stuck to it. Or rather, first I stuck to it, then it went on sticking to me: it took my shape and equally I took its. So much so tha t I virtuall y haven' t known , fo r year s now , wher e i t end s an d I begin—or cared." (224) This accoun t provide s a splendi d illustratio n o f th e way s i n whic h the reciproca l proces s o f discursiv e interpellatio n works . Rathe r

Histories of Narrative Desire 135 than "loo k a fool, " Stell a ha d preferre d "sound[ing ] a monster. " Cast i n th e gende r rol e o f th e femm e fatale , sh e had full y internal ized thi s stereotypica l (self-)image . B y adoptin g th e identit y o f th e whore—the onl y alternativ e t o th e woman wh o fail s i n her rol e a s madonna—Stella ha d achieve d a measur e o f autonom y an d socia l independence tha t woul d hav e bee n impossibl e ha d sh e appeare d both t o th e worl d an d t o hersel f a s the "borin g patheti c casualty, " the "'injured ' one, " which sh e might otherwise have become (224) . While explainin g Stella' s reason s fo r breakin g awa y fro m th e past, thes e revelations d o no t resolv e the questio n o f he r emotiona l withdrawal. Wh y sh e shoul d hav e fel t th e nee d t o effac e hersel f i n a muc h mor e profoun d manne r tha n sh e apparentl y coul d forese e when sh e took recours e to a "sort o f hardines s a s a poor resource " emerges whe n Harriso n ask s he r whethe r sh e ha d love d he r husband: "He said not. And he said he was the one to know. If I imagined I loved him, he said, that was simply proof tha t I had not, as he'd fo r som e time suspected, th e remotes t conceptio n wha t lov e was—could be . I said, o h hadn't I ? and he said no, I hadn't. I said had he, and if so, how? He said, yes he had; he had bee n loved and he could not forget it . So then he told me abou t th e nurse . I said, i f ther e alway s ha d bee n th e nurse , nothin g perhaps was really so much m y fault then , was it? He said, he was sorry but that was just his point: if I had been, ever, anything he had hoped he could hav e quit e forgotte n her—h e ha d mean t to , trie d to . . . . I ha d seemed the person t o be his wife; and he had given me—he implied if he did no t say— a ver y fai r trial . Someho w I had no t mad e it . Almos t an y other woma n h e coul d hav e married , othe r tha n I , h e said , coul d hav e made him forget the nurse: unhappily, I and my shortcomings had had the reverse effect . Th e ide a o f wha t i t had bee n lik e t o b e love d haunte d him." (223) By no t a t an y poin t addressin g hi s ow n abilit y t o love , th e lin e of Victor' s argumen t identifie s th e functio n o f bot h Woma n an d "romantic love " a s primar y mean s i n authenticatin g Man' s exis tence. Rejecte d fo r failin g i n he r appointe d gende r rol e a t a tim e when thi s seemed the only way to acquire a subject-position, Stella ,

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not surprisingly , wa s seriousl y "take n aback. " Seventee n year s later sh e i s stil l afflicte d b y th e psychologica l assaul t i n whic h he r sustained practice of emotional self-mutilatio n originates . Left wit h the sens e tha t th e "win d [ha d been ] knocke d righ t ou t o f [her ] sails," sh e als o ende d u p wit h a dee p suspicio n o f th e notio n o f love itsel f (223) . Whe n th e wa r appeare d t o hav e a liberatin g effect o n heterosexua l relationships—i n othe r words , whe n th e dissolution o f th e La w entaile d a shif t i n symboli c authorit y a s t o the meanings o f love—Stell a hesitantl y accepte d th e possibilit y o f herself cas t in the role of "lover"—a s distinc t fro m "wife. " Underlining hi s critica l functio n i n th e novel' s lov e story , Har rison accelerate s a crisi s tha t ha d alread y bee n se t i n motio n b y Stella's affai r wit h Rober t Kelway . Bac k i n 1940 , sh e remember s having ha d th e sensatio n o f "lightnes s . . . o f lovin g n o particula r person no w lef t i n London " (93) . Livin g lik e a n "onlooke r wit h nothing mor e t o lose—ou t o f feelin g a s one ca n b e out o f breath, " Stella wa s affecte d i n spit e o f hersel f whe n a n "instinctiv e move ment t o brea k dow n indifferenc e whil e ther e wa s stil l time " bega n to pervade th e city (92 , 94). Falling in love with Rober t ha d pu t a n abrupt en d t o he r carefull y preserve d stat e o f placi d composure . Waking on e mornin g t o "fin d th e lightness gone, " sh e experience d a "shoc k whic h coul d b e th e breakin g dow n o f immunity " an d realized tha t "something final ha d happened " (93) . The triangula r natur e o f th e mai n characters ' interrelation s i s given furthe r edg e whe n Stell a an d Robert , lik e Harrison , ar e sai d to hav e foun d thei r "element " i n th e chronotop e o f war . Gravitat ing towar d eac h othe r i n th e "head y autum n o f th e first Londo n air raids, " th e prospectiv e lover s ha d instantl y recognize d i n eac h other a "flas h o f promise , a backgroun d o f mystery " (90) . Th e atmosphere o f detachmen t ha d allowe d eac h o f the m t o ente r int o the "habitat " thei r affai r wa s soo n t o become ; Robert , too , ha d been livin g i n a stat e o f emotiona l limb o afte r hi s discharg e fro m the army . Thei r share d fea r o f commitmen t ha d bee n alleviate d b y the "chanciness" of life in that "climat e of danger." In the "canvas -

Histories of Narrative Desire i^y like impermanence " o f air-raide d London , whe n "feelin g stoo d a t full tide, " the y gav e themselve s ove r t o th e "risin g exhilaratio n o f kindred spirits " (96) , enjoying th e "complicity o f brother an d siste r twins," bein g "counterpar t flowerings o f a temperamen t identica l at least with regar d t o love " (96) . As thes e description s wit h thei r incestuou s rin g suggest , th e affair i s consistently presente d i n highl y ambivalen t terms . Its gri m setting i n itsel f produce s a n ominou s effect , sinc e th e liberatin g atmosphere enablin g Stell a an d Rober t t o lov e i s quit e deceptive : as th e narrato r point s out , wha t t o th e lover s i s "mor e tha n a dream" stand s in stark contras t t o a "reality" in which "ther e wer e no holidays " (91) . Eve n so , th e opportunit y t o "dra w fro m som e inner source " whe n "n o virtu e [is ] t o b e foun d i n th e outwar d order" i s simultaneously suggeste d t o for m a protection agains t th e "deadening acclimatization " tha t se t i n soo n afte r th e Blit z (93 , 92). Thi s apparen t contradictio n signifie s tha t i t i s no t lov e pe r se bu t rathe r th e regulator y regime s moldin g i t i n particularl y constraining pattern s tha t i s th e objec t o f th e narrator' s critique . Stella's retrospectiv e feeling s ar e equally equivocal . Recallin g 194 0 in term s o f "sensations " rathe r tha n "thoughts, " sh e remember s "something insid e he r head , neve r quit e a thought " makin g itsel f felt a s a "sor t o f imprisone d humming " th e momen t sh e ha d realized tha t th e "departur e sh e wa s abou t t o take " ha d a "fi nalness no t t o appea r til l later " (94 , 95) . Th e allusion s t o th e inception o f lov e a s th e "closin g o f a gate, " a s th e "demolitio n o f an entire moment" (96) , and a s an event "arresting] th e movemen t of everything" (97 ) signal a shift awa y fro m Stella' s personal equiv ocations t o a n emphasi s o n th e close d an d enclosin g natur e o f th e heterosexual contrac t generall y (100) . Suc h a n implici t critiqu e of th e fiction o f romanc e i s furthe r articulate d b y th e narrator' s contention tha t "wa r time , wit h it s makeshifts , shelvings , defer rings coul d no t hav e bee n kinde r t o romanti c love " (100) . Th e lurking awarenes s o f a connectio n betwee n th e dominan t dis courses o f violence an d lov e informs Stella' s abidin g doubts .

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Thriving i n a context tha t als o breed s "al l that [is ] most malar ial," love is clearly not to be taken a s an unqualified and/o r positiv e notion (92) . As indicated by the narrator's comment s on the lovers' inevitable inscriptio n i n histor y (i n th e passag e quote d earlie r i n this chapter) , th e insidiou s aspect s o f th e myt h o f heterosexua l romance lie in the fact tha t it can only be (re)produced i n a conceptual univers e i n which th e private an d th e public ar e ideologicall y separated. Paradoxically , th e breakdow n o f cultura l boundarie s accentuates th e persistence o f the tenets of binary though t underly ing this an d similar dichotomies . The flaw in what seem s to be the perfect lov e affai r i s precisel y tha t i t rest s o n it s seclusio n fro m "London's organi c power" (91) . Resembling the "ideal book abou t nothing," Stella' s an d Robert' s "narrativ e o f love " i s entirel y in wardly directed : i t "stay[s ] itsel f o n itsel f b y its inner force " (90) . The lover s liv e i n a drea m o f timelessness , a fantas y tha t i s bot h unwarranted an d harmful . Havin g me t each othe r a t a tim e whe n "vacuum a s t o th e futur e wa s offse t b y vacuu m a s t o th e past, " they retrea t int o th e "hermetic world " o f their lov e (90) . Since it is dominant ideolog y tha t set s u p romanti c lov e a s a phenomeno n with a n idealized autonomy , splittin g it off fro m materia l realit y so that it appears to "belie time," the safety int o which the y withdra w is bot h illusor y an d thoroughl y sociopoliticall y intereste d (97) . That th e stultification resultin g from suc h interiorization i s punctuated b y the amplifying effec t o f war is clear whe n i t seems to Stell a as i f th e "extraordinar y battl e i n th e sk y transfixed " Rober t an d herself (96) ; her first glimpse of her lover strike s her as "one shot " left "frozen , absurdly , o n to the screen" du e to the "breakdown o f projection" (98) . Vaguel y awar e o f th e danger s inherin g i n it s deceptive self-sufficienc y an d its potentially constrainin g effect s o n her self , sh e nonetheles s devote s hersel f wholeheartedl y t o th e "plan o f love . . . gofing] o n unfolding itself " (100) . We not e tha t th e fictitious aspec t o f romanti c lov e i s under scored b y a chai n o f reference s t o words , stories , an d narrative . These ar e als o th e term s i n whic h Stella' s misgiving s obliquel y

Histories of Narrative Desire 139 surface. Sh e believes , fo r instance , o n th e first dat e wit h he r lover , that sh e i s "goin g t o a rendezvou s insid e th e page s o f a book. " B y questioning Robert' s "fictitious " identit y sh e reveal s hersel f t o b e aware o f th e untenabilit y o f th e separatio n o f (private ) romanc e from (public ) realit y (97) . Suc h acknowledgmen t o f th e mutua l inscription o f fiction an d realit y a fortior i attest s t o th e structura l influence o f th e pas t upo n th e presen t a s wel l a s t o th e textua l nature o f both . Stella' s lingerin g sensitivit y t o th e value s o f th e established orde r render s he r particularl y susceptibl e t o th e seduc tive illusio n tha t i t i s yet possibl e t o ignor e th e pas t an d it s stories . The atmospher e o f concealmen t prevailin g i n war-tim e Londo n makes i t see m a s i f "life-storie s wer e she d a s s o muc h superfluou s weight"—a circumstanc e that , "fo r differen t reasons , suit[s ] bot h her an d [Robert] " (95) . However , th e artificia l separatio n o f th e present fro m th e past an d th e concomitant disengagemen t fro m th e historical presen t tha t for m th e conditio n o f thei r lov e als o consti tute th e "time-bomb " underlyin g i t fro m th e beginning . I t i s pre cisely becaus e sh e ha d deliberatel y remaine d unacquainte d wit h what "wen t t o Robert' s making " tha t Stell a wil l eventuall y b e unable t o asses s th e validit y o f Harrison' s accusations . A s i f t o foreshadow th e implication s o f suc h willfu l ignorance , th e lover s forget th e first word s the y exchange : thi s give s the m th e "signifi cance of a lost clue " (96). During th e earl y stage s o f thei r affair , Stell a i s happ y t o main tain he r positio n o f relativ e independence . Sh e an d Rober t gro w "into livin g together i n every way bu t tha t o f sharin g a roof" (99). Her realizatio n tha t it is the collapse of establishe d institution s tha t allows the m t o d o s o nonetheles s alert s he r t o th e fac t tha t th e disintegration o f societ y succeed s i n strengthenin g th e fiction o f heterosexual romance . He r long-standin g suspicio n towar d th e regulatory discourse s o f lov e an d marriag e therefor e continue s t o trouble her . I n the cours e o f time , [Robert's] experience and [Stella's] became harder and harder to tell apart; everything gathered behind them into a common memory—though singl y

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each o f the m might , mus t think , exit , decide , act ; al l thing s don e alon e came to be no more than simulacra of behaviour: they waited to live again till they were together, then took living up from where they had left it off . Then their doubled awareness , their interlocking feeling acte d on, intensified wha t was round them—nothing they saw, knew, or told one another remained trifling; everything came to be woven into the continuous narrative of love; which, just as much, kept gaining substance, shadow, consistency from th e imperfectly know n and the not said. For naturally they did not tel l on e anothe r everything . Ever y lov e has a poetic relevanc e o f it s own; each love brings to light only what is to it relevant. Outside lies the junk-yard of what does not matter. (99; italics mine) On th e fac e o f it , th e narrator' s foregroundin g o f th e uniqu e "po etic relevance " o f lov e seem s a vindicatio n o f th e romanti c enclo sure a s a "saf e haven " an d o f th e ideologica l separatio n o f th e private fro m th e public . Bu t b y underlinin g th e dialogi c natur e o f meaningful experienc e an d b y definin g th e lovers ' live s i n th e out side worl d a s "simulacr a o f behaviour," 48 th e tex t emphaticall y blurs the boundaries betwee n private "habitat " an d public context . Moreover, th e notio n o f romanti c lov e as impervious t o th e opera tions o f sociohistorica l condition s i s furthe r criticall y challenge d when—as m y emphasi s seek s t o suggest—bot h "everything " an d "love" ar e located i n th e text o f narrative , o r rather , i n the textur e of ideology . Althoug h representativ e o f differen t level s o f experi ence, thes e concept s for m par t o f th e networ k o f heterogeneou s discourses i n which th e process o f subjectivit y occurs . It is with th e material intrusio n o f th e outsid e worl d i n th e guis e o f Harriso n that Stell a i s force d t o ste p ou t o f he r an d Robert' s seclude d existence. No longe r abl e t o disregar d th e outsid e world , sh e turn s to he r lover' s pas t i n orde r t o (a s Harrison put s it ) g o "loo k a t th e first plac e wher e ro t coul d start " (131) . Crackin g th e cherishe d cocoon o f thei r habitat , th e heroin e accompanie s Rober t o n a visi t home. B y placin g hi m i n a wide r context , Stell a als o reposition s herself i n relatio n t o he r love r a s wel l a s wit h regar d t o he r ow n past.

Histories of Narrative Desire 141 Paranoid Discursive Circles. Th e visi t t o Robert' s hom e i s a n ex quisite exampl e o f Bowen' s talen t fo r renderin g plac e t o grea t narrative effect . Insertin g itsel f i n a lon g traditio n o f th e literar y gothic, th e scen e depict s annihilatin g domesticit y i n suc h a way a s to se t u p a straightforwar d connectio n between , o n th e on e hand , the traditional imag e of Woman a s obstacle or close d space (which , as d e Laureti s posits , i s "morphologicall y femal e an d indeed , sim ply, th e womb" ) an d o n th e other , th e "hom(m)osexual " relation s between Rober t an d hi s persecutor Harrison. 49 A s a topos o f femi ninity-cum-domesticity, th e house represent s the apparent opposit e of das Heimliche: wha t Freu d terme d "th e uncanny " o r das Unheimliche.50 Th e contradictor y association s convergin g i n th e sen sation o f "th e uncanny " paradoxicall y evok e th e ultimat e "home " of huma n beings , th e womb . Robert' s unheimliche Heim, a s wil l appear shortly , play s a centra l par t i n the sp y plot a s well a s in th e story of his subjectivity. Bu t since the subject o f this narrative ques t is gendere d femal e instea d o f male , i t i s the heroin e wh o i s force d to explor e thi s "uncann y house " (whic h Patrici a Whit e identifie s as a centra l topo s i n classi c horror movies ) i n its symboli c value a s the "dark continent " o f femal e sexuality. 51 Stella' s passage throug h Holme Den e serve s no t t o se t he r u p i n th e rol e o f "mythica l subject" i n he r ow n right , however , bu t rathe r t o uncove r th e hidden plo t lyin g beneat h suc h dominan t cultura l myths . Couche d in a critiqu e o f th e desiccate d lif e o f th e upper-middl e classes , th e episode center s o n th e issue s o f secrec y an d concealmen t in / through discourse , layin g bar e th e connection s betwee n dominan t regimes o f power/knowledg e an d culturall y represse d o r "taboo " sexualities. The sequence thus highlights the effects o f phallogocen tric ideolog y o n bot h th e subjectiv e an d th e objectiv e level s o f reality. I t als o furthe r confuse s th e distinction s betwee n mythica l and historica l time . Th e implication s o f thes e issue s acquir e acut e significance i n the wider contex t o f th e novel's plot . The first "intimation " o f Holm e Dene' s hidde n existenc e i s a

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"notice sayin g CAUTION : CONCEALE D DRIVE " (105). 52 Th e house presents a "facade . . . partially drape d wit h Virginia creeper , now bloo d red, " surrounde d b y a "tenni s pavilion , a pergola , a sundial, a roc k garden , a dovecote , som e gnomes , a seesaw , a grouping o f rusticate d seats , an d a bir d bath " (106) . Unlik e Dan ielstown wit h it s "vas t facad e star[ing ] coldl y ove r it s mountin g lawns," thi s hous e i s clearl y no t th e blun t an d outspoke n sea t of patriarcha l power , bu t rathe r (th e mal e fantas y of ) enigmati c female sexuality . Already confuse d b y suc h a distractin g jumbl e o f attributes , Stella i s positively disconcerte d whe n Robert' s rambunctiou s elde r sister arrive s o n th e scene . Ernestine' s high-strun g energ y an d he r obsessive involvemen t i n th e Women' s Voluntar y Servic e conve y the genera l atmospher e o f nervou s tensio n pervadin g thi s haunte d house. Givin g of f th e ai r o f "havin g bee n torn , o r havin g . . . tor n herself awa y fro m som e vita l wartim e activity, " Erni e send s Stell a a loo k i n whic h th e "absenc e o f huma n awarenes s [is ] quit e start ling" (107) . The heroine' s risin g sense of perplexit y increase s upo n entering the house : The loung e o f Holm e Den e could b e seen int o fro m th e entranc e porch , through a n arch . I t ha d thre e sizabl e windows ; bu t wa s s o blackl y fur nished wit h antiqu e oak , papere d ar t brow n an d curtaine d wit h coppe r chenille a s t o consume , wit h littl e t o show , thei r light . Som e mahogan y pieces, such as a dining-table, a dumb-waiter an d an upright piano, could be marked a s evacuees out of othe r rooms ; the grandfather clock , on the other hand , mus t hav e stoo d her e always—tim e ha d clogge d it s ticking. The concentrate d indoornes s o f th e loung e wa s mad e someho w greate r rather than less by the number of exits, archways, and outdoor views; the staircase, lit fro m th e top an d buil t with a s many complication s a s space allowed, descende d int o th e middl e o f everythin g wit h a plump . I n th e evident hop e of preventing draughts , screens of varying heights had been placed about. (107-8 ) At onc e extendin g th e initia l intimatio n o f it s "screened " existenc e and th e disorientin g effect s i t produces o n it s visitors, the cluttere d decoration o f Holm e Den e confirm s th e home' s functio n a s th e

Histories of Narrative Desire 143 paradoxical opposit e of das Heimliche. Whil e reflecting th e tangle d minds o f it s inhabitants , th e bafflin g contortion s i n th e house' s architectural desig n ar e shown t o b e inherent i n th e cultura l myth s by whic h bourgeoi s societ y sustain s itself . Face d wit h th e tasteles s propriety o f middle-clas s conventio n an d th e "self-eviden t positio n of thei r own " tha t th e Kelways accordingl y assume , Stella—"bor n to som e ide a o f position " s o tha t sh e "seldo m aske d hersel f wha t her ow n wa s now " (115)—i s newl y confounde d b y th e mora l economy o f th e English clas s system : The English , sh e coul d onl y tel l herself , wer e extraordinary—fo r i f thi s were not Englan d sh e did not kno w what it was. You could no t accoun t for thi s family . . . b y simply saying that it was middle class, because that left yo u asking , middl e o f what ? Sh e saw th e Kelway s suspende d i n th e middle of nothing. She could envisage them so suspended when there was nothing more . Always without a quive r a s to thei r state . Their econom y could not be plumbed: their effect wa s moral. (114) Securely interpellate d i n th e position s assigne d t o the m b y domi nant ideology , th e Kelway s hav e los t al l consciousnes s o f them selves outside th e se t of meaning s an d value s concurrin g with thei r allotted identitie s an d becom e trappe d i n th e maz e o f thei r ow n obsessions. Stella' s recognitio n o f he r ow n a s muc h th e Kelways ' unconscious internalizatio n o f prevailin g myth s herald s th e first stage of he r (self-)explorator y itinerary . The domai n ove r whic h Mrs . Kelway—sinc e he r husband' s death th e official hea d o f th e family—rules wit h iro n hand expose s the stifling effect s o f a life entirely turned i n upon itself . Such inner directness disturbingl y transpire s th e danger s implie d i n the lovers ' own habitat . Wha t i s more, th e figure o f Mrs . Kelwa y alert s Stell a to th e paranoi d aspect s o f th e letha l self-sufficienc y o f bot h thi s enclosure an d th e on e in which sh e and Rober t hav e sought refuge . Underscoring he r symboli c valu e a s th e annihilatin g materna l womb, i t is by a "silence , more tha n a sound" tha t Mrs . Kelway — "muttikins," a s sh e i s calle d b y he r adul t children—invite s Stell a to mee t he r "sceptical " look . Seate d i n a n armchai r "poste d mid -

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way acros s th e floor," fro m whic h "strategi c position " sh e "com mand [s] al l thre e windows, " Mrs . Kelwa y i s th e embodimen t o f (castrating) omnipotenc e (108) . Th e intimidatin g matriarc h mo mentarily threaten s Stell a in her ow n sens e of identity : [Stella] was no w confronting , wit h a submerge d tremor , wit h a momentary brea k i n he r sens e o f he r ow n existence , th e miniatur e dauntin g beauty o f tha t face . Mrs Kelway's dark hair , no more than touche d with grey, wa s o f a softnes s throwin g int o relie f th e diamond-cu t o f he r fea tures. The brows, the nose, the lips could not have been more relentlessly delicate, mor e shadowlessl y distinct . I f Ernie' s regar d ha d hel d un awareness, her mother' s showe d th e mute presence o f a n obsession. For , why should she speak?—she ha d al l she needed: th e self-contained mys tery o f herself . He r lac k o f wis h fo r communicatio n showe d i n her con temptuous us e of words . The lounge became what i t was from bein g the repository of her nature; it was the indoors she selected, she consecrated— indeed, sh e had n o reason t o go out. . .. I f her power cam e to a n end a t the white gate, so did the world. (109-10 ) Explicitly identifie d a s the "self-containe d mystery " calle d feminin ity, the figure o f Robert' s mothe r thu s reinscribe s on e o f th e stapl e images o f Woman : th e frightfu l incarnatio n o f castratin g power . I t is nonetheless clea r tha t th e matriarc h i s no mor e tha n th e produc t of a phallogocentri c collectiv e unconscious , for , a s Whit e point s out, whil e psychoanalyti c notion s associatin g "th e uncanny " wit h the wom b find thei r wa y int o cultura l text s rangin g fro m "th e western t o th e melodrama, " i t i s alway s th e "woma n [who ] pro vokes th e uncanny ; he r experienc e o f i t remain s a shadow y area." 5 3 Th e tex t o f HD upset s th e conventiona l schem e i n tha t i t is a femal e "hero " wh o i s se t t o explor e th e "close d space, " th e "matrix/matter" o f femal e sexuality . Thi s allow s fo r a n exposur e of th e hidden subtex t o f prevailing myths . Robert, i t emerges , ha s neve r actuall y departe d fro m th e close d space of hi s youth: th e habitat h e shares with Stell a is an extensio n of th e materna l enclosur e h e ha s neve r bee n abl e definitivel y t o leave behind . H e compulsivel y return s t o Holm e Dene , n o matte r

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5

how muc h h e professes t o hat e it s annihilating force . Psychoanaly sis show s that , a s projection s o f th e mal e fea r o f th e "shadowy " female body , th e fantasie s o f "th e uncanny " tha t inscrib e paranoi a signal th e "hom(m)osexual " investment s i n them . Freu d i n fac t submits tha t th e paranoi d obsessio n itsel f serve s a s a n "attempte d defence agains t a n undul y stron g homosexua l impulse." 54 Linkin g "regard fo r th e father, " "attachmen t t o th e mother, " an d "narcis sism" t o th e fea r o f castration , h e maintain s tha t th e (male ) para noid patient betray s his repressed homosexua l wis h in a "hysterica l phantasy, a n obsessiona l idea , o r a delusion." 55 Th e displacemen t of th e mal e fea r o f castratio n ont o th e femal e bod y henc e form s the cultura l inscriptio n o f th e tabo o o n (male ) homosexuality . Th e complexities o f suc h a reaction-formation ar e reflecte d i n th e liter ary imag e o f th e unbeimliche Heim. 56 Sinc e i t i s Stell a wh o i s exploring th e "obstacle " in her lover' s story , the novel, rather tha n merely reinscribin g thi s phallogocentri c myth , superimpose s a n incisive sociopolitica l critiqu e o n th e psychosexua l subtex t under pinning it, therewith exposin g the myth as myth. The confusio n o f gende r role s in the narrative thu s enables us t o see no t onl y tha t Mrs . Kelwa y function s a s th e silen t "matrix " o f her son' s psychosexua l makeu p bu t als o tha t he r unwillingnes s t o communicate issue s directl y fro m women' s "muted " positio n within th e Law. 57 Having bee n denie d socia l agency , she exerts he r limited powe r withi n th e confine s o f th e real m o f th e middle-clas s housewife: th e nuclea r famil y or , t o us e a mor e old-fashione d bu t less obscurin g term , th e "paterna l home. " Ventin g he r frustratio n on th e syste m b y whic h he r subjectiv e authorit y i s categoricall y curbed, Mrs . Kelwa y nurture s a contemp t fo r languag e an d reign s through silence , repression, an d concealment . Th e consequence s o f such a thwarte d wil l t o powe r sho w i n th e behavio r o f bot h Mrs . Kelway an d he r children , wh o "communicat e wit h on e anothe r with difficulty, " th e "recurrenc e o f a remar k show[ing ] tha t ye t another circl e aroun d th e subjec t ha d bee n completed " (252) .

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Bowen her e show s i n term s o f gende r wha t sh e ha s elsewher e discussed i n th e contex t o f clas s relations , tha t is , th e peril s o f "dispossession": For these people—my family and their associates—the idea of power was mostly vested in property (propert y having been acquired by use or misuse of powe r i n th e firs t place) . One ma y sa y tha t whil e property laste d th e dangerous power-idea stayed , like a sword in its scabbard, fairly safel y a t rest. . . . Without putting up any plea for property—unnecessary, fo r it is unlikely to be abolished—I submi t that the power-loving temperament is more dangerou s whe n i t eithe r prefer s o r i s forced t o operat e i n what is materially a void. We have everything to dread fro m th e dispossessed. In the are a o f idea s w e se e mor e menacin g domination s tha n th e landlor d exercised over the land. 58 Not th e mos t horrifyin g o f numerou s siniste r an d diaboli c elderl y women appearin g i n Bowen' s fiction, 59 th e characte r o f Mrs . Kel way i s precisel y s o significan t becaus e he r rebelliou s respons e to , or rather , he r guerill a warfar e against , phallocrati c dominatio n locates th e latter' s operativ e forc e irrevocabl y i n discourse . In he r symbolically constraine d hands , al l languag e ha s becom e "dea d currency" (252) . Since th e tex t highlight s th e sociocultura l grounding s o f th e uncanny home' s symboli c value , i t i s evidentl y no t onl y a t Holm e Dene tha t th e "ticking " o f th e "grandfathe r clock " ha s bee n "clogged" b y time . Illustratin g th e conditio n of—presentl y col lapsing—established socia l structures , Robert' s hom e reflect s th e consequences o f a n erode d syste m o f Law . Th e "rot " withi n thi s family i s the "rot" incurre d b y oppressive regimes of power/knowl edge. Th e self-defeatin g result s o f phallogocentris m an d compul sory heterosexualit y ar e embodie d i n th e figure o f th e treacherou s Robert. Conflatin g hi s mother' s putativ e omnipotenc e an d th e do mestic scen e tha t form s th e "repository " o f he r "nature, " h e con ceives o f hi s childhoo d hom e a s a "man-eatin g house. " H e tell s Stella tha t hi s father' s deat h ha d com e a s a "crackin g relief " t o him: i t ha d allowe d hi m t o repres s hi s conflictua l desir e fo r a ma n

Histories of Narrative Desire 147 gradually reduce d t o "impoten[ce ] . . . i n al l but on e sense " and t o displace it in a paranoid fantas y ont o his emasculating "muttikins " (118-19). Repressio n i s no t elimination , however , an d th e termi nation o f Mr . Kelway' s "derisory " existenc e ha s no t prevente d "the indignitie s suffere d b y th e father " fro m remainin g "burne d deeply int o th e son' s mind " (257-58) . Although Rober t attribute d the "broke n spring " i n hi s father' s eye s exclusivel y t o hi s mother' s castrating power , th e tex t indicate s tha t husban d an d wif e wer e equally enthralle d by/i n th e binar y fram e o f sex , actin g a s accom plices i n th e maintenanc e o f it s technologies : afte r hi s death , Mr . Kelway's "fictio n o f dominanc e was , a s h e woul d hav e wished , preserved b y his widow an d hi s daughters" (258) . The war o f nerve s withi n th e Kelwa y famil y ha s quit e appropri ately bee n fough t ou t i n th e field o f discourse , fo r th e battl e be tween th e sexes is fundamentally a struggle over meaning: it is only within th e linguisti c syste m o f differentia l relation s tha t (gender ) identities com e int o existence . We recal l tha t th e dialogi c constitu tion o f th e subjec t implie s tha t th e identit y o f th e Sam e i s define d by an d depend s o n it s differenc e fro m (the ) Other/s : i n term s o f patriarchy, i t i s throug h th e absenc e o r marginalizatio n o f th e female subjec t tha t th e mal e subjec t can—an d indee d must—b e affirmed i n hi s presenc e an d centrality . I f Mrs . Kelwa y represent s the fantasmati c imag e o f th e voraciousl y man-eatin g woman , sh e simultaneously belie s th e connotation s o f conventiona l woman hood b y mockin g it s attribute s o f passivit y an d helplessness . Sh e has thu s doubl y succeede d i n subvertin g th e connotation s o f agency an d powe r attache d t o it s opposit e term . Fo r Robert , no t surprisingly, "masculinity " ha s los t it s traditionall y reassurin g meanings. Wha t i s more , sinc e h e ascribe s hi s father' s disgrac e t o his mother' s abus e o f symboli c power , Stella' s love r ha s becom e deeply suspiciou s no t onl y o f thos e h e consider s t o hav e corrupte d its constructive potentia l bu t als o of th e discursive syste m itself . Under the sway of his delusions, Robert considers paternal dom inance t o hav e bee n turne d int o a farc e b y hi s mothe r an d sisters .

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Even thoug h h e coul d no t rel y o n thei r abilit y t o cas t hi m int o hi s masculine position , hi s distrus t o f thei r emasculatin g powe r di d not reliev e him o f hi s dependenc e o n the m a s interpellating others . The spectacl e o f hi s "boyhood' s den, " i n whic h "manl y comforts " are "intersperse d wit h fictions o f boyishness, " show s tha t they , i n their turn , hav e no t neglecte d thei r appointe d role s i n thi s respect . When Stell a i s me t b y th e "striking " sigh t o f "sixt y o r sevent y photographs, upwar d fro m snapshot s t o crowde d group s . . . [hanging] i n clos e formation s o n tw o walls " (116) , al l featurin g Robert, sh e correctl y surmise s tha t hi s mothe r an d sister s ar e re sponsible fo r thi s "exhibition " o f he r lover' s personality . Still , b y never havin g "take n the m down, " Rober t show s tha t h e ha s no t been abl e t o com e t o term s wit h hi s distrus t o f suc h endeavor s t o supply hi m wit h a masculin e identity . I n othe r words , h e ha s not , as de Lauretis puts it , "cross[ed] th e boundary [o f the closed space ] and penetrate[d ] th e othe r space " an d henc e ha s no t succeede d i n constructing himsel f a s a "male " subject . Whe n Stell a observe s that th e overstuffe d atti c roo m "feel s empty, " Rober t responds : '"It coul d no t fee l emptie r tha n i t is . Each tim e I come bac k agai n into i t I' m hi t i n th e fac e b y th e feelin g tha t I don' t exist—tha t I not onl y a m no t bu t never have been' " (117) . Insisting tha t th e photograph s prov e tha t ther e hav e a t leas t been moment s a t whic h h e existed , Stell a i s face d wit h he r lover' s utter lac k o f trus t i n th e "realness " o f hi s masculinity . Wha t sh e calls "moments " ar e fo r hi m "'Imitatio n ones . I f t o hav e gon e through motion s eve r sinc e on e wa s bor n is , a s I thin k now , criminal, here's m y crimina l record . Ca n yo u thin k o f a better wa y of sendin g a perso n ma d tha n nailin g tha t pac k o f hi s ow n lie s al l round th e roo m wher e h e ha s t o sleep?' " (118) . Th e courtroo m vocabulary suggest s th e unLawfu l underpinning s o f Robert' s ob sessional ideas . Wha t h e eve n no w consider s t o b e "wron g wit h him" i s th e fac t tha t h e ha s bee n deprive d o f a "genuine " mal e identity (117) . Sinc e a n imag e o f one' s sel f a s a fiction o r fak e i s ultimately psychologicall y untenable , Rober t ha s displace d hi s

Histories of Narrative Desire 149 fears ont o Holm e Den e and , i n a furthe r ac t o f displacement , se t off i n hi s min d thi s close d spac e a s a deceptiv e imitatio n o f th e outside world tha t i t has s o successfully barre d fro m it s premises. Holme Den e itself , I hav e suggested , reflect s Robert' s twiste d state o f mind . Despit e it s substantia l space , i t appear s t o hav e been "planne d wit h a sor t o f playfu l circumlocution—corridors , archways, recesses , half-landings , ledges , niches , an d balustrade s combined t o fuddl e an y sens e o f direction. " Ideall y suite d fo r Mrs. Kelway' s silen t "intelligenc e service, " i t strike s Rober t a s "flockpacked wit h matter—repressions , doubts , fears, subterfuges , and fibs" (256) . Th e uncann y home' s valu e a s a fiction deepl y embedded i n th e cultura l unconsciou s i s underscored b y it s havin g "practically always " bee n "fo r sale " (120) . Whe n Stell a wonder s how "anyon e [can ] liv e . . . i n a plac e tha t ha s fo r year s bee n asking t o b e brough t t o a n end, " Rober t almos t casuall y replies : '"Oh, bu t ther e wil l alway s b e somewher e else , . . . everything ca n be shifted , lock , stock , an d barrel . After all , everythin g wa s brought her e fro m somewher e else , wit h th e intentio n o f bein g moved again—lik e tourin g scener y fro m theatr e t o theatre . Reas semble i t anywhere : yo u ge t th e sam e illusion.' " Confirmin g th e enthralling powe r o f (th e fantas y of ) castratin g woma n a s on e o f the mos t pervasiv e culturall y inherite d myths , Rober t show s ho w keenly h e grasp s th e concret e effect s o f symboli c operation s when , with a "movemen t o f bitte r carelessness, " h e adds : " 'Wha t els e but a n illusio n coul d hav e suc h power? ' " (121) . To se e th e connection s betwee n Robert' s boyhoo d experience s and hi s treacher y w e hav e t o jum p ahea d t o a late r poin t i n th e narrative. W e lear n tha t hi s adul t lif e ha s strengthene d hi s suspi cions regardin g th e castratin g power s o f "th e feminine. " Havin g sought himsel f i n th e mos t unmistakabl e o f "manly " pursuits , tha t is, servin g th e mothe r country , Rober t ha s suffere d th e army' s defeat an d humiliatin g withdrawa l fro m Dunkirk . Th e experienc e has reinforce d hi s neuroti c fears , for , a s Freu d point s out , "neuro sis wil l alway s produc e it s greates t effect s whe n constitutio n an d

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experience wor k togethe r i n th e sam e direction." 60 "Rea l life " having bee n turned int o no less of a n emasculating conspirac y tha n his unheimliche Heim, an y notio n upo n whic h th e maintenanc e o f the establishe d orde r depend s ha s becom e meaningles s t o Robert . When Stell a ask s hi m wh y h e i s against thi s country , h e maintain s that h e doe s no t kno w wha t sh e i s talkin g about : " ' I don' t se e what yo u mean—wha t do yo u mean ? Country?—ther e ar e n o more countrie s left ; nothin g bu t names ' " (267) . Showin g hi s "madness" in a grandiose fantas y o f futur e "overlordship, " Rober t maintains tha t wha t h e i s afte r i s "o n altogethe r anothe r scale, " something fo r whic h "there' s s o fa r n o measur e that' s an y use , n o word tha t isn' t ou t o f th e true " (268) , tha t is , a n absolut e Trut h beyond th e boundarie s o f th e symbolic order pe r se: "If I said 'vision,' inevitably you would think me grandeur-mad: I' m not , but anywa y visio n i s no t wha t I mean. I mean sigh t i n action : it' s onl y now I act that I see—What i s repulsing to you is the idea of 'betrayal, ' I suppose, isn't it ? In you the hangover fro m tha t word? Don't you understand tha t al l that languag e is dead currency ? Ho w the y keep on playing shop with it all the same: even you do. Words, words like that, yes—what a terrific dus t they can still raise in a mind, yours even: I see that. Myself, even, I have neede d t o immuniz e mysel f agains t them ; I tell yo u I have only at last done that by saying them to myself ove r and over again till it became absolutel y certai n the y mea n nothing . Wha t the y mean t onc e is gone. (268) The phrase "dea d currency " links Robert's "disaffectedness " (271 ) directly t o Mrs . Kelway' s contemp t fo r language , an d a fortior i t o the mother' s functio n a s a sourc e o f castratio n anxiety . The effect s of women' s dispossessio n o f symboli c agency , whic h enabl e th e male fantas y o f thei r enigmati c power , ar e therewit h show n t o extend int o societ y a s a whole: havin g take n roo t i n hi m a s a boy , Robert's displace d fear s hav e take n thei r corruptin g cours e i n hi s position a s man manque . Within th e contex t o f a wa r i n which , a s Stella' s so n a t on e point asserts , "conversation s ar e th e leadin g thing " (63) , Robert' s

Histories of Narrative Desire 151 rejection o f word s woul d t o som e exten t appea r t o b e justified . I t is, afte r all , hi s perceptio n o f th e discrepanc y betwee n dominan t discourses an d th e actua l circumstance s i n whic h peopl e liv e thei r lives tha t ha s erase d wha t lingerin g fait h i n symboli c value s h e might stil l hav e preserved . Despit e hi s nomina l rol e a s th e "ba d guy" of the novel, Robert's functio n withi n it s overall moral frame work, an d especiall y hi s stanc e towar d language , i s therefor e am bivalent. Moreover , th e characte r se t up a s his loathsome counter part, th e on e wh o i s politicall y speakin g o n th e "right " side , i s Harrison: a counterspy , a gli b talke r wh o cunningl y exploit s th e ambiguity o f word s t o hi s ow n advantage . Robert' s argument s against th e socia l orde r canno t b e simpl y dismisse d a s the inconse quential gibberis h o f a lunatic—however contorte d hi s ideas in th e final instanc e tur n ou t t o be . Wha t h e reject s i s th e "racket " o f liberal humanism , tha t is , th e originatin g ground s o f bot h subjec tive and objectiv e reality : "Freedom. Freedo m t o b e what?—th e muddled , mediocre , damned . . . . Look a t i t happening : loo k a t you r mas s o f 'free ' suckers , your democ racy—kidded alon g from th e cradle to the grave. 'From the cradle to the grave, save, oh, save!' Do you suppos e there's a single man of mind who doesn't realize he only begins where his freedom stops? " (268) These word s sho w that , whil e sellin g itsel f o n th e premise s o f "freedom" an d "democracy, " suc h a n ideologica l syste m i s a s much founde d o n inequalit y an d (dis)possessio n a s any othe r for m of societa l organization . Thi s i s wha t havin g joine d a n "arm y o f freedom" onl y t o en d "queuein g [sic] up t o b e take n of f b y plea sure boats " ha s induce d Rober t t o apprehen d (272) . Taken u p b y the chie f antidemocrati c discours e o f th e day , hi s disillusionmen t prompts hi m t o thin k i n term s o f absolut e notion s suc h a s law an d order. To Rober t th e German s hav e merely "starte d somethin g . . . the beginnin g o f a day . . . a day on ou r scale " (274) . At this point , the tex t n o longe r invite s u s t o sympathiz e wit h wha t ha s indee d become a dangerousl y megalomaniaca l discours e o f destruction .

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Still, th e carefu l exploratio n o f hi s motive s an d th e ambiguit y o f his backstag e disappearanc e fro m th e narrative—h e eithe r "fall[s ] or leap[s ] fro m th e roof " o f Stella' s apartment—d o no t allo w u s simply to classif y Rober t a s a morally reprehensibl e characte r fro m whom w e ca n complacentl y distanc e ourselve s (291) . Whil e thi s sort o f (self-)righteousnes s woul d b e particularl y eas y wit h th e hindsight o f history , i t woul d als o obscur e tha t Robert' s paranoi a is not merel y th e unfortunat e issu e of hi s "personal " histor y bu t i s first an d foremos t th e product o f a phallogocentric culture . The link s betwee n Robert' s disaffection , th e "hom(m)osexual " economy, an d th e dominan t regime s o f power/knowledg e becom e even mor e pronounce d whe n h e explain s wha t hi s treacherou s activities have come to mea n t o him : "It utterly undid fear. It bred my father out of me, gave me a new heredity. I wen t slo w a t first—i t wa s stupefyin g t o b e beginnin g t o kno w wha t confidence coul d be . T o kno w wha t I knew , t o kee p m y knowin g un known, unknown all the time to be acting on it—I tell you, everything fell into place around me. Something of my own?—No, no, much better than that: any neurotic can make himself his corner. The way out?—no, better than that : th e way on ! You think, i n m e this was simpl y wantin g t o get my hand on the controls? . . . Well, it's not: it's not a question of that. . . to fee l contro l i s enough . It' s a ver y muc h bigge r thin g t o b e unde r orders." (273) The peril s inherin g i n th e reciprocit y o f discursiv e operation s ar e illuminated whe n Stell a expresse s he r abhorrenc e o f Robert' s twisted ideas . He retorts : " ' I didn' t choos e them : the y marke d m e down. The y ar e no t mine , anyhow; I am theirs. ' " Th e tex t clearl y locates th e force s o f corruptio n i n th e contextua l determinant s o f Robert's psyche . T o underscor e tha t subjectivit y i s no t merel y effected b y bu t als o affect s th e ver y structure s b y whic h i t i s pro duced through/b y it s own agency , Rober t continues : " 'Woul d yo u want m e simply to b e their prey? Would yo u want m e simply to b e a case ? Would yo u hav e wanted m e not t o fight thi s war?' " (272) . By exposin g th e destructiv e consequence s o f th e cultura l tabo o

Histories of Narrative Desire 153 lying behin d Robert' s paranoia , th e tex t underline s th e origin s o f the mal e fantas y o f th e "castrating " woman . Still , the emphasis o n the ambivalenc e o f subjectivit y als o foreground s th e individual' s moral responsibility , o r mor e precisely , her/hi s answerabilit y in/t o the world . Thi s i s confirme d whe n Stell a point s ou t tha t ther e i s nothing ne w i n bein g "unde r orders. " T o thi s Rober t replies : " 'Bu t I don't mea n orders , I mean order ' " (273) . The fatal distinc tion indicate s tha t her e a leve l o f abstractio n ha s bee n reache d where Robert' s contention s becom e morall y intolerable : hi s ab sorption o f an d identificatio n wit h a se t o f highl y dangerou s ideal ist notions ar e here unambiguously denounced . Stella's rol e a s th e explorin g subjec t o f th e narrativ e ques t en tails tha t th e "enigma " o f "femininity, " conceale d in/b y th e close d space o f Holm e Den e i s shown t o b e the fantasmatic product o f a paranoid mal e imagination . I n he r final conversatio n wit h he r lover, Stell a graduall y begin s t o acknowledg e th e implication s o f what th e visi t t o Robert' s hom e ha s allowe d he r t o perceive . He r heightened awarenes s o f th e grounding s o f hi s "madness " i n tur n forces he r t o realiz e he r ow n functio n a s matter/matrix i n the mal e spy plot , and , a fortiori , i n phallogocentri c history . Th e implica tions o f thes e realization s wil l surfac e i n th e cours e o f th e nex t chapter.

5 The Discourse of Suspension Permanence is an attribut e o f recalle d places. —Pictures and Conversations

Heterosexual Materials Linking Plots. Stella' s las t dialogu e wit h Rober t appropriatel y takes plac e i n th e enclosur e o f he r blacked-ou t flat . "Bathe d i n a red appearanc e o f hea t fro m th e electri c fire," th e roo m form s a suitably "infernal " settin g t o th e crushin g exposur e o f he r lover' s political an d mora l leaning s (267) . Listenin g t o hi s voice , "familiar onl y i n mor e an d mor e intermitten t notes, " sh e i s beginning t o gras p "som e undercurren t i n it , hithert o barel y t o be detected , al l th e tim e forbidde n an d inadvertent " (269) . I t i s this subtex t i n th e narrativ e o f lov e tha t th e heroin e i s presentl y forced t o recogniz e an d peruse . Pervaded b y a profoun d sens e o f estrangement , Stella , a t thi s "bare, irrefutabl e moment, " i s force d t o as k hersel f whethe r "i t had bee n terro r o f th e alien , then , . . . al l th e time " tha t ha d induced Rober t t o forg e th e spuriou s shelte r o f thei r habita t (274). Bu t sh e als o realize s he r ow n complicit y i n th e cultura l myths tha t wen t t o he r lover' s making . Acknowledgin g th e fallaciousness o f th e separatio n o f themselve s fro m th e world , i t seems t o he r tha t "al l lov e stoo d stil l i n on e singl e piercin g 154

The Discourse of Suspension IJJ illusion o f it s peac e . . . unlive d tim e wa s n o mor e innocen t tha n the tim e live d b y them " (272) . Understandin g tha t th e ver y possibility o f th e gif t o f th e Sel f throug h (the ) Other/s , instea d of bein g dependen t o n it s exclusion , consist s i n eac h individual' s relations t o th e outsid e world , sh e wonders : "Rolle d roun d wit h rocks an d stone s an d trees—wha t els e i s one?—wa s thi s no t fel t most strongl y i n th e quietu s o f th e embrace? " (274) . Thes e rhetorical question s explai n wh y Stell a canno t tak e i n Robert' s nihilistic claim s no r accep t hi s off-han d repudiatio n o f languag e as "dea d currency. " Sh e appreciate s tha t h e ha s sough t t o contain hi s "terro r o f th e alien " withi n th e sanctuar y o f romanti c love i n orde r t o rationaliz e hi s disaffectio n an d t o underpi n hi s paranoid fantasie s o f a n orde r o n "a n anothe r scale. " Robert' s assertions, however , tha t the y hav e "see n la w i n eac h other " an d that "[she ] ha s bee n [his ] country " (271 , 273 ) negat e Stella' s own experienc e o f havin g "trodde n ever y inc h o f a countr y wit h him," a countr y o f whic h sh e "di d no t kno w ho w muc h wa s place, ho w muc h wa s time " (274) . He r curren t reflection s tak e up th e narrator' s earlie r comment s o n th e interpenetratio n o f love an d historica l time : She coul d no t believ e the y ha d not , i n thos e tw o years , draw n o n th e virtue of what was around them, the virtue peculiar to where they were— nor had this been less to be felt when she was without him, was where he was not, had not been ever, might never be: a perpetual possible illumination for her , because of him, of everything to be seen or be heard b y joy. Inside th e rin g o f war . . . . ther e ha d com e t o b e th e natur e o f Nature , thousands o f fluctuation s i n their own ston e country. Impossible that th e population, th e other people, should a t least be less to be honoured tha n trees walking. (275) Stella i s compelle d t o recogniz e th e commo n origin s o f Robert' s love for he r an d hi s treachery. He r insigh t into his disordered min d leads t o wha t i s perhap s th e mos t tryin g momen t o f he r quest , when sh e finds hersel f tor n betwee n he r "revulsio n a g a i n s t . . . hi s act" an d th e realizatio n tha t Robert' s fac e "fo r eve r dissolve d fo r

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her int o th e feature s o f love. " He r conflic t cut s fa r mor e deepl y than a struggl e o f divide d loyalties : rejecting hi m no t onl y a s a sp y but als o a s her Othe r woul d impl y no t onl y th e los s o f a love r bu t first an d foremos t a loss of he r Self. Stella locates Robert's duplicit y i n his "twisted aspiration , a sor t of recalcitranc e i n th e energy , romanticis m fired onc e to o often. " Realizing he r ow n contextualizatio n i n history , sh e perceive s tha t the standard s o f moralit y b y which sh e is inclined t o judg e him ar e not transhistorica l bu t are , i n effect , a s contingen t a s bot h thei r subjective identities . Rober t i s "right " i n a t leas t on e sense : recog nizing his fac e a s that o f a "latecomer, " Stell a grasp s tha t i n term s of meanin g an d value , "tim e make s th e onl y fata l differences o f birth" (277) . I f sh e canno t bu t condem n Rober t i n on e fata l re spect, sh e simultaneousl y comprehend s tha t i t nee d no t mea n tha t she has to renounce her love for him . She is thus able to discern th e connections betwee n wha t t o he r mus t remai n tw o incompatibl e aspects o f Robert' s character . Thes e ar e unambiguousl y trace d t o their join t poin t o f origi n i n th e experience s o f hi s boyhood , an d by extension , t o th e entwine d discourse s o f phallogocentris m an d compulsory heterosexuality . Like hi s absolut e notio n o f romanti c love , th e abstractio n o f danger ha s mad e Rober t fee l "secure " an d "encased. " Bot h hav e served t o reconcil e hi m t o a deepl y fel t sens e o f "bein g se t apar t from people. " Hi s equatio n o f femal e sexualit y wit h secre t (emas culating) powe r ha s urged hi m t o see k in "danger " hi s own too l o f control, "a n attribut e o f one' s own , a secre t peculiarit y on e ca n keep i n play. " Plainl y referrin g t o th e phalli c powe r tha t h e fear s has alway s bee n th e objec t o f hi s mother' s an d sisters ' voraciou s desires, Rober t reveal s tha t hi s castratio n anxiet y ha s compelle d him t o dea l wit h "unknow n knowing " a s a mean s o f masculin e self-authentication. Convince d tha t i t "neve r suite d the m tha t [he ] should b e a man " (278) , h e ha s ha d t o "b e a ma n i n secret. " H e assures Stell a tha t thi s i s what ha s given him a "sor t o f celebrit y i n reverse" (279) . Inadvertentl y disclosin g th e represse d homosexua l

The Discourse of Suspension ijy wish underpinnin g hi s obsessive fears , Rober t admonishe s he r tha t she "mus t re-rea d [him ] backwards , figure [him ] out " (270) . Stell a begins to comprehend th e ways in which Rober t has implicated he r in hi s terribl e "masculine, " o r rather , "hom(m)osexual " plot : when sh e sees "hi s smil e a s the smil e of on e who ha s the laugh," i t seems t o he r tha t "i t wa s Rober t wh o ha d bee n th e Harrison " (275).

The ostensibly unaccountabl e confusio n o f the two male charac ters become s les s o f a parado x whe n w e conside r tha t Harriso n deals i n secre t knowledg e jus t a s muc h a s Rober t does . Strictl y speaking eac h other' s enemies—i n politica l term s a s wel l a s i n their relation s t o Stella—th e me n ar e unite d i n thei r ques t fo r power i n bot h o f thes e nomina l fields o f manl y antagonism . Whe n Harrison a t th e en d o f th e nove l reveal s tha t hi s Christia n name , too, i s Robert , i t i s eviden t tha t h e an d Kelwa y ar e i n effec t tw o sides o f th e sam e coin—stampe d phallocrati c power. 1 Thi s dawn s upon Stell a when she , locked inside her "infernal " flat with Robert , "pictures [Harrison ] b y som e multiplicatio n o f hi s personalit y al l around th e house " (277) . Bu t th e relation s betwee n th e tw o mal e characters ar e no t merel y show n t o b e "hom(m)osexual " i n socio symbolic terms . Harriso n proclaim s fro m th e star t tha t i t i s no t Robert's undoin g h e i s after . H e repeatedl y point s ou t t o Stella : " ' I shoul d fee l ba d i f I le t yo u rui n th e chap . . . . I' d b e i n a wa y sorry t o hav e thing s happe n t o him ' " (38 , 35) . A t on e poin t he frankl y admits : " ' I haven' t a thin g agains t him ' " (39) . Thi s remarkable indulgenc e amount s t o mor e tha n th e od d sens e o f solidarity betwee n victimize r an d victim . Th e reciprocit y o f suc h sentiments indee d suggest s otherwise : Rober t als o reveal s himsel f to b e capabl e o f stirrin g u p sympath y fo r th e ma n who m h e quit e rightly coul d assum e t o b e hi s letha l enemy . Indeed , whe n Stella , vexed b y th e though t o f Harriso n standin g outsid e t o catc h a glimpse o f th e lover s together , i n a n impuls e o f ange r threaten s t o defy an d hur t him , he r love r display s a strikin g sensitivit y t o hi s persecutor's feelings : " 'I f h e i s down there , that' s wh y h e is dow n

I J 8 The

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there. Imagin e it' s bein g ga y fo r him , wit h hi s thoughts? ' " (286) . These manifestations o f empath y betra y th e homosexual undercur rents o f Robert' s paranoia . Freu d argue s tha t i t is the very appear ance o f a same-se x persecuto r tha t signal s th e homosexua l subtex t of th e paranoi d patient' s illnes s b y "pointin g bac k t o a narcissisti c object-choice." H e continues : "Patient s sufferin g fro m paranoi a are strugglin g agains t a n intensification o f thei r homosexual trend s . . . the persecutor i s at bottom someon e whom th e patient love s o r has love d i n th e past." 2 Considerin g Robert' s identificatio n wit h his father— " There' d bee n alway s X—wh o ha d alway s ha d t o b e someone' " (271)—an d th e narcissisti c woun d h e ha s suffere d o n this account , thi s woul d appea r t o explai n th e otherwis e rathe r puzzling affectiv e investment s o f th e male characters i n each other . In additio n t o providin g furthe r evidenc e o f th e psychosexua l underpinnings o f Robert' s "disaffection, " th e suggestio n o f a de gree o f narcissisti c identificatio n betwee n th e tw o me n shed s fur ther ligh t o n th e stake s o f th e "hom(m)osexual " power/knowledg e game, an d therewit h o n Stella' s involvemen t i n it . Foucault define s power/knowledge a s follows : Power an d knowledg e directl y impl y on e anothe r . . . there i s no powe r relation withou t th e correlativ e constitutio n o f a field of knowledge , nor any knowledge that doe s not presuppose an d constitut e a t the same time power relations . These "power-knowledg e relations " ar e to b e analysed , therefore, not on the basis of a subject of knowledge who is or is not fre e in relatio n t o th e powe r system , but , o n th e contrary , th e subjec t wh o knows, the objects to be known and the modalities of knowledge must be regarded a s so many effect s o f thes e fundamental implication s of power knowledge and their historical transformations. 3 Foucault elsewher e point s t o th e hierarchica l organizatio n o f soci ety, which ensure s tha t differen t individual s ar e differently situate d within th e power/knowledge system . The sp y plot o f HD, themati cally a s wel l a s narratologicall y controlle d b y a struggl e ove r knowledge, thus link s up with th e novel's overarching theme of th e dis/possession o f power . Sinc e th e syste m i n relatio n t o whic h

The Discourse of Suspension 159 Harrison an d Rober t operat e i s primarily, thoug h no t solely , orga nized aroun d heterosexua l difference , thei r attitud e o f forbearanc e indicates tha t thei r gam e specificall y revolve s aroun d phallic power. Harriso n correctl y identifie s th e La w upo n whic h hi s phal locratic schemin g rest s whe n h e declare s tha t h e ha s "got t o lik e the chap " (35 ; italic s mine) . Sinc e th e underlyin g premis e upo n which th e surfac e hostilitie s betwee n hi m an d Rober t tak e plac e i s the "hom(m)osexual " bond , i t is not surprisin g t o find that i n bot h of th e fields i n whic h th e me n ar e i n apparen t opposition , th e stakes involve d ar e essentiall y th e same . Their (displaced ) desir e i s jointly directe d a t th e female elemen t o r th e other—whether i n th e guise o f th e "mothe r country " or , quit e literally , th e woma n bot h want t o posses s s o a s t o contai n he r "castrating " power—b y which thei r mal e identity mus t b e guaranteed . Once th e centralit y o f th e heterosexua l paradig m i s recognized , the confusio n o f th e male "antagonists " i s fully accounte d for . Th e respective position s Harriso n an d Rober t represen t i n relatio n t o phallic power sugges t that th e one in effect need s the other i n orde r to mak e u p fo r th e lac k eac h suffer s i n eithe r on e o f th e realm s in whic h masculinit y traditionall y obtains . In thei r oppositiona l differentiation fro m th e female , the y ar e eac h other' s supplements . Robert's affai r wit h Stell a woul d see m ampl y t o testif y t o hi s (hetero)sexual adequacy : hi s lack o f phalli c power i s located i n th e realm o f th e sociosymbolic . Harrison , o n th e othe r hand , admit s being "naturally of f [his ] ground" a s to what he calls "all that." H e is, however , eminentl y confiden t wit h regar d t o hi s sociopolitica l prowess: h e virtuall y "brag[s ] . . . about [his ] power t o ti p scales " (39). Despite th e differenc e i n the area s in which thei r anxiet y ove r their masculinit y i s situated , th e strategie s b y whic h eithe r ma n attempts t o contai n i t and t o compensat e fo r o r redres s his sense of lack ar e strikingl y similar : bot h exploi t thei r comman d o f critica l information an d th e concomitan t possibilit y o f concealmen t i n order t o gai n acces s t o th e mod e o f dominan t power/knowledg e o f which th e othe r appear s t o b e i n control . Althoug h Harriso n an d

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Robert ar e equall y caugh t u p i n power/knowledg e relations , an d hence ar e no t fre e a s subject s i n relatio n t o them , thei r gende r accords the m a degre e o f symboli c dominanc e ove r Stella , wh o merely function s a s a plo t spac e o r obstacl e i n th e narrativ e o f masculine desire . Kept i n the dark b y both men , Stella onl y gradu ally finds ou t th e natur e o f th e "secre t knowledge " aroun d whic h the interlockin g mal e plot s revolve . (S o doe s th e reader , fo r tha t matter). Even so , Stell a i s consciou s o f he r ow n functio n i n betwee n them. Underlinin g th e inextricable link s amon g desire , knowledge , and power , sh e explains t o Rober t th e basis o f Harrison' s "obses sive" desir e fo r her: '"He says he knows wha t h e wants; I suppose he want s wha t h e doesn' t know" ' (283) . He r awarenes s o f he r status a s a n objec t o f exchang e i s furthe r establishe d whe n sh e accounts fo r Harrison's ultimat e rejectio n o f her: "The fascinatio n fo r [Harrison ] in this thing with me could have been so much les s m e than himsel f hi s own all-powerfulnes s [sic] —a one-sided love's unnatural: ther e must be vice in it somewhere. If so, he would see my 'y es?' a t that point, onl y in one way: my having called his bluff. Not that he might jib at breaking a bargain—me his: a new lease of safety for you—but, what value could I have left for him once he'd watched me see he couldn't do what he'd said? Very little, odiously little, none." (284) These word s confir m tha t th e syste m i n whic h Woma n ha s valu e only a s the object o f mal e exchang e finds it s origins i n the cultura l taboo o n homosexuality. A s a product o f a phallogocentric uncon scious, th e "dar k continent " o f femal e sexualit y i s th e conditio n upon whic h mal e (phallic ) self-presenc e depends . I t i s onl y b y remaining hi s "castrated " Othe r tha t Woma n ca n guarante e th e Self-presence o f the Same. Translated int o sociopolitica l terms , it is thus b y denying women subjectiv e agency , by ensuring the unequal distribution o f its "currency" through/i n th e heterosexual contract , that th e symbolic power/knowledge syste m ca n sustain itself. Onc e having expose d Harrison' s powe r a s essentiall y dependen t o n her ignorance, Stella would hav e lost her function i n authenticating his

The Discourse of Suspension 161 masculine/phallic superiority , an d therewit h whateve r valu e sh e may have had . Stella's recognitio n o f he r plac e withi n th e patriarcha l configu ration come s almos t a t th e en d o f th e novel' s mai n plot . A s th e culmination o f a process of increasin g self-awareness , th e heroine' s expanding insigh t int o th e operation s o f dominan t power/knowl edge in th e stor y o f her lif e has bee n anticipate d b y explorations o f the functio n o f heterosexua l differenc e i n the larger tex t o f history . It i s he r son' s patrilinea r heritag e tha t play s a critica l rol e herein . In order t o se e the connections , we have to move back t o a n earlie r point i n the narrative, to Stella' s visit to Ireland . The Paternal Home and History. Th e Iris h estat e Moun t Morri s functions i n th e novel—unlik e Holm e Den e bu t lik e Danielstow n in LS —as th e sea t o f patriarcha l power . Th e Iris h Bi g House thu s extends th e lin e o f critiqu e se t ou t i n th e Holm e Den e episod e b y further exposin g th e cultura l imag e o f femininity-cum-domesticit y as bot h th e produc t an d th e conditio n o f a phallogocentri c sym bolic order . Stella decide s t o visi t Moun t Morri s afte r he r secon d meetin g with Harrison . Althoug h Rober t feel s extremel y threatene d b y th e prospect o f he r leavin g thei r privat e orbit , sh e ignore s hi s objec tions an d persevere s i n th e undertaking . He r intention s appea r t o be threefold. First , sh e wants t o escap e fro m Harrison . Second , sh e wishes t o verif y th e counterspy' s existenc e an d th e validit y o f hi s claims b y finding ou t whethe r hi s boast s o f a n acquaintanc e wit h Cousin Franci s hav e an y grounds . Third , an d n o les s important , Stella i s anxiou s t o redres s th e wron g sh e feel s sh e ha s inflicte d upon Roderic k b y no t havin g immediatel y informe d hi m abou t hi s uncle's death ; thu s sh e wil l attemp t t o ensur e tha t h e ca n tak e possession o f hi s propert y a s soo n a s th e arm y release s him . Sh e also want s t o se e whethe r Moun t Morri s i s reall y th e "whit e elephant" sh e fears , o r whethe r Roderick' s futur e positio n migh t help put a n end to her son's "high " bu t dubiously "abstract " ideas .

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This woul d simultaneousl y resolv e th e questio n o f he r ow n guilt , for, a s w e hav e seen , Stell a fear s tha t thes e sprin g fro m a flaw i n Roderick's characte r fo r whic h sh e partl y blame s hersel f becaus e she ha s deprive d hi m o f a conventiona l home . Underlyin g thes e motives lie s he r not-quite-consciou s desir e t o retur n t o th e pas t i n order t o gai n som e focu s o n he r ow n historica l present . Th e pro cess o f self-exploratio n i s sparke d of f when , durin g he r secon d encounter wit h Harrison , th e heroin e i s surprise d t o find hersel f suddenly thinkin g abou t Victor . He r reflection s enabl e he r t o un derstand th e discursiv e productio n o f bot h privat e an d publi c his tories. The narrator merge s with he r thought s t o observe : One coul d onl y suppos e tha t th e apparentl y forgotte n beginnin g o f an y story was unforgettable: perpetuall y on e was subject to the sense of there having ha d t o b e a beginnin g somewhere. Like th e los t firs t shee t o f a letter o r missin g firs t page s o f a book, th e beginnin g kep t o n suggestin g what must have been its nature. One never was out of reach of the power of what had bee n written first . Cal l it what you liked, call it a miscarried love, it imparted, o r was always ready and liable to impart, the nature of an alternative , attempte d recover y o r enforce d secon d star t t o whateve r followed. Th e beginning , i n which wa s conceive d th e end, could no t bu t continue t o shap e th e middl e par t o f th e story , s o tha t non e o f th e realizations alon g that course were what had been expected, quite whole, quite final. Tha t firs t path , taken t o b e a false start—wh o wa s to know , after all , where it might not have led? (133) Although Stell a "i n fact . . . dread[s]" coming fac e t o fac e wit h th e beginning o f he r story , sh e feel s force d t o see k illuminatio n o f it s fraught middl e b y visiting the place where sh e started he r caree r a s a gendere d subjec t (160) . A t Moun t Morris , wher e twenty-on e years earlie r sh e ha d spen t he r honeymoon , sh e experience s a crucial momen t o f revelation . The episod e i n Irelan d i s cas t i n term s o f a transitio n or , mor e precisely, a turnin g poin t i n th e heroine' s quest . A s she enter s int o the quie t o f a countr y unaffecte d b y war , i t appear s t o Stell a tha t "this wa s anothe r time , rathe r tha n anothe r countr y tha t sh e ha d

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come t o " (163) . Awa y fro m wha t ha s b y no w becom e a familia r scene o f destruction , sh e i s fille d wit h a sens e o f "barbari c joy " about th e "prodigality " o f ordinar y lif e (167) . Bu t th e quie t i s deceptive: i n th e "arreste d energy " o f th e roo m i n whic h Cousi n Francis ha d ha d "hi s being, " Stell a i s me t wit h th e man' s desir e both t o contai n th e pas t an d t o contro l th e future . Ami d th e relic s and memento s recordin g th e patrilinea r histor y o f Moun t Morris , she finds a numbe r o f "cards , white , stil l fresh , peremptor y t o the eye " o n whic h Franci s ha d "blockprinted " hi s "injunctions , admonitions, an d warnings " i n cas e of an y foreseeabl e emergency , up t o an d includin g hi s ow n deat h (163—64) . Regrettin g tha t sh e has "no t an y suc h clea r direction s t o he r ow n life, " Stell a tempo rarily indulge s i n a longin g t o "sta y her e forever , playin g thi s ghostly part. " Th e sigh t o f he r physica l attributes , "he r gloves , shaped b y he r hands , he r bag , containin g ever y damnin g proo f o f her identity " (164) , irretrievabl y recall s he r t o he r materia l exis tence. Paradoxically, th e room' s "indifference " produce s a "startling " sense o f "familiarity " i n Stella . Thi s become s les s o f a parado x when w e conside r tha t Cousi n Francis' s roo m newl y confront s Stella wit h th e operation s o f patriarcha l power , wit h th e "direc tions" o f th e syste m o f heterosexua l differenc e that , a s Teres a d e Lauretis ha s pointe d out , i s i n effec t th e "ter m o f sexua l indiffer ence." 4 A t th e ver y momen t whe n tim e appear s t o stan d still , th e house "a s a whol e . . . ros e t o th e surfac e i n [Stella] , a s thoug h something weightin g i t t o th e botto m ha d le t go " (164-65) . Th e imagery her e suggest s that , b y repressin g th e stor y o f "he r fals e start" a s a gendere d subject , sh e ha s prevente d hersel f fro m con sciously perceiving th e connection s betwee n thi s beginnin g an d he r present situation . Th e encounte r wit h th e familia r settin g o f he r early history provide s Stell a with th e sens e of directio n sh e had fel t to b e lacking : "Expectanc y rathe r tha n memor y fro m no w o n guided her—sh e coul d no t tel l a t whic h momen t o f he r retur n

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journey th e sensor y trai n ha d starte d itsel f alight . Now sh e seeme d to perceiv e o n al l side s roun d her , an d wit h a phantasmogori c clearness, everything that fo r th e eye the darknes s hid " (166) . Stella's apprehensio n o f th e "hidden " subtex t o f he r stor y no t only issue s i n relief : whe n Harrison' s existenc e i s incontrovertibl y proven b y th e ol d caretake r Donovan , sh e know s tha t sh e ca n now n o longe r remai n obliviou s t o th e impor t o f he r persecutor' s accusations. Thu s th e perfec t stillnes s o f Moun t Morri s prompt s her t o reflec t o n wha t a direc t confrontatio n wit h Rober t migh t entail, fo r suc h a confrontatio n seem s t o hav e becom e inevitable . She feels tha t sh e would rathe r hea r him confir m Harrison' s allega tions tha n se e thei r lov e betraye d b y anothe r lie—"th e first li e spoken no t being , in mos t cases , the first lie acted." Th e possibilit y that Rober t ma y hav e bee n "incalculabl y calculating , secretl y ad verse, knowing , withhel d . . . al l thi s time , fro m th e start, " strike s her a s mor e horrifyin g tha n a fran k confessio n woul d be . Bu t b y allowing he r "sensor y train " t o "star t alight " an d thereb y gainin g rather tha n losin g he r sel f a s sh e ha d feared , sh e ha s broke n th e spell o f th e myt h o f heterosexua l romanc e tha t ha d induce d he r t o set th e repressiv e mechanis m i n motio n i n th e first place . That he r strategy o f denia l i s n o longe r availabl e t o he r dawn s upo n Stell a the momen t sh e trie s t o tel l hersel f tha t he r lover' s honest y woul d be th e "consummation " o f thei r lov e (173) . Havin g realize d tha t her dreade d "los s o f face " wa s i n fac t th e produc t o f a n inter nalized cultura l myth , sh e recognize s th e oppressiv e effect s of th e socia l contrac t sh e see s everywher e inscribe d i n Cousi n Francis's room . He r disillusionmen t signifie s bot h a los s an d a liberation: Indeed, it was most o f al l with the sense of som e sense in herself missin g that sh e looked , fro m mirro r t o mirror , int o miste d extension s o f th e room. Sh e wa s proo f agains t it . Constraine d t o touc h things , t o mak e certain that they were not their own reflections, sh e explored veneers and mouldings, corded edges, taut fluted silk with the nerves of her fingers;she made a lustre tinkle, breathed o n the dome over a spray of birds, opened

The Discourse of Suspension 165 the piano an d struc k a note, knowing all the time she was doing nothing more than amus e herself, if she could amuse herself, and was outside the society of ghosts. (173) Stella's appreciatio n o f he r n o longe r self-eviden t positio n withi n the heterosexua l matri x allow s he r t o gras p th e inscriptio n o f he r self i n a materia l worl d beyon d th e enclosur e o f he r relationshi p with Robert . He r insigh t int o th e contextualize d natur e o f he r identity i n th e large r tex t o f histor y ha s implication s tha t reac h beyond he r immediat e predicament . Wanderin g about , sensin g th e presence o f th e "ghosts " o f s o man y othe r women' s live s i n th e paternal home , sh e come s t o a furthe r understandin g o f th e exten t to whic h no t onl y he r pas t bu t als o he r presen t ha s bee n deter mined b y dominant technologie s o f gender . Inspecting th e reflectio n o f th e "romanti c fac e tha t wa s stil l hers," Stell a see s herself "fo r th e momen t immorta l a s a portrait. " "Momentarily . . . the lad y o f th e house," sh e fleetingly regret s th e "look o f everythin g sh e ha d los t th e secre t o f being " (173-74) . Clearly, th e heroin e ca n n o longe r believ e i n he r appointe d rol e i n the tex t o f patriarcha l culture . He r initia l sens e o f los s i s reverse d when Stell a recall s tha t histor y generally , an d tha t o f th e paterna l home i n particular , i s writte n b y an d i n th e servic e o f dominan t social groups , tha t is , men . Mergin g wit h he r consciousness , th e narrator subsequentl y put s fort h a n outspoke n condemnatio n o f traditional womanhood . B y simultaneousl y illuminatin g ho w th e prevailing regime s o f power/knowledg e succee d i n makin g wome n collaborate i n perpetuatin g thei r compulsor y silence , th e passag e effectively expose s th e constrainin g effect s o f ideologica l opera tions: After all , was it not chiefl y her e in this room an d under thi s illusion tha t Cousin Nettie Morris—and who knew how many more before her?—ha d been pressed back, hour by hour, by the hours themselves, into cloudland? . . . Virtue with nothing mor e to spend , honour sayin g nothing, but bot h present. Both , also , rising an d followin g th e listene r whe n sh e lef t th e drawing-room; sh e had bee n unaccompanie d b y them alon g no path sh e

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took. Therefore , he r kin d kne w n o choices , made n o decisions—or , di d they not ? . .. No , knowledg e wa s no t t o b e kep t fro m them ; i t sifte d through them , stole up behind them, reached them by intimations—the y suspected what they refused t o prove. . .. So , there had been the cases of the enactment of ignorance having become too much, insupportable inside those sheltere d heads . Also in thi s roo m the y ha d reache d th e clima x of their elatio n a t showin g nothing . . . . Victor y o f society—bu t no t fol lowed, for th e victors, by peace—for remainin g waiting in here for the m had bee n thos e unfinishabl e hour s i n whic h the y coul d onl y reflec t again. . .. Thei r however candid and clear looks in each others' eyes were interchanged warnings ; thei r conversatio n wa s a twinklin g surfac e ove r their deep silence. Virtually they were never to speak at all. (174-75) Identifying th e mora l stake s involve d i n women' s (self-)impose d silence, Stell a i s alerte d t o th e gendere d underpinning s o f he r ow n "enactment o f ignorance. " Recognizin g hersel f t o b e entwine d within th e same ideological structure s tha t hav e sent Cousin Netti e to th e confinemen t o f Wistari a Lodge—th e menta l asylu m wher e she ha s bee n "lef t undisturbe d . . . fo r years " (68)—sh e see s a renunciation o f he r passiv e an d submissiv e attitud e a s th e onl y morally justifiabl e rout e fo r he r t o take now . The heroine's consciou s assumptio n o f he r answerabilit y signal s the unresolvabl e contradictio n o f he r positio n a s a femal e subjec t in th e dominan t cultura l plot . Claimin g he r righ t t o spea k i n rela tion t o Robert an d Harriso n mean s a defiance o f traditional gende r rules. Bu t a s a mothe r t o he r son , Stell a canno t simpl y dismis s a symbolic order i n which hi s masculine identity ca n only b e ensure d by the "dee p silence " of the members of her own sex . Furthermore , even i f sh e repudiate s th e oppressiv e stor y o f patriarchy , wha t sh e believes to b e Robert's alienatio n als o prompts he r to acknowledg e the subject' s nee d fo r a meaningfu l sociosymboli c context . He r only hope , therefore , i s tha t th e inescapabilit y o f th e narrativ e o f history nee d no t necessaril y impl y th e immutabilit y o f it s mean ings. Henc e he r cautiou s suppositio n tha t ther e "coul d stil l b e something more, " tha t th e fac t "tha t he r ow n lif e coul d b e a chapter missin g fro m thi s boo k nee d no t mea n tha t th e stor y wa s

The Discourse of Suspension i6y at a n end ; a t a paus e i t was , bu t perhap s a paus e fo r th e turning point?" (175) . Warily , Stell a admit s tha t Roderick' s inheritanc e may yet turn ou t t o be a positive thing, for throug h hi s inheritance , "he ha d bee n fitte d int o a destiny ; better , i t seeme d t o her , tha n freedom i n nothing " (175) . He r relativ e complianc e wit h th e "di rective" of patrilinear tradition , however, doe s not mean that Stell a loses sigh t o f th e fac t tha t histor y work s differentl y fo r wome n than fo r men . I t i s therefore onl y i n a momen t o f wishfu l thinkin g that sh e ca n envisag e he r futur e daughter-in-la w enterin g Moun t Morris "disembarred " o f muc h o f th e oppressiv e patriarcha l heri tage, capabl e o f changin g th e meanin g o f "ol d things " b y "push i n g them ] int o a new position" (176) . Stella's hesitan t acquiescenc e t o Roderick' s "requisitioning " does not diminis h he r distrus t an d profoun d scepticis m towar d th e self-assuming an d constrainin g operations o f a Law that legitimize s "Cousin Francis' s egotisti c creativ e boldnes s wit h regar d t o th e future" (175) . Indeed, th e sigh t of a picture showin g " a line r goin g down i n a blaz e wit h al l light s on, " whic h i s "stuc k crooke d int o an alie n frame, " return s he r t o her reflection s o n th e muted live s of generations o f wome n confine d t o th e paterna l home . Th e tex t does no t explicitl y mak e th e connectio n betwee n Cousi n Nettie' s "madness" an d th e imag e o f destructio n an d alienatio n tha t th e picture of th e sinking Titanic evokes . Such a connection is nonetheless establishe d b y th e fac t tha t Stell a wonder s abou t th e "signifi cance of this drawing-room pictur e of Cousi n Nettie's"—and thus , significantly, doe s no t associat e i t wit h Francis , whos e "being " i s otherwise s o omnipresent (176) . The pivota l functio n o f th e Iris h interlud e i n Stella' s ques t i s underlined b y it s thoroughl y disorientin g effect . Wakin g u p th e morning afte r he r arriva l a t Moun t Morris , sh e feel s a s i f he r "place i n tim e ha d bee n lost. " "Force d t o grop e fo r . . . the da y o f the week , th e mont h o f th e year , th e yea r . . . a s thoug h fo r he r identity," sh e wonder s whethe r thes e "dee p sleep s o f her s [were ] periodic trance s . . . birth-sleep s . . . o f som e profoun d change "

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(176). In her "unearthl y disassociatio n fro m everything, " the heroine experience s th e "peac e o f th e moment " a s on e "i n whic h on e sees th e worl d fo r a momen t innocen t o f oneself. " Sh e i s soo n t o discover, however , tha t "on e canno t remai n away. " Pervadin g he r with it s "raptur e o f strength, " th e natura l worl d restore s Stella' s sense o f connection , rillin g he r wit h "som e expectan t sens e t o b e tuned i n t o a n unfinishe d symphon y o f love. " Whil e take n u p b y the perpetua l movemen t o f nature' s cycles , sh e appreciate s tha t she, b y virtu e o f he r ow n historica l existence , "ha d brough t tim e with he r int o th e wood " (177) . Whe n sh e seem s t o b e passin g through a n endles s momen t o f timelessness , th e heroin e come s t o an understandin g o f bot h natur e an d hersel f a s essentiall y tim e bound. He r revelator y experienc e thu s occur s whe n sh e temporar ily apprehend s hersel f a s standin g outsid e history . In thi s way , th e text highlight s th e femal e protagonist' s dua l positio n withi n th e plot tex t o f histor y an d th e mythical time of masculin e desire . Stella i s forced t o acknowledg e tha t sh e is not onl y a creature of the time s bu t als o a creato r o f th e meaning s produce d withi n them. He r visionar y experienc e underline s th e contingenc y o f al l meanings. A s i f t o reaffir m th e mutua l inscriptio n o f th e stor y o f subjectivity an d th e tex t o f history , th e momen t whe n i t appear s that "th e answe r [t o he r dilemma ] ha d alread y provide d itsel f an d did no t matter " (177 ) turn s ou t t o coincid e wit h Montgomery' s "terrible victory " i n Egypt , a n even t tha t signifie s th e "war' s turn ing" (178) . Thi s i s followe d b y th e narrator' s commen t (an d th e epigraph t o th e preceding chapter) : "Ther e canno t b e a moment i n which nothin g happens " (178) . Whil e foregroundin g th e irrevers ible import o f Stella' s revelation, the echo of her private experienc e in on e o f th e war' s landmark s underscores , fo r he r a s muc h a s fo r the reader , th e inextricabl e link s betwee n privat e an d publi c his tory, between Sel f an d (the ) Other/s , between subjectiv e an d objec tive "reality. " The sigh t o f Donova n bringin g he r th e wa r new s als o give s further impetu s t o Stella' s earlie r thought s abou t th e structura l

The Discourse of Suspension 169 influence o f heterosexua l differenc e (o r "sexua l indifference" ) i n the proces s o f meanin g productio n o r signification . I t strike s he r that th e caretake r suffer s fro m th e "lonelines s o f a ma n amon g women," bein g unabl e t o shar e hi s knowledg e o r hi s feelings . From th e fac t tha t hi s daughte r Hanna h appear s unaffecte d b y the miraculou s news , Stell a infer s tha t Donovan' s word s hav e n o meaning to her. Indeed, the "oblatio n t o victory bein g taken b y he r to b e now ended , [Hannah ] steppe d dow n quietl y fro m th e parape t and bega n t o wande r toward s th e house, " tha t is , the close d spac e where she , o n accoun t o f he r gender , properl y belong s (179) . Th e girl's enforce d "enactmen t o f ignorance, " he r relegatio n t o a cul tural positio n i n whic h he r beaut y i s enhance d b y he r ver y "apartness fro m wha t wa s goin g on," ha s reduced he r to the statu s of a n undifferentiate d nonentity . Quit e literall y performin g he r role a s untransformabl e matter , th e girl , wh o ha s "inherite d th e colour o f troubl e bu t no t th e story, " ha s neithe r consciousnes s o f herself no r o f th e world : "Havin g no t a though t tha t wa s no t he r own, sh e had no t an y thought. " Whe n Stell a see s Hannah "stand ing ther e i n th e sunshine , indifferen t a s a wand," he r fea r o f bein g herself reduce d t o mer e "matrix " i n th e "hom(m)osexual " power / knowledge plo t return s wit h compellin g forc e (179) . Gathering th e strength activel y t o assum e symboli c authorit y ove r he r story , sh e returns t o Londo n "fixe d upo n wha t sh e meant t o say " (180) . Shifting Positions. Jus t befor e he r train' s arriva l i n London , Stell a "stop[s] t o star e a t herself, a s though fo r th e last time, in the pane l mirror ove r th e seat " (180) . Underlined b y th e trave l imager y tha t marks th e transitiona l aspec t o f he r quest , thi s actio n suggest s tha t the heroin e i s takin g leav e o f a n earlie r self . Attesting t o he r posi tion a s th e subjec t o f th e narrative , an d no t a s a mer e plo t spac e incapable o f transformation , Stella' s shif t i n perspectiv e bring s about a profound sens e of disorientation . Sh e wards of f th e accom panying fea r o f los s o f sel f b y displacin g he r change d vie w o f herself ont o th e worl d aroun d her : whe n sh e i s me t b y Rober t a t

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the station , sh e i s struc k b y hi s "egare disassociatio n fro m othe r people" (181) . Th e temporar y interruptio n o f thei r dialogue interieur ha s produce d a first rif t i n thei r egoisme-a-deux. Stell a ha s conclusively los t her habitua l plac e in the heterosexual matrix . Driving throug h Londo n i n th e compan y o f Rober t an d hi s sister Ernestine , Stell a i s shocked b y her lover' s obviou s "fondnes s for hi s sister, " whic h appear s "ineradicable " becaus e o f "som e element o f perversity " i n it . Suc h a confirmatio n o f th e sexuall y overcharged natur e o f th e relation s amon g th e Kelway s als o re minds u s o f th e vaguel y incestuou s rin g t o th e narrator' s descrip tion o f th e lovers' own relationship . Although Stell a is the focalize r here, th e narrato r point s ou t tha t Erni e evoke s th e "sor t o f at traction jealous y ca n create " (184) , suggestin g "som e elemen t o f perversity" i n Stella' s ow n presen t sens e o f sexua l (dis)orientation . These supposition s ar e supporte d b y classic psychoanalytic theory . Jealousy, Freu d inform s us , i s "roote d dee p i n th e unconscious , i t is a continuation o f th e earlies t stirring s o f th e child' s affectiv e life , and i t originate s i n th e Oedipu s o r brother-and-siste r comple x o f the first sexua l period." 5 Addin g that "i n som e people" jealousy i n its "normal " variet y i s "experience d bisexually, " h e move s t o th e more problemati c phenomeno n o f "projecte d jealousy " an d con cludes hi s discussio n b y focusin g o n "delusiona l jealousy, " i n which al l thre e varietie s ar e t o som e degre e present . In thi s case , Freud submits , th e objec t "i s o f th e sam e se x a s th e subject, " indeed, thi s typ e o f jealous y "i s wha t i s lef t o f a homosexualit y that ha s ru n it s course. " In th e latte r mode , jealous y serve s a s a defense agains t a "stron g homosexua l impulse." 6 Althoug h Freud's discussio n i s limite d t o mal e homosexuality/jealousy , th e concordance o f precisel y thes e tw o intertwine d affectiv e reaction s in the heroine, and a t precisely this point in the narrative, intimate s that Stella' s "revelator y moment " ha s issue d i n a shif t i n perspec tive no t onl y i n sociopolitica l term s bu t also , thoug h les s con sciously, in psychosexual ones . In ligh t o f th e above , i t i s no t surprisin g tha t th e heroine' s

The Discourse of Suspension IJI sense o f disorientatio n i s enhance d b y Ernestine' s presence . Th e impenetrable darknes s surroundin g th e ca r i n whic h th e thre e ar e locked togethe r accentuate s th e dee p "dark " leve l o n whic h he r sense o f sel f i s thrown int o confusion . Stell a ha s difficult y repress ing a n urg e t o "mak e th e escap e lea p . . . man y prisoner s ha d made." Realizin g tha t sh e n o longe r know s wher e sh e stands , sh e exclaims: " 'W e hav e neve r bee n whereve r this i s before! ' " (185) . Since Stell a i s projectin g he r interna l bewildermen t ont o th e out side world , Ernestine' s ensuin g departur e hardl y alleviate s he r plight. I n th e proces s o f repositionin g hersel f i n th e contex t o f th e heterosexual contract , th e heroine is forced t o admi t tha t sh e "can not b e alon e wit h [Robert ] al l a t once. " Therefore , instea d o f confronting hi m wit h Harrison' s stor y a s sh e ha d intended , Stell a first trie s to unrave l th e shifts i n her appreciatio n o f herself and , b y extension, o f thei r relationship . Sh e point s ou t t o Rober t that , having onc e serve d a s a protection , perhap s eve n a s it s condition , the self-containe d aspec t o f thei r affai r no w seem s t o he r it s basi c liability: "We are friends o f circumstance—war, thi s isolation, this atmosphere in which everythin g goe s on an d nothing' s said . O r w e began a s that: tha t was what w e were a t th e start—but now , look ho w al l this ruin's mad e for ou r perfectness ! Yo u an d I ar e a n accident , i f yo u like—outsid e u s neither of us when we are together ever seems to look. How much of the 'you' o r th e 'me ' is, even, outside of the 'us'? The smallest, tritest thing I could be told about you by any outside person would sound preposterous to me if / did not know it. So I have no measure." (188) Her subsequen t inquirie s concerning Harrison's allegation s ar e me t with a flat denia l o n Robert' s part . Realizin g th e constrainin g effects o f th e myt h o f heterosexua l romance , Stell a acknowledge s that sh e ha s n o "measure " agains t whic h t o judg e th e veracit y o f any o f hi s assertion s regardin g a discursiv e field transcendin g th e horizon o f thei r relationship . Thi s allow s Rober t t o se t i n th e counterattack. H e accuse s Stell a o f havin g bee n secretl y "watch ing" him while he "show[ed]" her everything. Ostensibly abandon -

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ing he r resolutions , sh e respond s b y apologizin g fo r he r sho w o f mistrust. Bu t despite this apparent ac t of resignation, it is clear tha t Stella perceive s tha t i t i s indee d he r limite d acces s t o th e male dominated field o f power/knowledg e tha t prevent s he r fro m as sessing eithe r man' s charges . Thi s i s reflecte d i n th e precis e term s in whic h sh e cast s he r predicament : " 'On e ca n liv e in th e shado w of a n idea without graspin g it. Nothing is really unthinkable, reall y you d o kno w that . Bu t th e mor e on e thinks , th e les s there' s an y outside reality—a t least , that' s s o wit h a woman : w e hav e n o scale' " (192) . For th e moment , th e rappor t betwee n th e lover s seem s restore d when the y onc e agai n retrea t int o thei r "privat e illusion, " enterin g a restauran t i n whic h the y ca n experienc e th e "sensatio n o f cus tom, of sedateness , of being inside small walls" (193) . Significantly , it i s here tha t th e narrato r step s i n t o mak e he r grav e comment — partly quote d a t a n earlie r point—o n th e interpenetratio n o f pri vate an d publi c history : No, there is no such thing as being alone together. Daylight moves round the walls; night rings the changes of its intensity; everything is on its way to somewher e else—ther e i s the presenc e o f movement , tha t thir d pres ence, however still, however unheeding in their trance two may try to stay. Unceasingly something is at its work. Even, each beat of the other beloved heart is one beat nearer the destination, unknowable, towards which that heart is beating its way; under what compulsion, what?—to love is to be unescapably consciou s of the question. To have turned awa y from every thing to one face is to find oneself fac e to face with everything. (195) Testifying t o th e publi c natur e o f th e mos t privat e emotions , th e passage suggest s tha t Stell a has arrive d a t th e point o f n o retur n i n her comin g t o consciousness . That thi s process i s primarily a practice o f gender consciousnes s i s inadvertentl y brough t t o ligh t b y Robert himself . When Stell a endeavor s t o convey what th e Mount Morri s draw ing roo m an d th e pictur e o f th e Titanic hav e mad e he r see , sh e i s cut short b y her lover's attempt t o reinstate precisely the oppressiv e

The Discourse of Suspension 173 patriarchal powe r sh e is about t o denounce. Robert evidentl y fear s that i t is his masculine superiorit y tha t i s slipping awa y fro m him . Threatened b y an y transgressio n o f thei r unspoke n contract , h e suddenly recognize s th e precariou s natur e o f thei r unformalize d relationship an d seeks refuge i n the founding structur e o f the Law, asking Stell a t o marry him . Her reaction is , in view o f her contra dictory socia l position , understandabl y ambivalent . Whil e observ ing that "Roderic k woul d lik e it," since he "really coul d no t go on and o n having a disreputable mother " (196) , she also immediatel y grasps th e connection betwee n th e "unhapp y tal k i n the car" and Robert's unexpecte d proposal , an d hence obliquel y articulate s her doubts b y saying, " 'I n a way I wish yo u hadn't chose n tonight ' " (197). Thes e words , intimatin g tha t Stell a i s either mor e upse t o r knows mor e tha n sh e i s a t presen t willin g t o concede , arous e Robert's congenita l suspicio n o f "secret " femal e power . Th e violence of his reactions convey s th e neurotic grounding s o f his fears. Undermining th e validit y o f hi s emphati c proclamation s o f inno cence, he aggressively attempt s t o bin d Stell a mor e closel y t o him. In tryin g t o forc e th e Law upon her , Robert succeed s i n achievin g the opposite of his intended goal . Her lover' s desir e t o subjec t he r t o hi s wil l i s motivate d b y Stella's reassertio n o f he r self othe r tha n solel y i n relation t o him. Such a stanc e endanger s hi s masculin e identity . Instea d o f re maining onl y th e Othe r t o hi s Self, Stell a ha s unexpectedly intro duced a reality exterior to their relationship, a reality, moreover, in which sh e assume s th e positio n o f speakin g subjec t i n he r ow n right. It s "perfectness " havin g thu s bee n impaired , Robert' s self evident position withi n thei r private universe is no longer automat ically guarantee d b y the hitherto exclusivel y affirmativ e powe r o f Stella's look . A s note d before , th e significanc e o f th e gendere d look o r gaz e ha s forme d th e focu s o f attentio n i n man y feminis t theoretical debates . Despit e thei r highe r leve l o f abstraction , thes e discussions hav e no t reall y change d th e basi s o f Virgini a Wool f 's acute analysis , presente d a s earl y a s 1929 . Wool f claim s tha t

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"women hav e serve d al l these centurie s a s the looking-glasse s pos sessing th e magi c an d deliciou s powe r o f reflectin g th e figure o f man a t twic e it s natura l size." 7 Hence , withi n th e patriarcha l paradigm, th e femal e loo k exist s t o authenticat e th e mal e subjec t in hi s identity : th e woma n see s the ma n i n orde r fo r th e ma n t o b e capable o f seein g himself . Th e man , o n th e othe r hand , see s th e woman onl y insofa r a s sh e perform s thi s function . Th e mal e loo k therefore seek s to fix the female i n the position fro m whic h sh e can operate a s th e mirro r t o hi s ego . While th e woma n recognize s th e man i n his subjective identity , sh e is not, i n her turn , recognize d a s such b y him . A s th e Othe r t o hi s Self , the femal e subjec t i s practically invisibl e i n an y othe r positio n tha n tha t fro m whic h sh e ca n verify th e mal e subject' s presence. 8 Sinc e binar y though t implie s that on e element' s presenc e depend s o n th e suppressio n o r margin alization o f it s opposite , th e centra l positio n o f th e mal e necessi tates th e absenc e o f th e female . Th e nomina l an d institutionalize d marginalization o f wome n i n societ y serve s t o obscur e an d there with neutraliz e thei r powe r i n creating mal e psychosexual identity . This explain s th e enormou s threa t t o th e mal e eg o tha t th e femal e subject represent s onc e sh e assume s a positio n othe r tha n tha t traditionally ascribe d t o her . This (oversimplified ) lin e o f though t illuminate s Robert' s para noid respons e t o Stella' s increase d gende r consciousness . Takin g up a positio n outsid e th e bound s o f thei r relationship , sh e a t onc e appears t o embod y th e "uncanny " powe r o f Woma n i n al l it s ambivalence: afte r all , a s th e mirro r throug h whic h hi s mal e Sel f must b e confirmed , th e femal e Othe r b y necessit y simultaneousl y incorporates th e powe r b y whic h masculinit y ca n b e withhel d o r undermined. Henc e Robert' s franti c nee d t o reinstat e Stell a i n the positio n o f absenc e necessar y fo r th e maintenanc e o f hi s self presence/identity. Th e insularit y o f thei r lif e togethe r ha s hithert o served t o safeguar d th e interio r balanc e o f power : Stella' s lov e ha s provided hi m with th e sense of masculin e self tha t he feels has bee n denied b y th e emasculatin g loo k o f hi s mother . Onl y b y aggres -

The Discourse of Suspension 175 sively assertin g hi s phalli c powe r ca n Rober t counte r th e fea r o f castration an d contai n it s underlyin g homosexua l impulse , whic h he, an d phallogocentri c cultur e generally , displace s ont o th e "dar k continent" o f femal e sexuality . H e mus t tr y t o fix Stell a bac k int o the require d position . Thi s i s exactl y wha t h e endeavors : "Now , with a n effec t o f deliberation , h e fixed hi s eye s o n he r face — though someho w not , i t appeared , o n her." Sinc e thi s passag e i s focalized throug h Stella , i t i s eviden t tha t sh e full y understand s that Robert' s attemp t t o (re)positio n he r a s hi s Othe r implie s tha t her newl y recovere d subjectiv e Sel f woul d thu s b e obliterated . Having finally successfull y overcom e Victor' s earlie r venture s a t "effacement," Stell a i s not prepare d t o giv e up he r subjectiv e posi tion now . Robert' s refusa l t o acknowledg e he r a s anythin g bu t hi s Other doe s not lea d he r t o resig n he r Sel f t o invisibilit y s o much a s it lead s t o a profound sens e o f alienation : he r lover' s "eye s appea r to he r [not ] t o b e hi s own—the y wer e black-blue , foreign , anar chical" (198) . By asserting he r sel f withi n th e symboli c order , Stell a ha s calle d into questio n th e traditiona l subject-objec t distinctio n predicate d upon heterosexua l difference . In breakin g th e silen t agreemen t upon which , i n hi s opinion , thei r relationshi p ha s thu s fa r rested , she ha s mad e Rober t awar e o f th e fac t tha t it s foundation s hav e never bee n mor e tha n a "questio n o f faith. " No w tha t sh e ha s acted i n "ba d faith " towar d th e socia l contract , Rober t feel s com pelled t o enforc e th e La w b y whic h hi s masculinit y i s formall y guaranteed. Seein g "onl y on e wa y o f knowing " whethe r sh e is still available t o him , h e desperatel y trie s t o subjec t he r t o th e officia l conditions o f patriarchy . B y endeavorin g t o coerc e he r int o mar rying him—Stella reproachfull y exclaim s that he is "simply forcin g things"—Robert take s recours e t o on e o f th e customar y strategie s by whic h th e La w o f th e Fathe r sustain s itself . H e seek s t o reinscribe a policy o f containmen t throug h (violent ) appropriation . Stella doe s no t accep t Robert' s "browbeating " an d respond s wit h "brimming-over reproach " (198) , inquirin g whethe r "an y o f he r

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own reason s t o hesitate [ove r marryin g him ] hav e got to go by the board?" (199) . Whil e resistin g Robert' s proprietar y claims , Stell a is shocked t o find hersel f "talkin g lik e this to [him]. " Their disput e has obviousl y arouse d conflictin g feeling s i n her. The fact tha t th e heroine is "in two minds" about her lover's proposal in fact reveal s that sh e i s caugh t betwee n he r ow n nee d fo r recognitio n an d his refusa l t o recogniz e he r excep t withi n th e stric t term s o f th e heterosexual contract . Whe n sh e admits , " ' I ma y not hav e bee n sure wher e I was, but now I certainl y don' t kno w wher e I am ' " (198), i t i s clea r tha t sh e is deepl y confuse d abou t he r ow n self . Robert seize s a t the opportunity offere d b y her apparent disorien tation an d seek s t o reasser t hi s control b y suggestin g tha t Stella' s interrogation i n th e ca r wa s merel y inspire d b y fear , " 'fea r fo r me—but als o o f me, a little bit? ' " Slightl y recoverin g he r grip on her self , Stell a denounce s thi s furthe r sho w o f force onl y to be met with Robert' s abrup t deman d fo r a declaration o f love . The heroine's respons e underline s th e ambivalenc e o f he r position : "Elo quently sh e answere d nothin g whatever , no t eve n lookin g u p " (200). Suc h a n inabilit y o r unwillingnes s t o spea k ma y sugges t a silent submission , o r rathe r a submissio n t o silence . I n vie w o f the significanc e o f specularit y i n th e constitutio n o f masculinity , however, th e fac t tha t Stell a doe s no t gran t Rober t th e loo k o f affirmation tha t h e at thi s crucia l momen t seek s t o elici t no t onl y indicates tha t sh e i s n o longe r willin g t o tak e u p he r appointe d position withi n th e heterosexua l matrix ; i t als o leave s he r final stance withi n th e narrativ e o f lov e characteristicall y undecided . The nex t tim e th e lovers spea k t o eac h other , thei r dialogu e end s with Robert' s similarl y equivoca l death .

Silence and Madness: Cousin Nettie's Escape. Severa l intervenin g chapters preced e Robert' s dramati c off-stag e disappearanc e fro m the narrativ e scene . Directl y followin g upo n Stella' s assertio n o f

The Discourse of Suspension iyy herself i n othe r tha n oppositionall y gendere d terms , th e first o f these represents one of the most outspoken condemnation s o f dom inant regime s of power/knowledg e i n Bowen's work . The episod e i s introduce d b y a lette r o f Roderick's , informin g Stella abou t hi s intende d visi t t o Cousi n Nettie . Th e reluctanc e with whic h th e owner s o f Wistari a Lodg e hav e le t hi m ente r thei r stronghold i s indicativ e o f th e exten t t o whic h "civilize d society " depends fo r it s stability o n strategie s o f exclusion. Established rule s of "discretion " serv e dominan t group s t o remov e fro m th e publi c eye tha t whic h doe s no t fit i n properl y wit h thei r standard s o f normality. Exemplifie d b y th e menta l a s compare d t o th e paterna l home, suc h code s o f behavio r presen t a differenc e o f degre e rathe r than kind : th e asylum , "thi s powerhous e o f nothingness , hiv e o f lives in abeyance, " strike s Roderic k a s "n o mor e peculiar tha n an y other abode " (203) . He finds Cousi n Netti e seate d "wit h finality," he r bac k t o a window fro m whos e vie w ther e i s t o b e gaine d "n o impact , n o mystery, n o horizon , simpl y a nothin g more. " Th e reaso n wh y Nettie shoul d clin g to th e "unassailin g sensatio n o f havin g nothin g but nothin g behin d he r back " (206 ) i s revealed whe n th e narrato r merges wit h Roderick' s consciousnes s t o disclos e th e natur e o f he r "oddness": "Al l Cousi n Nettie' s lif e i t mus t hav e bee n impossibl e for he r t o loo k a t th e surfac e only , t o se e nothin g mor e tha n sh e should. Thes e wer e the eye s of a n often-rebuke d clairvoyant e [sic], wide onc e mor e wit h th e fea r o f onc e mor e divinin g wha t shoul d remain hidden " (207) . What shoul d remai n hidde n i n the culture' s unconscious is , o f course , th e "dar k secret " o f femal e sexuality : only a s a n enigm a ca n thi s "fac t o f nature " serv e t o maintai n th e myth o f masculinity . Unabl e t o withstand th e power o f institution alized structure s o f containment , Netti e ha s preferre d t o absen t and thu s effac e hersel f wit h a vengeance fro m a sociocultura l con text i n whic h she , o n accoun t o f he r sex , wa s no t allowe d t o b e and se e (for ) herself .

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When Roderic k mention s Moun t Morris , i t emerge s tha t hi s aunt's positio n a s th e lad y o f th e hous e ha d bee n force d upo n he r from th e start : " 'Yo u se e I am onl y i n half-mournin g . . . mourn ing a cousin—[Francis ] wa s m y cousin , yo u know . Ther e shoul d have neve r neve r bee n an y othe r story ' " (208) . Reluctan t t o pla y her appointe d rol e i n th e stor y o f patriarchy , Netti e ha d appeare d "odd" i n th e eye s o f "everybody. " Unabl e t o articulat e hersel f i n any othe r tha n th e languag e o f he r oppressors , sh e ha d eventuall y reached he r conclusion : " The n tha t mus t b e wha t I am. ' " Sinc e "there seeme d t o b e nowhere fo r [her ] than her e or there, " she ha d preferred th e asylu m t o Moun t Morri s (213) . Netti e clearl y dis cerns th e liabilitie s o f he r gende r i n th e proces s o f self-determina tion. Whe n Roderic k hint s a t Cousi n Francis' s rol e i n connectio n with he r confinement , sh e says : " 'Al l m y cousin s mak e decisions ; I hav e bee n use d t o tha t al l m y life . . . . I t wa s onl y fo r m e tha t there wa s nothin g t o d o bu t wha t I did ' " (213) . Althoug h th e internalized identit y o f the "madwoman" ha s supplied her with th e safety o f Wistari a Lodge , Nettie' s escap e ha s no t bee n achieve d without inflictin g a profoun d sens e o f guilt . Tellin g Roderic k tha t she canno t blam e Franci s an d i s tryin g no t t o blam e herself , sh e implores him not to blame her either. To his assurance that he doe s "not speciall y wan t anybod y t o d o anything, " sh e retorts : '"Oh , but yo u broo d abou t wha t the y shoul d b e doing . Wheneve r yo u remember yo u ar e unforgiving.' " Sinc e Roderic k ha s becom e "th e master" o f Moun t Morris , h e migh t tr y t o forc e he r t o com e back (208) . Nettie's sensibl e conversatio n gainsay s an y suggestio n o f menta l illness. Sh e hersel f locate s he r "madness " unequivocall y i n th e system o f gendered heterosexuality : "Day afte r da y fo r m e was like sinking furthe r dow n a well—it becam e too much for me , but how could I say so? You see I could not help seeing what was the matter—what [Francis ] had wanted me to be was his wife; I tried this , that, an d th e other , til l th e resul t wa s tha t I fell int o suc h a terrible melancholy that I only had to think of anything for it to go wrong,

The Discourse of Suspension 179 too . . . s o I took t o going nowhere bu t up and down stairs , till I met my own ghost." (216-17) Nettie sa w tha t he r oddnes s prevente d he r fro m bein g wha t sh e was calle d upo n b y everybod y t o be : a "normal, " tha t i s to say , a heterosexual woman . Unabl e t o spea k he r "abnormality, " sh e made herself tr y to conform t o the Laws of Nature. While exposin g the precariousnes s o f th e binar y fram e o f sex , thi s accoun t under scores Kaj a Silverman' s contentio n tha t melancholi a rathe r tha n hysteria "represent s th e nor m fo r th e femal e subject " i n patriar chy.9 Wha t clinica l psychologica l discours e succeed s i n obscurin g is th e socia l an d politica l interest s underlyin g an d informin g th e regulatory regime s o f compulsor y heterosexualit y an d phallogo centrism. Thi s i s confirme d whe n Cousi n Netti e decline s t o tel l Roderick mor e abou t Moun t Morris , suggesting that h e go and se e for himself . Sh e adds : " 'O f cours e there' s thi s t o b e considered — you're a man . S o yo u ma y kee p going , going , goin g an d no t no tice' " (216) . The violence inherent i n th e foundin g socia l contrac t i s reflecte d in th e fac t tha t Nettie' s withdrawa l ha s le d t o a practice o f virtua l self-mutilation. A n effectiv e us e o f imager y disclose s it s results . Upon enterin g th e room, Roderic k notice s tha t hi s aun t i s workin g at a "piec e o f canvas " whos e "design , ver y possibl y no t o f he r own choosing , ha d bee n machine-stampe d on. " Afte r he r outburs t about Francis , sh e "onc e more , pick[s ] u p th e woolwork , wit h a conventional sigh, " bu t only to tur n th e canvas from fron t t o back, examine her stitche s closely, then hol d ou t th e whol e a t arm' s lengt h fo r a loo k i n whic h showe d absolute disconnexion , a s thoug h th e secre t o r char m o f th e continuit y had bee n los t now , an d sh e fo r on e di d no t care . But no , sh e dar e no t afford that —she at once set out, with stork's bea k scissors, sedulously to snip of f straggle s o f woo l fro m th e roug h side . Bu t th e scissors , ou t o f some impis h volitio n o f thei r own , kep t returnin g t o peck , pick , hove r destructively ove r th e finished part . S o she disengaged hersel f fro m the m in a hurry, dropping them in her lap. (209)

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Nettie ha s clearl y see n tha t ther e wa s no connectio n betwee n he r self and the prescribed, artificiall y enforce d desig n of the heterosexual matrix . Indeed , fro m he r distan t perspectiv e a s th e od d one out, sh e ha d threatene d t o brea k th e spel l o f it s illusor y self evidence, o f "naturalness " itself . Fearing th e sanctions tha t woul d follow upo n he r disobedience o f the Law, she had tried t o snip off those aspect s o f herself tha t faile d t o meet its conditions. But since psychosexuality largel y obtain s withi n th e real m o f th e uncon scious, he r wil l powe r ha d prove n incapabl e o f subduin g th e "straggles" tha t mad e i t impossibl e fo r he r to fit in. Anticipatin g the uncontrollabl e strengt h o f he r ow n disruptiv e desires , Netti e had "disengaged " hersel f fro m th e sociosymbolic orde r altogether . By stirrin g u p he r memory , Roderic k ha s reactivate d precisel y those aspect s o f hersel f tha t Cousi n Netti e ha d fel t compelle d t o subdue, to silence. Only by deliberately reinstatin g thi s grid of selfeffacement ca n sh e "kee p th e conversatio n withi n bounds " an d perpetuate th e safety o f nothingnes s (209) . The postcards makin g up "quit e a little gallery" on her walls, all of which featur e childre n "engaged innocentl y i n some act of destruction," yet form a poignant reminde r o f th e violenc e wit h whic h thei r owne r succeed s i n preserving th e "neutralizing prettiness " o f her gilded priso n (210) . Nettie's situatio n i s a trenchan t illustratio n o f th e ways i n whic h dominant gende r discourse s succee d i n making wome n participat e in their own subjection t o the Law. Complicity doe s no t mea n ignorance , however . I t i s precisel y because of her ability to "divine" the potentially harmfu l effect s of discursive powe r tha t Netti e ha s opte d fo r silence . Havin g tol d Roderick th e story of his parents' divorce , she proclaims that i t is a "pity . . . tha t ther e shoul d b e an y stories " a t all . She rejects hi s suggestion tha t "somethin g ha s go t t o becom e o f everybody" : " 'No , I don't se e why. Nothing ha s become o f me: here I am and you can' t mak e an y mor e storie s ou t o f that ' " (214) . Insofa r a s she ha s allowe d hersel f t o b e "neutralized " unde r th e swa y o f patriarchal powe r an d thereby preclude d he r reinscription int o the

The Discourse of Suspension 181 history of Mount Morris , Nettie's contentio n i s undeniably correct . Her appearanc e o n anothe r discursiv e level , a s a characte r i n th e text o f HD, nonetheles s demonstrate s tha t sh e form s n o exceptio n to the rule. The syste m of significatio n upo n whic h he r existence a s a characte r depend s i s ultimately th e sam e a s that i n which subjec tivity obtain s i n so-calle d rea l life. Nettie's stor y testifie s t o th e fac t that th e symboli c is , i n th e final instance , inescapable . Bu t a s a disruptive elemen t i n tw o o f th e novel' s centra l cultura l intertexts , the myt h o f heterosexua l romanc e an d th e narrativ e o f patriarcha l history, th e characte r als o constitute s a configuratio n o f a subver sive sexuality i n th e tex t o f HD an d thu s effectivel y challenge s th e closed intellectua l syste m o f dominan t cultur e a s such . Reciprocal Inscriptions. Th e next scen e begins in Stella's flat. Har rison happen s t o b e presen t whe n Roderic k phone s hi s mothe r t o vent hi s confusio n abou t th e ne w ligh t Cousi n Netti e ha s cas t o n his parents ' divorce . O n th e poin t o f takin g he r ou t t o dinner , Harrison become s Stella confidant—almost, bu t not quite , by accident. Although th e gist of th e ensuing talk ha s bee n discusse d a t a n earlier point , ther e ar e severa l aspect s o f Stella' s "confession " tha t deserve furthe r attentio n here . As usua l i n Bowen , th e scene' s spatia l settin g carrie s particula r significance. Announce d b y a "dimme d sign , OPEN, " th e restau rant t o whic h Harriso n take s Stell a present s itsel f a s a counterpar t to Holm e Dene , wit h it s forbiddin g notic e o n th e driveway . I n contrast t o th e famil y abode , th e restauran t offer s a n ope n space . While th e connectio n betwee n thes e tw o chronotopes , representa tive of th e private an d the public domains, respectively, is primarily established i n oppositiona l terms , thei r poin t o f intersectio n i s formed b y th e "uncanny " sexua l subtex t informin g both . Unlik e the earlie r scene , i n whic h w e hav e see n a n exploratio n o f th e closed syste m o f heterosexuality , thi s sequenc e obliquel y inquire s into sexualit y i n its "OPEN" thoug h culturall y "dimmed " articula tions. I t i s precisely i n it s explici t othe r worldlines s tha t th e spac e

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of th e OPE N caf e acquire s it s significanc e a s a subcultura l realm . In thei r reading s o f thi s scene , earlier critic s hav e correctl y empha sized th e weir d atmospher e reignin g i n it . Whil e Le e call s i t a "nightmar[e]," Heat h describe s i t a s a "hallucinator y vision, " an d Lassner define s th e episod e a s a whole a s a "descen t int o hell." 10 I will take u p th e latter' s suggestio n onl y i n orde r t o mov e in quite a different direction . As Gillian Spragg s has recently argued , hel l has been the literar y landscape fo r "thos e wh o rejecte d th e gift s o f God' s Creation " t o pursue "unnatura l practices " eve r sinc e Dante' s descriptio n o f th e 1 Inferno i n The Divine Comedy} 1 Whil e th e medieva l categor y o f "those wh o ar e Violen t agains t God' " comprise d bot h "usurers " and homosexuals , i n th e cours e o f th e centurie s hel l becam e th e "territory allocate d specificall y t o homosexuals. " Despit e th e fac t that traditional Christianit y ha s lost its firm grip on public Wester n culture, th e "landscap e o f Hel l continue s t o haun t th e collectiv e imagination," eve n i n a largel y "post-Christia n society." 12 I t i s a s the appropriate contex t for unrepentin g sinners against God/natur e (or sodomites ) tha t hel l ha s entere d th e traditio n o f lesbia n litera ture. While , a s Spragg s shows , hel l ha s take n o n a diversit y o f guises an d meaning s i n contemporar y literar y texts , i t wa s Rad clyffe Hall' s depictio n i n The Well of Loneliness (1928 ) o f th e ga y bar i n post-Worl d Wa r I Pari s tha t se t th e patter n fo r a serie s o f similar literary image s turning the nether world of the undergroun d bar int o on e o f th e centra l topo i o f lesbia n sexuality . Bu t eve n i f we disregard thes e specifi c intertextua l allusions , Dante's depictio n of hel l a s a desolat e ope n plai n "heate d continuall y b y hug e flakes of flame whic h descen d fro m above " reverberate s throughou t th e scene a t th e OPE N cafe. 13 Wit h it s echoe s o f sodom y an d usury , the spac e appear s a fitting settin g fo r Harrison , wh o is , after all , a "usurer," althoug h th e "currency" with which he ingeniously seek s to mak e a profi t i s no t mone y bu t information , o r rather , power / knowledge. I t is, however, chiefl y o n accoun t o f hi s "hom(m)osex -

The Discourse of Suspension 183 ual" aspec t tha t he r diabolica l interlocuto r force s Stell a t o recon sider her view s on he r sel f an d o n he r place in the world . Upon enterin g th e OPE N cafe , Stell a i s overwhelme d b y a un nerving sens e o f exposure . Markin g it s physica l quality , th e hero ine's sensation i s signaled b y the sight of a "zip fastene r al l the wa y down on e back," whic h make s "on e woman see m . . . t o have a tin spine." In its X-ray directness , the OPE N caf e confront s Stell a wit h her ow n enhance d power s o f vision : Wherever sh e turne d he r eye s detai l too k o n a n uncann y salience—sh e marked th e taut grimac e with which a man carryin g two full glasse s to a table kept a cigarette down to its last inch between his lips. Not a person did no t betray , b y on e o r anothe r glarin g peculiarity , th e fac t o f bein g human: her intimidating sensatio n o f bein g crowded mus t have been due to this , fo r ther e wer e no t s o ver y man y peopl e here . The phenomeno n was the lighting, more powerful eve n than coul d be accounted fo r b y the bald white globes screwed aching to the low white ceiling—there survived in here not a shadow: every one had been ferreted ou t and killed. (225) Driven ou t o f he r shade d existence , Stell a is , fo r th e first tim e i t seems, lookin g wit h startlin g penetratio n a t he r Sel f i n relatio n t o (the) Other/ s sh e ha d heretofor e disregarded . Vaguel y awar e o f it s sexual undercurrents , sh e realize s tha t he r proces s o f self-con sciousness i s becomin g a highl y disturbin g i f no t alarmin g experi ence. Sinc e i t i s he r relationshi p wit h Harriso n tha t form s th e enabling contex t o f he r (self-)discoveries , sh e i s compelle d t o ac knowledge tha t sh e ca n n o longe r dismis s hi m a s a "nobody" : sh e finds herself "look[ing ] a t an d int o [his ] eyes with curiosity " (227) . The resultin g "ech o o f intimacy " betoken s th e sexua l driv e behin d her ques t fo r (self-)knowledge . Precisel y becaus e Harriso n ha s le t her give him "n o plac e in the human scene, " the feelings h e arouse s in Stell a d o no t fit i n wit h th e scenari o o f normativ e heterosexual ity. Suc h a sudde n wav e o f affec t towar d th e ma n sh e finds s o difficult t o "tape " prove s t o b e "enoug h : . . t o se t u p resistanc e in her. " I n he r subsequen t outburst , Stell a indirectl y reveal s tha t

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Harrison, b y no t invitin g he r t o pla y he r accustome d gende r role , has force d he r t o fac e long-represse d aspect s of herself : "I simply do not care what I say to you. You're right: almos t no one has heard thi s particula r story—t o b e quit e precise , n o on e I car e fo r has . Not, if you want to know, most of all Robert—I shoul d be ashamed, fo r one thing, to let him know that ever, however long ago, I could have cared so much for face . There may he other reasons; if so I do not know them. And not u p to now—henc e tha t scen e this evening—Roderick. Betwee n you and me, everything has been impossible from th e first—so, the more unseemly the better, it seems to me. With you from th e very beginning I've had no face: there's nothing to lose. There's a n underside to me that I'v e hated, that you almos t make me like: you an d I never have had anythin g but impossibl e conversations : nothin g els e i s possible." (227-28 ; italic s mine) As m y emphasi s suggests , th e "underside " t o Stella' s subjectivit y is largel y unconsciou s i n content . Whil e underlinin g it s locu s i n psychosexuality, th e cultura l "impossibility " o f he r represse d feel ings render s i t ver y appropriat e tha t Stell a acknowledge s he r dis concerting deb t to Harrison i n a subcultural spatia l contex t chose n by him. Identifying th e OPE N caf e a s a "lie-detecting place," she is impelled t o fac e part s o f he r personalit y tha t sh e ha d sough t t o obscure fro m eve n he r ow n view . Howeve r terrifying , i t i s thes e substantial i f no t constitutiv e element s i n th e tex t o f he r sel f tha t have gone "int o [her ] making" (226) . Apart fro m recognizin g he r ow n "underside, " Stell a i s ready t o admit tha t ther e i s no t "an y suc h thin g a s a n innocen t secret " (228). Th e implication s ar e manifold . Fo r on e thing , th e recogni tion force s he r t o se e that , b y havin g "arrange d thing s t o sui t [her]self," sh e has denie d Roderic k a viable vie w o n he r character . Having "grow n u p swallowin g wha t he' s though t [she ] did, " h e must have "someho w . . . made the person he thought di d that int o the perso n he' s loved " (229) . B y concealin g he r past , sh e ha s allowed he r so n t o construc t he r i n th e conventiona l imag e o f th e "disreputable mother " (196) , providing hi m wit h a "false " hered ity tha t h e ha s sough t t o counterbalanc e wit h a n "idealizatio n o f

The Discourse of Suspension 185 pattern." Fo r another , Stella' s insigh t int o th e disastrou s effect s o f secrecy an d concealmen t criticall y affec t he r uneas y consideration s about Robert . Th e significanc e o f th e OPE N caf e a s th e counter part t o Holm e Den e i s a t thi s poin t quit e explicitl y extende d t o the scrip t o f gendere d heterosexuality : identifyin g Mrs . Kelway' s screened domai n o f "fib s an d subterfuges " a s th e "uncanny " breeding groun d o f obsession s an d suspicions , Stell a ca n n o longe r remain blin d t o th e incriminatin g ligh t suc h a place of origi n shed s on tha t whic h i t ha s produced , tha t is , o n Robert . Onc e sh e ha s realized th e implication s o f Mrs . Kelway' s contemptuou s (ab)us e of languag e i n it s confoundin g effect s o n he r lover' s sens e o f mas culine self , th e inferenc e tha t th e latter' s neuroti c fear s ca n onl y have le d t o politica l corruptio n become s inescapable . Whe n Har rison inform s he r tha t he r love r ha s give n himsel f awa y throug h slight change s o f behavio r sinc e th e upsettin g tal k i n th e car , sh e has n o othe r optio n tha n t o believ e him . Stella picks this moment t o examine her eyebrow s i n her mirror . While indicatin g a nee d fo r reassuranc e abou t he r continue d exis tence, th e mirro r als o form s anothe r veile d allusio n t o th e "dimmed" presenc e o f lesbia n sexualit y hauntin g thi s textua l space. In the essay cited earlier , Spragg s argues that the psychoana lytic notion o f same-se x lov e a s alway s t o som e degre e marke d b y narcissism derive s fro m th e fac t tha t muc h o f Freud' s wor k form s a "systematisatio n an d refinemen t o f fol k belief. " Sh e note s tha t the "ide a tha t a woman wh o love s another woman i s merely lovin g herself i n a mirror " ha s bee n par t o f "receive d masculin e wisdo m for centuries." 14 Stell a looks at herself i n the mirror a t the momen t when sh e face s th e virtua l collaps e o f th e romanti c illusio n or , more precisely , whe n he r plac e i n th e heterosexua l matri x seem s irretrievably lost . Thi s reinforce s m y earlie r suggestio n tha t th e heroine's confrontatio n wit h he r hidde n "underside " ha s given he r a hol d o n a par t o f he r sel f tha t fall s outsid e th e close d spac e o f female heterosexuality . He r customar y retrea t int o abstractio n i s no longe r feasible ; th e irreversibilit y o f Stella' s insigh t i s reflecte d

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in a "deadnes s . . . about he r tone. " At th e sam e time, however, i n the OPE N cafe , whic h allow s fo r a "seein g o f everybod y b y every body els e with . . . awful nearnes s an d clearness, " she also faces u p to a new perspective on herself that , though disconcerting , provide s her wit h a n unwonte d an d necessaril y "dimmed " sens e o f identit y autonomous fro m th e dominan t cultura l paradig m (232) . Thi s supposition i s confirmed i n the remainder o f the sequence . Filled with loathin g fo r Harriso n fo r makin g her feel s o helpless, Stella finds herself move d b y a passionate desire to hurt an d humili ate him . Sh e reassert s hersel f b y aimin g a t th e ver y basi s fro m which hi s powe r derives : hi s phallocrati c superiority . Noticin g a young woma n wh o i s tryin g t o catc h Harrison' s attention—"un girt, artless , ardent , urgent " Loui e Lewis , who m w e remembe r from th e novel' s openin g scene—sh e invite s th e latte r t o thei r table, s o tha t th e tete-a-tet e betwee n Harriso n an d hersel f i s abruptly brough t t o a n en d (235) . Drawin g a n immediat e circl e of intimac y aroun d hersel f an d th e othe r woman , Stell a render s Harrison's symboli c powe r momentaril y ineffectua l b y excludin g him fro m th e conversation . Emphaticall y disengagin g hersel f fro m him, sh e i n effec t sidestep s th e syste m o f heterosexua l differenc e and, behavin g "indifferentl y a s thoug h Harriso n wer e nothin g more tha n a stuffe d figure" (237) , she declares hi s symboli c powe r irrelevant. Aggravate d beyon d endurance , Harriso n break s al l con ventions o f civilize d behavio r an d lashe s ou t a t Stell a an d Loui e alike. Startle d int o a realizatio n o f th e factua l reac h o f hi s power , Stella check s hersel f an d tactfull y make s a n attemp t a t appease ment. Sh e point s ou t t o Loui e tha t Harriso n i s "i n trouble. " He r next word s revea l that sh e has not onl y sobere d u p to the potentia l of he r antagonist' s aggressio n bu t ha s als o take n int o accoun t th e contingency o f al l meanings : "Nothing eve r works ou t th e way on e hoped, an d t o know how bitte r tha t is on e mus t b e a worker-out. . . . This i s th e truth . . . . H e canno t bea r it ; let's hope h e will forge t it—let' s hop e that ; i t is the least we can do ; we'r e all thre e human . A t an y tim e i t ma y b e you r hou r o r mine—yo u an d I

The Discourse of Suspension i8y may be learning some terrible human lesso n which i s to undo everythin g we had though t w e had. It's that, not death , that we ought liv e prepared for." (240) 15 Although he r appea l t o thei r commo n humanit y appear s sincere , Harrison, vexe d b y the fac t tha t h e ha s allowe d th e "hom(m)osex ual" underpinning s o f hi s scheme s t o b e exposed , i s no t s o easil y placated. Hur t i n hi s masculin e pride , h e to o reassert s himself — and wit h a vengeance. Stella, strengthened b y her perception o f th e stakes in her antag onist's power/knowledg e games , furthe r challenge s Harriso n b y conveying tha t sh e is finally prepared t o exchang e her bod y fo r he r lover's safety . He , i n hi s turn , declare s Stella' s femininit y o f n o value: h e flatly reject s he r an d proceed s b y sendin g awa y bot h women. Full y awar e o f th e unviabilit y o f thei r bon d i n th e outsid e world, Harriso n ca n safel y sugges t tha t "th e tw o o f [them ] g o along together. " I t i s thu s ultimatel y hi s superio r sociosymboli c power tha t allow s th e countersp y t o regai n contro l ove r th e situa tion. Thi s h e underscore s b y contemptuousl y snappin g a t Stella , "pale agai n wit h stupidity, " t o "ge t th e bill. " The scen e conclude s with Harrison' s rhetoricall y askin g whethe r sh e "think[s ] a bil l pays itself" (240) . Suspended Action/The Act of Suspension. Despit e he r insigh t int o the way s i n whic h bot h Harriso n an d Rober t utiliz e thei r superio r symbolic power , Stell a canno t hel p bein g subordinate d t o thei r plot. In he r relatio n t o eac h man , sh e end s u p feelin g tha t sh e ha s "no ide a ho w w e lef t it " (285) . Whereas sh e use s thi s phras e wit h reference t o th e scen e a t th e OPE N cafe , i t equall y pertain s t o th e inconclusive en d o f he r affai r wit h Robert . Th e latter' s apprecia tion o f th e remar k reveal s tha t wha t h e regard s a s he r "ineffectu ality" is indeed th e condition o f hi s love for her : The expressio n o n thos e lip s o f her s wa s familiar—it s man y contexts , vagrant, social , s o ver y muc h no t mattering , ha d becom e to o man y fo r

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[Robert] to count. It had com e as the end, or rather th e fading-out, o f so many stories at the end of so many days; or, as a sort of confession a s to why man y stories , no w tha t sh e cam e t o tel l them , ha d n o ending . So much had had to be left i n the air, so often, tha t her manner of saying so, every time , alway s ha d th e sam e intonation—of fatalis m o f fleetin g bu t true regret [sic]. She had been given the slip once more. "I've no idea how we left it. " Ineffectual littl e expression, blen t of boredo m an d chagrin , it had becom e conventional; but , a t the same time, a sort of conventio n o r shorthand o f lovers ' talk , stampe d wit h a temperamen t an d endeare d by use . Sh e ha d sai d thi s s o man y times : agai n i t wa s sai d tonight — and th e monstrous , life-and-deat h disproportio n betwee n tonight' s con text and al l that hos t of others did not, could not, stand out a s it should. She di d no t sound , s o coul d no t see m t o b e feeling , ver y muc h mor e inadequate tha n sh e eve r ha d felt . Whic h wa s enoug h t o mak e Rober t laugh. (285) Robert's amusemen t wil l turn ou t t o b e not quit e justified: wha t h e reads a s his lover's—endearing—helplessness, tha t is , the inabilit y to reach th e conventional momen t o f (dis)closur e in the course of a traditional narrative , i s not merel y a sig n of th e culturall y impose d restraints o n Stella' s symboli c efficacy . I t als o represent s a strateg y of subversion—on e that , a s we shal l se e shortly, operate s o n bot h the intra- an d th e extradiegetic levels of th e text . Robert's death , jointl y announce d wit h th e "Allie d landing s i n North Africa, " gain s significanc e b y coinciding with thi s mileston e event in th e text o f history . It s promise o f liberatio n notwithstand ing, th e latte r even t rapidl y result s i n "peopl e . . . turnin g awa y from th e illusion " o f a n approachin g victor y (291) . Signalin g tha t Stella's ordeal is not over yet, the concurrence furthe r demonstrate s that th e structur e o f crisi s i s a n ontologica l conditio n o f bot h history an d subjectivity, a n inherent aspect of these equally indeter minate processes. Stella's suspende d positio n a t th e en d o f th e sp y plo t thu s no t only mark s a transgressio n agains t narrativ e conventions ; i t addi tionally reflect s th e contingen t an d provisiona l natur e o f an y tem porary fixings i n th e proces s o f meanin g production . Thi s i s sub stantiated b y th e fac t tha t th e nove l doe s no t en d wit h th e

The Discourse of Suspension 189 inconclusive ending s o f eithe r th e lov e stor y o r th e sp y plot. Whe n we nex t mee t Stella , sh e i s sittin g o n a train , th e suggestio n o f transition agai n signifyin g th e continuatio n o f he r proces s o f self consciousness. Th e emotiona l shoc k cause d b y Robert' s deat h proves t o hav e alerte d th e heroin e ane w t o th e inscriptio n o f he r story an d it s possibl e meaning s withi n th e large r sociohistorica l text: he r "eye s themselves [are ] exposed fo r eve r to what the y saw , subjected t o whateve r chos e t o b e seen " (294) . Althoug h Stell a feels tha t i t "woul d hav e bee n eas y t o recline , t o becom e suffuse d by indifference , t o b e thankfu l tha t al l wa s over, " he r shif t i n perspective o n wha t i s actuall y a "different " sel f necessitate s a reconsideration o f al l he r (dialogic ) relationships . Sh e appeal s t o her so n i n th e hop e o f graspin g th e meaning s o f he r lover' s act s and thei r consequences . Roderick's unquestionin g love , the "pity , speakin g to he r ou t o f the stillnes s o f hi s face " (296) , give s th e heroin e th e strengt h t o accept tha t "i t wa s no t [over] , yet": th e "res t wa s no t ye t read y t o be silence " (298) . Feelin g tha t "on e ha s n o righ t t o tel l anybod y anything a s to whic h there' s nothin g t o b e said," Stell a know s tha t she mus t tal k t o he r so n nonetheless , fo r meanin g ca n onl y b e arrived a t i n language , i n dialogue : '"O f cours e ther e i s somethin g to b e said . Ther e mus t be . There's something t o b e said' " (299) . It is Roderic k wh o inadvertentl y hit s upo n th e onl y "truth " tha t th e material crisi s o f th e time s ha s lef t intact , exposin g th e illusor y nature o f an y claim t o transcendent Truth : I couldn' t bea r t o thin k o f yo u waitin g o n an d o n an d o n fo r something , something tha t i n a flash woul d giv e what Rober t di d an d wha t happene d enormous meanin g lik e ther e i s i n a pla y o f Shakespeare's—but , mus t you? I f there' s somethin g tha t is to b e said , won' t i t sa y itself ? O r mayn' t you com e t o imagin e i t ha s bee n said , eve n withou t you r knowin g what exactl y i t was ? . . . Robert' s dyin g o f wha t h e di d wil l no t alway s be there , won' t las t lik e a boo k o r picture : b y th e tim e on e i s abl e t o un derstand i t i t wil l b e gone , i t jus t won' t b e ther e t o b e judged . Because , I suppose ar t i s the onl y thin g tha t ca n g o o n matterin g onc e i t has stoppe d hurting? (300 )

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After thi s shatterin g analysi s o f th e foundin g assumption s o f th e central regime s o f Wester n thought , Stella' s stor y i s temporaril y disrupted b y th e narrator' s summarizin g th e tw o year s followin g "Robert's end. " We lear n tha t "fe w outwar d changes " marke d th e "subsidenc e of th e unde r soil " tha t cause d "gradient s [to ] alter , upright s [to ] cant a little out o f th e straight . . . without th e surfac e havin g bee n visibly broken. " Thi s indicate s tha t th e change s i n th e tex t o f th e heroine's ostensibl y "straight " sel f hav e take n effec t o n th e largel y invisible leve l o f th e unconscious . Suc h shift s surfac e i n th e fac t that she , leavin g th e artificia l enclosur e o f he r accustome d habita t behind her , "move d acros s London int o another flat. " While "Har rison vanished " altogether , th e Kelways , no t surprisingly , "staye d where the y were " (301) . The protagonist' s respons e t o Harrison' s disappearance underscore s that , despit e th e placi d surfac e o f he r appearance, "internally , tension s shifted" : After th e nigh t clima x i n Weymout h Street , Harriso n mad e n o mov e t o contact Stella, and she did not know how to contact him: their extraordinary relationshi p havin g ende d i n mi d air , sh e foun d sh e misse d it — Harrison becam e the only living person she would have given anything to see. Ultimately , i t wa s his silent absenc e whic h lef t he r wit h absolutel y nothing. She never, then, was to know what had happened? (301) Not satisfie d wit h leavin g things i n midair thi s time , Stella is deter mined t o spea k or , t o pu t i t differently , t o autho r th e meaning s o f her experience . Sh e i s onc e agai n frustrate d b y he r lac k o f power / knowledge, for , ignoran t o f Harrison' s whereabouts , sh e is unabl e fully t o gras p th e significanc e o f eithe r thei r relationshi p o r Rob ert's death . Whe n th e third-perso n narrativ e perspectiv e i s i n it s turn interrupte d b y a lon g passage o f direc t speec h i n which Stell a hesitatingly give s he r accoun t o f tha t las t elusiv e night , th e tex t appears t o reestablis h he r i n he r rol e o f symboli c ineffectuality , literally presenting her a s merely a "good witness " (305) . Unlike he r protagonist , th e narrato r doe s no t fee l hampere d b y a lack of symboli c agency. An extraordinary passag e of journalisti c

The Discourse of Suspension 191 prose disrupt s th e narrativ e lin e fo r a secon d time . Th e majo r historical event s o f th e year s 1942-19 4 3 are recounted an d linke d up wit h th e character s feature d i n th e novel' s tw o subplots . Onl y then d o w e reencounte r Harrison , "bac k again, " appearin g o n the doorste p o f Stella' s ne w flat. Ami d th e deafenin g "overhea d throbbing an d th e bar k o f guns " announcin g th e final phase o f th e war, he and Stell a find themselves "star[ing ] a t one another" (315) . Stella invite s hi m in , pointin g ou t wit h a "vagrant , echo-arouse d smile" that "nothing, " no t eve n th e ca t sh e is holding i n he r arms , is hers . Th e similaritie s betwee n he r presen t situatio n an d tha t o f two year s ag o would see m to sugges t that Stell a has reverted t o he r long-standing practic e o f disengagement . Bu t he r desir e t o spea k and he r nee d t o know indicat e that a change has taken effect . Since Harriso n is , a s always , reluctan t t o communicat e an y information, i t is the heroine who speak s first: "I wis h yo u ha d com e before. Ther e wa s a time when I had s o much t o say to you . There onc e was s o much I wanted t o know . After I gave up thinking I should see you again, I still went on talking and talking to you in m y ow n mind—s o I cannot reall y hav e fel t yo u wer e dead , I think , because one doesn't g o on talking an d talkin g to any one of them: more one goe s on hearin g wha t the y said , piecin g an d repiecin g i t togethe r t o try and make out something they had not time to say—possibly eve n had not ha d tim e to know . . . . Yes, I missed you. Your dropping ou t lef t m e with completely nothing. What made you?" (317) Indicative o f th e critica l rol e played b y thi s "nobody " i n th e hero ine's story , i t i s thu s Harriso n rathe r tha n Rober t i n relatio n t o whom Stell a ha s continue d t o positio n herself . Urgin g hi m t o tel l her what happene d o n th e fatal nigh t of he r lover's death , sh e finds out tha t th e countersp y ha d bee n "switched " ou t o f th e gam e th e night befor e (319) . Thi s coincidenc e confirm s th e "hom(m)osex ual" identificatio n betwee n th e tw o mal e characters . Deprive d o f her hop e tha t Harriso n migh t ye t solv e th e riddl e a t th e cente r o f the spy/lov e plot , Stell a mus t fac e th e inconclusiv e natur e o f thi s or, fo r tha t matter , an y story . Whil e th e "loft y drummin g o f th e

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raider" seem s t o promis e tha t "on e kin d o f utte r solutio n wa s i n the offing, " sh e i s force d t o accep t tha t "no , i t wa s no t t o b e tha t way," fo r i n th e en d "nothin g fell. " Sh e concede s tha t perhap s there i s "no righ t or wrong t o it after all " (319) . By thus withhold ing th e momen t o f "closure whic h i s als o disclosure, " th e tex t no t only frustrate s Stella' s hop e o f a "dissolutio n o f th e enigma"; 16 i t also undermine s conventionalize d readin g expectations . B y leaving the ending s o f th e fiction o f heterosexua l romanc e a s wel l a s th e male sp y plo t literall y i n midair , HD effectivel y subvert s thes e joint narrative tracts of masculin e desire, rendering their resolutio n basically irrelevant . The recognitio n o f th e arbitrar y natur e o f he r stor y an d it s moral allow s Stell a t o reconside r he r relationship s wit h bot h Har rison an d Robert . Pointin g ou t tha t ther e i s n o goin g bac k t o th e past, sinc e "on e neve r i s wher e on e was, " sh e i s le d t o wonde r whether Harriso n "wer e . . . then, somehow , love' s necessary missing part " (320) . Rathe r tha n bindin g he r mor e closel y t o him , th e acknowledgment o f hi s constitutiv e rol e i n th e narrativ e o f lov e releases Stell a fro m th e spel l tha t Harrison' s presume d powe r t o resolve its plot had continue d t o cast on her. Exploding the myth of his all-powerfulnes s b y exposin g it s fundamentall y interdependen t character, sh e conclusivel y reject s he r positio n a s objec t i n th e system o f mal e exchange : "Yo u an d I are n o longe r tw o o f three . From betwee n u s some pin has been drawn out : we'r e apart. We'r e not wher e w e were—look , no t eve n an y mor e i n th e sam e room . The pattern' s bee n swep t away , s o where' s th e meaning ? Think! " (320). Exposin g th e fragilit y o f th e heterosexua l contract , Stell a liberates hersel f fro m it s constraints. Empowered wit h a new sens e of symboli c agency , sh e ca n finally affor d t o cal l Harrison' s bluff . She ask s hi m point-blan k "wha t [he ] did . . . want, then , whe n i t came t o th e point. " Hi s failur e t o respon d corroborate s Stella' s earlier suspicion s abou t th e stake s o f th e mal e characters ' power / knowledge game . Sh e furthe r challenge s Harrison' s heterosexua l (in)adequacy b y maintaining tha t he "di d no t kno w what t o do" a t

The Discourse of Suspension 193 the time . Hi s embarrasse d reactio n t o suc h a chec k o n hi s mascu linity enable s he r finally t o solici t th e incontrovertibl e proo f o f hi s "hidden" sexua l aims . Whe n sh e suggest s tha t h e "sta y tonight, " she i s me t wit h utte r silenc e o n hi s part, eve n thoug h h e ha s mad e a numbe r o f insinuatin g remark s t o thi s effec t himself . Stella' s speculations abou t he r object statu s within th e male "hom(m)osex ual" plot ar e presently verified. N o longe r functionin g a s the Othe r in th e syste m o f Same-se x exchange , sh e ha s los t whateve r valu e she ma y hav e had . Harrison , th e obsessiv e schemer , furthermor e clarifies tha t h e neve r expecte d he r "t o d o anythin g fo r nothing " (321). Therewith th e centra l aspec t o f Stella' s "riddle " i s resolved : by callin g int o questio n Harrison' s heterosexua l potential , Stell a has hi t upo n th e ver y basi s o f anxiet y underlyin g th e myt h o f masculinity and , a fortiori , upo n th e crucia l functio n o f th e "dar k continent" o f femal e sexualit y i n sustainin g phallogocentri c culture. The heroine' s subsequen t announcemen t o f he r intende d mar riage t o a "cousi n o f a cousin " provoke s a n "expressio n o f a violent, fundamenta l relief " fro m Harrison . Whil e releasin g hi m from an y obligation s i n a field in which he , we recall , is "naturall y off hi s ground, " thi s als o provide s hi m wit h th e opportunit y t o reassume hi s place i n th e "hom(m)osexual " economy . H e immedi ately start s voicin g hi s concer n abou t he r safet y "o n behal f o f a n unknown somebod y else, " claimin g tha t i t i s "fa r fro m fai r t o th e chap" tha t Stell a continue s t o expos e hersel f t o th e dange r o f th e air raid s (321-22) . Althoug h thi s attemp t t o dra w he r bac k int o his schem e succeed s i n excitin g th e "ol d irritation " i n her , Stell a i s no longe r liabl e t o it s confinin g designs . Whe n Harriso n start s admonishing he r t o tak e he r "prospects " int o account , sh e retort s that "prospect s hav e alternatives. " Affirmin g he r unwillingnes s t o accept th e closur e o f th e heterosexua l contrac t i n marita l o r an y other terms , Stella concludes their disput e b y declaring that sh e has "always . . . lef t thing s open " (322) . Underlinin g th e ambivalenc e of he r ow n (sexual ) orientation , thes e word s brin g Stella' s stor y t o

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an appropriatel y indeterminat e end . I n th e remainde r o f th e tex t the las t stage s o f th e wa r ar e recorde d an d th e tw o subplot s ar e wrapped up . Sinc e Stella' s suspende d positio n i n th e novel' s mai n plot i s offset b y the conclusio n o f on e o f th e subplots , I will briefl y examine it s developmen t befor e showin g th e interconnection s be tween them . Discourse in

Crisis

Slipping Authority. A s w e hav e seen , th e not e o f uncertaint y o n which Bowen' s earl y nove l LS end s primaril y concern s th e heroine's plight : th e lac k o f resolutio n i s situate d o n th e intradiegetic leve l o f th e tex t only . Th e ultimat e terminatio n o f Danielstown b y th e narrato r indicate s tha t a t thi s poin t i n he r career, Bowe n stil l believe d i n th e powe r o f languag e t o impos e "meaningful shape " ont o a n otherwis e incoheren t reality . Suc h faith i n th e practic e o f significatio n ha d suffere d a sever e blo w b y the tim e sh e wrot e HD, th e nove l markin g th e midstag e o f he r career. Th e author' s preoccupatio n wit h th e ambivalenc e o f discursive operation s wa s validate d i n a mos t disturbin g manne r by a wa r o f "dr y cerebration " whos e origin s sh e locate d i n "conversations" carrie d ou t "insid e windowles s walls. " Language, an d i n particula r th e regulator y regime s o f phallogocentrism an d compulsor y heterosexuality , surfac e bot h explicitly an d obliquel y i n th e wa r novel' s mai n plot : i n Mrs . Kelway's contemptuou s denunciatio n o f word s a s "dea d currency" an d thei r connectio n wit h he r functio n a s castratin g force i n th e myt h o f masculinity , i n he r so n Robert' s paranoi a and corruptio n a s a resul t o f th e close d syste m o f binar y thought , in Harrison' s cunnin g exploitatio n o f platitude s i n th e servic e o f a collapsin g mora l order , an d i n Stella' s worrie s abou t he r ow n place an d tha t o f he r se x i n th e "augus t book " o f history , a s wel l as he r realizatio n o f th e constraint s impose d o n he r b y he r culturally prescribe d rol e i n th e narrativ e o f love . Althoug h

The Discourse of Suspension 195 subdued i n it s actua l manifestations , sexualit y operate s a s a structuring forc e i n th e narrativ e exploratio n o f thes e issues . I t i s in on e o f th e subplots , however , tha t th e inheren t ambivalenc e o f discursive effect s an d thei r mora l implication s ar e explicitl y addressed i n term s o f th e technologie s o f gendere d sexuality . The centra l characte r i n thi s mino r stor y i s Loui e Lewis , a lower-middle-class woma n whos e husban d To m i s wit h th e arm y in India. 17 Th e first impressio n w e receiv e o f he r i s Harrison' s perception o f he r mouth : "Halte d an d voluble , thi s coul d bu t b e a mout h tha t blurte d rathe r tha n spoke , a mout h incontinen t an d at th e sam e tim e artless " (11) . Louie' s inarticulac y i s a t onc e foregrounded i n it s connectio n wit h he r "artless " an d "incontinent" body . Lackin g i n verba l power , sh e assert s hersel f by exploitin g a "sor t o f clums y no t quit e graceles s pre-adolescen t strength," bein g "ready , nay , eage r t o attac h hersel f t o anyon e who coul d see m t o b e followin g an y on e cours e wit h certainty " (11, 15) . T o he r flat i n Chilcomb e Stree t sh e brings , afte r a day' s work a t th e factory , th e soldier s sh e ha s forme d th e habi t o f picking up . Louie has , "wit h regar d t o time , a n infan t lac k o f stereoscopi c vision": t o he r "everythin g seeme d t o b e goin g o n a t once. " Th e suggestion tha t th e characte r ha s faile d t o internaliz e th e meanings o f sexua l differenc e as a result o f he r inarticulac y thoroughly undermine s th e state-of-natur e hypothesi s tha t presupposes a precultura l o r prediscursiv e binar y fram e o f sex . Her lac k o f a "normal " gende r identit y doe s no t mean , however , that Loui e i s fre e o f th e apparatu s b y mean s o f whic h th e sexe s are produced ; no r i s sh e s o naiv e a s t o fai l t o notic e "al l me n t o be on e wa y funn y lik e Tom—n o soone r wer e thei r lip s unstuc k from you r ow n tha n the y bega n agai n t o utte r morality " (17) . Her ver y inabilit y t o understan d thi s "funny " qualit y i n me n alerts u s t o th e gendere d aspect s o f (sexual ) moralit y an d symbolic power . Denyin g he r th e righ t t o a n activ e sexua l desir e of he r own , th e me n whos e need s Loui e i s willin g t o fulfil l see k

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to contai n th e physical—an d potentiall y castrating—powe r sh e embodies b y firs t enjoyin g an d the n denouncin g i t o n mora l grounds. Th e disparit y i n term s o f symboli c agenc y render s Loui e helpless. Ignoran t an d inarticulate , sh e i s b y definitio n th e lose r in th e battl e betwee n th e sexes , fo r eve n i f sh e doe s no t provok e male "sexua l anger " b y bein g "disobliging, " i t seem s tha t "everything stil l ende d i n he r bein g tol d off " (19) . Louie i s los t i n th e "unsettling " maz e o f Londo n an d th e complex cultura l more s o f cit y life . Whil e livin g throug h he r body, sh e ha s no t mastere d th e languag e i n whic h (self- ) representations obtai n an d henc e ha s no t acquire d an y consciousness o f hersel f i n gendere d terms . Sh e i s "swep t alon g in on e shoa l o f indifferen t shadow s agains t another. " Havin g failed i n th e "business " o f losin g he r "innocence, " Loui e ha s n o place i n th e falle n worl d o f huma n history : wheneve r sh e i s unable t o expres s hersel f comprehensibly , a "loo k o f anima l trouble" passe s ove r he r face . He r inabilit y t o mak e hersel f known, th e reaso n wh y "t o b e see n [is ] fo r he r no t t o be, " springs fro m th e fac t tha t sh e i s no t recognizabl e a s a human , that is , gender-differentiated , being : sh e "bulkfs ] ahea d throug h the dar k wit h th e sexles s flat-foote d nonchalanc e o f a ten-year old" (145-46) . I n he r virtua l presymboli c state , sh e ofte n visit s a "mirrored" cafe , wher e sh e ca n enjo y th e "satisfactio n o f seeing , in brigh t steaminess , herself , Louie , wal k in , loo k round , an d si t down" (147) . Sh e thu s appear s t o b e detaine d i n wha t Laca n defines a s th e "mirro r phase, " th e perio d i n whic h th e infan t ha s acquired a primitiv e notio n o f itsel f a s a bein g separat e fro m th e mother throug h it s identificatio n wit h it s ow n mirro r image ; i t i s nonetheless onl y upo n it s entr y int o language , int o th e symboli c order, tha t ful l subjectivit y ca n b e achieved. 18 Louie' s sens e o f "being o f meanin g onl y t o a n absen t person, " tha t i s t o say , o f overall "unmeaning, " i s temporaril y relieve d b y th e arriva l a t Chilcombe Stree t o f AR P warde n Connie , a figure wh o defie s th e duality o f sexua l categories .

The Discourse of Suspension i^y The "uniforme d newcomer, " wh o combine s a "brick-re d postbox mouth " wit h a "scissor-lik e strid e in . . . dark blu e officia l slacks," i s a n interestin g attemp t o n Bowen' s par t t o creat e a character endowe d wit h conflictin g gende r attributes . Occasionall y bordering o n th e ridiculous , the portrait i s adorned wit h severa l o f the stereotypica l trapping s o f th e "mannis h lesbian." 19 Connie' s "unfixed" sexua l identit y render s he r a n eligibl e counterpart t o th e sexless Louie . Fo r befor e Conni e become s draw n t o th e latter' s "vacuum," th e "preadolescent " ha s bee n mos t awar e o f he r lac k among "real " women : The actual trouble a t the factory was , that you had to have something to say, tell, swop, and Louie was unable to think of anything. She felt she did not mak e sense , an d stil l wors e fel t tha t th e other s kne w it . Women seemed to feel that she had not graduated-, where had she been all her life, they wanted to know—and, oh , where had she? It is advantageous being among all sorts if you are some sort, any sort; you gravitate to your type. It i s dauntin g i f yo u discove r yo u ar e stil l n o sort—th e las t hop e gone . (149; first italics mine) Whereas Louie' s sexlessnes s result s i n indiscriminateness , Conni e takes u p a positio n i n betwee n sexua l "sorts, " partakin g o f both . With he r "dought y shoes " an d he r "dar k spar e behind, " sh e ha s no difficult y "standing ] upright " an d makin g he r presenc e know n by "swearin g a s thoug h th e hous e wer e hers : i n tha t lin e sh e wa s royal" (150) . He r "masculine " self-assertio n i s directl y relate d t o the gende r bender' s favorit e pastime , a voracious readin g o f news papers. He r appropriatio n o f th e (printed ) wor d ha s furthe r en abled he r t o assum e he r unLawfu l positio n withi n th e symboli c order. Eager t o pleas e he r ne w friend , Loui e seize s upo n "Connie' s addiction" a s somethin g t o "imitate. " "Havin g begu n b y impress ing Connie, " however , sh e finds tha t "newspaper s wen t o n t o infatuate [her ] out-and-out " (151) . Anticipating th e danger s o f th e uninitiated's unquestionin g fait h i n th e languag e o f th e Law , th e narrator wryl y observes : "I n th e beginnin g wa s th e word ; an d t o

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that i t cam e bac k i n th e lon g run . Thi s wen t fo r anythin g writte n down." Th e effect s o f Louie' s ne w habi t giv e u s a fai r insigh t int o the constrainin g operation s o f dominan t ideology . Havin g "begu n in th e middle, " th e gullibl e creatur e ha s n o fram e o f referenc e t o assess any of the official wa r accounts . Imbibing the news as gospel truth, sh e allow s he r experience s t o b e falsifie d an d successivel y altered: "Onc e yo u looke d i n th e paper s yo u sa w wher e i t said , nothing was s o bad a s it might look . What a mistake, to have gon e by th e loo k o f things! " Th e "innocent " prov e t o b e a primar y target fo r ideologica l interpellation : For the paper's sake, Louie brought herself t o put up with any amount of news—the headline s go t that ove r fo r yo u i n half a second, decidin g fo r you every event's importance b y the size of the print.. . . But it was fro m the articles in the papers that th e real build-up, the alimentation came — Louie, after a week or two on the diet, discovered that she had got a point of view, and not only a point of view but the right one. Not only did she bask i n warmt h an d inclusio n bu t ever y mornin g an d evenin g sh e wa s praised. Even the Russians were apparently not as dissatisfied wit h her as she had feared ; ther e was Stalingrad goin g on holding out, bu t her e was she in the forefront o f the industrial war drive. As for the Americans now in London, they were stupefied b y admiration for her character. Dark and rare were the days when she failed to find on the inside page of her paper an address to or else an account of herself. (152) Unable t o qualif y th e nutritio n provide d b y th e papers , Loui e i s horrified t o find tha t suc h eg o sustenanc e doe s no t pertai n t o all aspect s o f he r life , especiall y no t i n th e field i n whic h sh e i s most "lacking" : Was she not a worker, a soldier's lonely wife, a war orphan, a pedestrian, a Londoner , a home - an d animal-lover , a thinkin g democrat , a movie goer, a woman o f Britain , a letter writer , a fuel-saver , an d a housewife ? She wa s onl y no t a mother , a knitter , a gardener , a foot-sufferer , o r a sweetheart—at leas t not rightly. Louie now fel t ba d only about an y part of herself whic h in any way did not fit into the papers' picture; she could not hav e survive d thei r disapproval . The y di d not , fo r instance , leav e

The Discourse of Suspension 19

9

flighty wive s or good-tim e girl s a leg to stan d on ; an d how rightly—sh e had romped through a dozen pieces on that subject with if anything rather special zest, and was midway through just one more when the blast struck cold. Coul d i t b e that th e papers wer e ou t wit h Louie f—she cam e over gooseflesh, confronted b y God and Tom. (152) The slightl y derisor y ton e o f th e passag e doe s nothin g t o detrac t from th e acut e analysi s i t presents o f th e ways in which th e regula tory regime s o f phallogocentris m an d compulsor y heterosexualit y jointly operat e i n the service of dominan t power/knowledge . Whil e subscribing to the psychological necessit y of sexual positioning, th e final line s irrefutabl y situat e th e bound s o f officiall y endorse d fe male identitie s withi n th e confine s o f th e tw o principa l construct s underlying Wester n civilization : th e mutuall y reinforcin g dis courses o f patriarchy an d Christianity . Once "reinstated " b y ye t anothe r favorabl e self-representation , Louie's feelin g fo r newspaper s "enter s a deeper phase." Comin g t o "love newspaper s physically, " sh e adopt s th e rol e o f th e nurturin g wife/mother toward s th e Wor d o f th e Father . Whil e sh e i s move d by a "solicitud e fo r thei r gallan t increasin g thinness " an d "long[s ] to fee d [and ] fondle " them , Connie , o n th e othe r hand , havin g th e "droit du seigneur ove r an y newspape r enterin g th e house, " treat s them wit h "sensua l roughness. " Set up i n these divergen t position s in relatio n t o th e symbolic/phallus , Louie , displayin g th e feature s of symbioti c dependenc e conventionall y connote d a s "feminine, " feeds o n an d i s a t th e sam e tim e devoure d b y th e Law' s "everlast ing arms. " Connie , "suspiciously ] readin g betwee n th e lines, " maintains a certai n aloofnes s an d thu s occupie s th e imaginar y position o f autonom y that , a s a rule , i s th e "masculine " preroga tive (153) . This allow s th e latte r som e critica l distanc e an d thu s a measure o f symboli c agency , preventin g he r fro m bein g a s totall y immersed i n establishe d truth s an d meaning s a s he r youn g friend . The mockin g ton e o f voic e i n whic h th e narrato r relate s Connie' s "informed" view s o n th e wa r an d th e worl d nonetheles s mak e

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clear tha t she , too , i s subjecte d t o ideology' s interpellatin g opera tions an d i s indeed effectivel y delude d int o subscribing to the jingoist notions transmitted b y the powers tha t be . Although Connie' s "masculine " aspect s ar e throughou t fore grounded, sh e i s no t presente d a s a caricatur e o f th e male . He r superior attitud e towar d Loui e an d he r self-importan t professiona l stance ar e se t of f agains t equall y conspicuou s "feminine " attri butes: th e "bobby-pins " trimmin g he r "fringe, " th e "lac e blouse " she combines with her "unifor m slacks, " the "pearl ear-ring" goin g with he r "tunic " (156-57) . Rathe r than representin g the stereotyp ical femme manquee, th e figure thu s defie s th e binar y term s o f sexual difference . A s such , sh e enable s Loui e t o fee l les s oppresse d by he r palpabl e lac k o f self-awareness . I f on e o r bot h o f thes e characters com e i n fo r a n arguabl y objectionabl e for m o f narrativ e scorn, th e activ e principle s o f Connie' s personalit y contras t favor ably with Louie' s condemning helplessness. Even the girl's tears ar e not intende d t o invit e ou r pity : sinc e "tear s nee d volitio n t o for m and fall, " the y amoun t t o n o mor e tha n a "glaz e o n thi s idiot' s cheekbones" (156) . B y appropriatin g a rol e withi n th e sociosym bolic order , Connie , i n contrast , ha s empowere d hersel f t o subver t some of th e established system' s rules. She does so both a t the ARP post (wher e sh e show s a "feminine " warmt h an d kindness ) an d i n her relatio n t o Louie . While occasionall y treatin g her protege e lik e the archetypal husband, th e gender bender doe s not pass any of th e moral judgment s tha t th e younge r woma n justifiabl y fear s fro m "God an d Tom. " Th e former's overal l attitud e intimate s a sense of protectiveness rathe r tha n reprobation . The unorthodo x same-se x relationshi p i s clearl y preferabl e t o Louie's heterosexua l one-nigh t stands . W e furthermor e not e tha t the relationshi p i s mediate d by , i f no t founde d on , th e word . But , while th e tex t thereb y situate s femal e homoeroticis m withi n th e symbolic order , rathe r tha n enclosin g i t withi n a presymboli c o r preoedipal stage , i t als o suggest s it s confinemen t t o a particula r (lower) socia l class . Th e displacemen t o f lesbia n sexualit y t o a

The Discourse of Suspension 201 lower leve l i n th e cultura l hierarch y i s reinforce d b y it s bein g shifted t o a lowe r narrativ e leve l o f th e text : whil e hauntin g th e edges o f th e novel' s majo r plot , th e lesbia n "specter " surface s directly onl y i n one of th e subplots . Crossing Lines. W e hav e see n tha t Stella' s an d Louie' s storie s intersect a t th e OPE N cafe . Th e bar' s intertextua l valu e a s a sexu ally overdetermine d subcultura l spac e render s it s functio n a s th e characters' meetin g poin t particularl y significant . Whe n th e younger woma n return s hom e tha t night , sh e i s filled wit h a wis h to "spea k o f Stella " bu t feel s hampere d b y he r inabilit y t o us e words properly . Loui e ha s neve r befor e fel t th e nee d t o mak e herself "known " i n an y othe r tha n th e biblica l sense . Afte r all , a s she point s ou t t o Connie : '"There' s alway s thi s wit h a man—i t need not have to com e up what you canno t say' " (246) . But if mal e interest i n femal e silence/ignoranc e ha s thu s fa r allowe d Loui e t o believe tha t "ther e neve r use d t o b e an y necessit y to say, " tonigh t she "felt wha t sh e had no t fel t before—wa s i t even she herself wh o was feeling? " (246 , 248) . He r encounte r wit h Stella , whos e "shaped lips " had bee n "shapin g wha t the y ough t not " (247) , ha s given this "nothing " a disconcerting glimps e of unknow n possibili ties. By provoking i n Louie a strong need to "mak e [her]sel f under stood" (246) , Stell a ha s lef t th e guileles s creatur e i n a stat e o f emotional confusion . Th e girl' s bewildermen t show s al l the ambiv alence o f a n overwhelmin g eroti c desire , wavering betwee n a long ing to b e one with a s well a s to kno w thi s other : Louie felt herself entere d by what was foreign. Sh e exclaimed in thought: "Oh no, I wouldn't be her!" at the moment when she most nearly was. . . . She felt wha t sh e had no t fel t before— was it , even sh e herself wh o was feeling? . . . Here now was Louie sought out exactly as she had sought to be: i t i s i n natur e t o wan t wha t yo u wan t s o muc h to o muc h tha t yo u must recoil when i t comes. . . . Louie dwelled on Stella with mistrust an d addiction, dread and desire. (247-48) When Loui e read s abou t Robert' s fal l fro m th e roo f th e nex t day , her desir e initiall y strengthens . In he r naivety , sh e inadvertentl y

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hits upo n th e trut h underlyin g th e cove r stor y b y confusing it s tw o featuring mal e characters : th e "ill-fate d officer' s behaviou r . . . seemed t o he r i n it s rabi d suspiciousness , it s unlovin g ruthlessnes s and it s queerness [!] , to have bee n tha t o f Harriso n exactly " (305) . The suggestiv e term s i n whic h th e tabloi d paper s depic t Stella' s entanglement i n th e enigmati c triangle , however , d o no t fai l t o affect th e mindles s girl . Since her mora l conception s ar e shape d b y the popula r press , these relay s o f bourgeoi s conventio n lea d Loui e to a despair o f what sh e has learned t o accep t a s "female virtue. " Stella's fac e ha d "attracted ] aspiration " i n Louie, had mad e he r feel "t o b e in a presence," bu t th e circumstanc e tha t sh e is publicly denounced make s i t see m tha t "i t wa s Stell a wh o ha d falle n int o the street. " He r susceptibilit y t o th e seductiv e powe r o f word s an d her unreflectiv e fait h i n thei r ostensibl e transparenc y thu s allow s for anothe r falsificatio n o f th e girl' s experience . The narrato r step s in t o condem n th e mora l framewor k conduciv e t o suc h denuncia tions an d clarifie s Louie' s reaction : It was the blank s i n Louie' s vocabular y whic h operate d inwardl y o n he r soul; mos t strongl y sh e fel t th e underto w o f wha t sh e coul d no t name . Humble an d ambiguous , sh e wa s a s unabl e t o nam e virtu e a s sh e ha d been, until that sudden view of Harrison's companion, to envisage it. Two words she had, "refinement," "respectability, " were for her somewhere on the periphery. I n searc h o f wha t shoul d mak e fo r completenes s an d cas t out fea r sh e indistinctl y sa w virtu e a s th e invers e o f sex : a t th e sam e time, somehow , i t ha d distress , o f on e kin d o r another , a s it s sublim e prerogative—Had no t Loui e herself fel t distres s in Stella, owing to Har rison? . . . Sh e coul d no t bu t b e ou t o f he r spher e here , nonplussed , a wanderer fro m a bette r star . I t ha d bee n muc h t o find in th e world on e creature too good for the world. She ha d no t bee n to o good . Here , an d no t i n on e pape r only , wa s where i t sai d abou t her , th e bottles , the lover, th e luxury West-En d flat. She had had other men friends; ther e nearly had been a fight. It all came down t o a matte r o f expansiveness ; ther e wa s n o refinement . . .. Ther e was nobody to admire; there was no alternative. No unextinguished watchlight remained , afte r all , burnin g i n an y window , howeve r fa r away . (306-7)

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3

The passag e underscore s tha t th e ethica l valu e o f Woma n i n patri archy is—paradoxically—locate d i n he r sex(lessness) . I t further more confirm s tha t i t i s b y virtu e o f th e syste m o f compulsor y heterosexuality tha t establishe d gende r relation s ca n b e main tained: b y renderin g eroti c relation s amon g wome n a t onc e un nameable an d "morally " impossible , thi s regulator y regim e oper ates s o a s t o preclud e an y potentia l disruptio n o f th e socia l contract. Left "i n a vacuum" b y her disillusionment , Loui e return s t o he r "vagrant habits " (307 ) an d end s u p pregnant . Sh e onc e agai n appeals t o Conni e fo r (self-)authentication : '" I don' t kno w ho w I should feel : I coul d equall y laug h o r cry . Whateve r is this?—I'v e got t o se e from you' " (324) . Since his wife's "passivenes s biggen[s ] with he r body " (326) , Conni e accept s th e tas k o f informin g To m about Louie' s condition . He r exoneratin g lette r i s made redundan t by th e new s o f Tom' s death . Whe n th e "whol e o f th e stor y nar row^] dow n t o Louie, " w e hav e reache d th e text' s concludin g pages. I n Septembe r 1944 , th e youn g mothe r arrive s a t Seale-on Sea wit h he r newl y bor n son . The final scene—tw o year s afte r th e novel's opening—presents Loui e holding up her bab y to see "thre e swans . . . flying a straigh t flight . . . disappearin g i n th e directio n of th e west" (330) . Rather tha n a distinctl y positiv e symbol , representin g th e "un conscious natura l wil l t o surviv e an d produc e life" 20 o r affirmin g that "onl y th e ver y simpl e . . . can find happines s . . . i n th e cycl e of nature," 2 1 th e novel' s concludin g imag e form s a questionabl e counterpart t o Stella' s positio n o f indeterminacy. 22 Althoug h th e heroine's stanc e convey s a sens e o f despai r a t Western civilization , expressing a dee p suspicio n o f th e regenerativ e potentia l o f a n oppressive, phallogocentri c order , Louie' s recours e t o natur e a s a "thoughtless extensio n o f he r no w complet e life " (329 ) ca n hardl y be considered t o suggest a viable alternative. As an image of "natu ralness" o r "simplicity " th e characte r i s indee d highl y suspect , considering Bowen' s forthrigh t rejectio n o f suc h notions . Further -

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more, a s th e epitom e o f symboli c inadequacy , Loui e ha s consis tently bee n place d i n a decidedl y negativ e light . Th e fac t tha t he r son i s "christene d Thoma s Victor " reaffirm s he r unself-consciou s subjection t o th e constraint s impose d b y prevailing technologies o f gender. He r stor y show s tha t th e assumptio n o f a "naturally " sexed bod y a s a precultura l o r prediscursiv e give n i s n o mor e and n o les s tha n a n ideologicall y produce d effect . Servin g a s th e legitimating groun d o f a syste m o f hierarchica l powe r relations , i t is this ver y state-of-natur e hypothesi s tha t render s th e femal e sub ject int o th e idea l vesse l fo r reproduction—no t onl y quit e literall y but als o wit h regar d t o th e discourse s throug h whic h th e power o f the paterna l hei r i s sustained . Confine d t o he r "stat e o f nature, " Louie unwittingl y perpetuate s th e self-same structure s b y whic h she i s reduced t o a virtual nonentity . Th e figure therefor e become s a highly unlikely representatio n o f potential redemption . If th e novel' s endnot e i s sufficientl y bleak , Stella' s stanc e i s qualified b y a degree of potentiall y redemptiv e self-awareness . A s I have argue d above , the inconclusiv e resolutio n o f th e novel's mai n plot form s a defianc e o f narrativ e convention s predicate d o n th e mythical plo t o f masculin e desire . Bu t th e doubl e displacemen t o f an alternativ e mod e o f desirou s exchange , that is , the relegation o f lesbian sex/textualit y t o a lowe r leve l i n th e narrativ e hierarch y a s well t o a lowe r leve l i n th e clas s syste m subtendin g th e diegesi s a s a whole , suggest s tha t th e conservativ e postwa r climat e i n whic h the novel was produced pu t sever e restrictions o n what Bowe n ha d been abl e t o writ e abou t quit e unreservedl y i n th e 1920 s an d 1930s: femal e same-se x relationships . Stella' s insistenc e o n th e open-endedness (rathe r tha n a subversion ) o f th e stor y o f hetero sexual romanc e henc e als o appear s t o indicat e tha t th e socia l for mation i n whic h th e nove l wa s writte n place d stricte r bound s o n the constructio n an d negotiatio n o f particula r meaning s tha n be fore. Still , while the heroine's quest attests to the author's enhance d wariness o f an y o f th e establishe d regime s o f power/knowledge , Stella's suspended positio n nonetheles s convey s ambivalence rathe r

The Discourse of Suspension 2 05 than despai r a t th e enablin g potentia l o f narrativ e discourse . I n the followin g chapter s w e wil l se e ho w Bowen' s idea s abou t th e operations of language evolved in its most constitutive and simultaneously mos t elusiv e aspects , tha t is , i n it s produced/producin g effects o n psychosexuality.

6 Subtexts of Psychosexuality What a slipper y fish i s identity ; an d wha t is i t beside s a slippery fish? —Eva Trout

The Inscription of

Creation in Eva Trout (1969 )

Structuring Stylistics. Eva Trout or Changing Scenes (hereafter , £T), a s th e ful l titl e o f Bowen' s tent h an d final nove l reads , wa s published forty-od d year s afte r he r first (The Hotel, 1927 ) an d twenty year s afte r th e appearanc e o f he r sevent h (HD). Sinc e 1949, tw o volume s o f nonfictiona l writings , a historica l work , two mor e novels , a trave l book , a children' s book , an d he r las t collection o f shor t storie s ha d bee n published. 1 Th e onl y wor k t o appear i n prin t afte r ET wa s Pictures and Conversations (1975) , the unfinishe d se t o f autobiographica l essay s publishe d posthumously tw o year s afte r Bowen' s deat h i n 1973 . A t onc e suggesting a departur e fro m earlie r narrativ e scene s an d markin g a chang e i n th e author' s sociohistorica l setting , th e novel' s subtitle als o herald s a n alteratio n i n th e textua l surfac e itself , a shift i n term s o f styl e and/o r narrativ e method . Wherea s th e las t two emphase s ar e certainl y born e ou t b y th e text , th e suggestio n of a chang e i n narrativ e scen e i s somewha t misleading . Th e controlling them e o f ET signifie s a differen t angl e o n Bowen' s 206

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7

lasting subjec t matte r rathe r tha n a deviatio n fro m it . Sinc e th e author considere d th e objec t o f th e nove l t o b e th e "non-poeti c statement o f a poeti c truth, " th e essenc e o f whic h i s "tha t n o statement o f i t i s final, " i t i s no t surprisin g t o find he r returnin g to he r abidin g preoccupation s i n wha t wa s t o becom e he r las t story. 2 ET is , quit e appropriately , als o a n exploratio n o f "origins." Place d i n relatio n t o LS (1929 ) an d HD (1949) , whic h mark th e beginnin g an d th e middl e o f Bowen' s writin g career , respectively, th e nove l inevitabl y acquire s additiona l significanc e by virtu e o f bein g thi s writer' s final statemen t o f he r "poeti c truth." I t represent s Bowen' s las t novelisti c effor t t o explor e th e constitution o f (female ) sexuality/subjectivity . Although ET offer s n o chang e i n term s o f thematics , i t doe s represent a shif t i n perspectiv e whe n compare d t o HD, a difference i n outloo k tha t i s simila r t o tha t betwee n th e author' s war nove l an d he r "recal l book, " LS. A s w e hav e seen , th e earl y novel's emphasi s o n th e constrainin g effect s o f th e ideologica l patterns o f outsid e "reality " upo n th e developin g subjectivit y o f the youn g heroin e provide s th e "interna l combustion " upo n which, accordin g t o Bowen , th e "movemen t [of ] plo t depends." 3 The wa r novel , o n th e othe r hand , present s th e dynamic s o f crisi s situated i n externa l rathe r tha n interna l forces , i n th e materia l collapse o f th e sociosymboli c structure s i n relatio n t o whic h th e middle-aged protagonis t i s force d t o (re)defin e herself . In ET, both externa l an d interna l "reality " ar e rendere d a s continuall y "Changing Scenes. " Th e flux, th e disruptiv e o r destabilizin g elements o f th e interdependen t processe s o f histor y an d subjectivity ar e newl y articulate d bot h i n th e novel' s textualit y and i n it s eponymou s heroine . ET confront s u s wit h a protagonist wh o i s no t s o muc h i n transitio n a s "larger-than life." He r unfocuse d existenc e i s reflecte d i n th e variet y o f spatia l and tempora l setting s agains t whic h he r stor y evolves . Th e sens e of fragmentatio n resultin g fro m th e novel' s haphazar d plo t development i s amplifie d b y it s discursiv e surface . Especiall y i n

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the earl y chapters , th e narrativ e voic e i s uncharacteristicall y equivocal, whil e th e overal l stylisti c mod e i s impressionisti c rather tha n controlle d an d precise . Ostensibl y unabl e t o contai n either th e stor y o r it s protagonist , th e tex t highlight s th e crucia l role o f languag e i n th e proliferatio n and th e dispersa l o f meaning. Sinc e th e distinctio n betwee n outsid e an d insid e dislocation—already tenuou s i n th e earlie r novels—i s no w entirely abolished , th e disconcertin g effect s o f suc h (discursive ) decenteredness ar e full y dramatize d o n bot h th e extra - an d th e intradiegetic level s o f th e text . Before goin g int o th e significanc e o f th e novel' s stylisti c attributes, I wan t t o mentio n a furthe r aspec t i n whic h ET perpetuates a lin e o f exploratio n runnin g throug h an d connectin g all o f th e author' s previou s work . Tw o majo r Bowe n themes , th e operation o f th e pas t i n th e presen t an d it s relatio n t o th e question o f identity , ar e onc e agai n centra l preoccupations . I n ET, thes e tw o themati c line s intertwin e i n suc h a wa y that , instead o f focusin g o n th e interpenetratio n o f th e sociohistori c past an d th e individual' s present , th e tex t zoom s i n o n th e protagonist's persona l histor y a s th e constitutiv e forc e i n th e process o f meanin g production . Cas t i n psychoanalyti c terms , th e narrative o f ET i s a cas e histor y tha t specificall y concern s th e heroine's (non)acquisitio n o f a (hetero)sexua l gende r identity . Covering Eva' s lif e spa n u p t o an d includin g he r deat h a t ag e thirty-two, th e nove l resemble s LS an d HD i n tha t i t present s a n "adolescent" heroin e who—a s a n "ope n psychi c structure" — personifies th e conditio n o f crisi s inheren t i n subjectivit y a s such. 4 Thi s is , paradoxically , a t th e sam e tim e th e aspec t i n which Bowen' s las t nove l differ s cruciall y fro m th e earlie r ones . Eva Trou t i s neithe r strugglin g t o attai n no r compelle d t o realiz e the precariou s natur e o f a n establishe d sens e o f self . He r "case " shows th e effect s o f a suspende d proces s o f symboli c inscription . More accurately , he r stor y depict s wha t happen s whe n a (female )

Subtexts of Psychosexuality 2

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subject doe s no t effectivel y ente r th e phallogocentri c orde r an d s o fails t o tak e u p he r prope r positio n withi n th e Law . Its significanc e a s a cas e histor y notwithstanding , th e suggestive valu e o f th e protagonist' s name , th e titl e o f th e novel' s first par t ("Genesis") , an d th e centra l plac e o f th e oedipa l plo t o r "family romance " i n Eva' s story 5 rais e th e nove l fro m it s particular t o a mor e genera l level . Rathe r tha n constitutin g a narrative o f psychologica l developmen t i n th e traditio n o f classi c realism, ET engage s th e metanarrative s o f Christia n (patriarchal ) culture an d o f psychoanalysi s a s tw o o f th e foundin g conceptua l schemes o f twentieth-centur y Wester n society . Whil e firmly se t i n the her e an d now , th e nove l transcend s it s boundarie s a s a traditional socia l comed y o r bildungsroma n b y advancin g a fundamental critiqu e o f Wester n metaphysic s i n a stor y o f development tha t i s cas t i n virtuall y epi c terms . These observation s ma y t o som e exten t explai n wh y a criti c like Hermion e Le e denounce s ET a s a n "unfocusse d an d bizarr e conclusion t o [Bowen's ] opus." Whil e identifyin g th e author' s late technique s a s sign s o f a n increasin g concer n wit h th e "concept o f th e breakdow n o f language, " Le e refrain s fro m further explorin g th e issue , puttin g dow n th e narrativ e an d stylistic idiosyncrasie s o f Bowen' s las t tw o novel s a s "failure s o f assurance" resultin g i n deplorabl y "clums y procedures." 6 Suc h criticisms ar e echoe d i n Patrici a Craig' s assertio n tha t i n ET, th e "author ha s le t he r mannere d manne r ru n awa y wit h her. " Failing t o plac e th e nove l i n it s large r philosophica l perspective , Craig conclude s tha t "a s a n attemp t t o rende r a moder n nerve ridden society , i t goe s eve n mor e awry " tha n it s predecessor , The Little Girls (1964). 7 Whethe r o r no t Bowe n ha d th e intention , i n writing ET, o f renderin g a "moder n nerve-ridde n society " i s no t my poin t here . Wha t i s important , however , i s tha t i t woul d appear t o b e thes e critics ' (conventionalized ) readin g expectation s rather tha n an y flaw s residin g i n th e tex t tha t motivat e thei r

no Subtexts

of Psychosexuality

disapproval. I n othe r words , thei r unwillingnes s o r inabilit y t o approach ET fro m an y bu t a particula r (realist ) perspectiv e precludes bot h critic s fro m investigatin g th e operation s o f th e textual discours e insofa r a s thes e fal l outsid e th e boundarie s o f any narrowl y define d genre: 8 instea d o f lookin g a t wha t th e tex t actually doe s effect , the y rejec t ET fo r failin g t o b e wha t the y had com e t o expect—bot h i n th e contex t o f a n establishe d literary traditio n an d o n accoun t o f Bowen' s previou s work. 9 Foreseeing th e likelihoo d o f suc h inconsequentiall y disparagin g comments, Victori a Glendinnin g pertinentl y observe s tha t Bowen's las t i s a "formidabl e novel, " thoug h "difficul t onl y fo r readers wh o longe d fo r th e ol d Elizabet h o f The Death of the Hearth10 In man y respect s ET i s vitall y Bowenesque . Th e often-rebuke d verbal mannerism s embedde d i n a typica l blen d o f comed y an d social realis m an d th e narrativ e iron y conjoine d wit h lyricall y evocative element s serv e t o compos e a characteristi c "Bowen landscape." 11 I n on e notabl e respect , however , th e nove l form s a stylistic departur e fro m earlie r works . A t thi s lat e poin t i n he r career, th e autho r had , t o borro w th e word s o f he r frien d an d adviser Spence r Curti s Brown , se t hersel f "th e technica l puzzl e o f writing a boo k 'externally.' " Wherea s Bowe n continue d t o express a n "uncharacteristi c uncertainty " abou t th e result s o f he r stylistic experiment s wit h regar d t o The Little Girls (1964) , sh e appears t o hav e foun d he r las t attemp t a t technica l innovatio n a "complete fulfilment." 12 I t ma y wel l b e tha t i t i s precisel y th e unnerving effec t o f thi s technique , Bowen' s decisio n t o "forg o th e controlled, elaborat e commentar y an d th e sharp , minut e inwar d presentation o f character," 13 tha t account s fo r th e sens e o f unease th e nove l creates , a s reflecte d i n suc h negativ e evaluation s as Lee' s an d Craig's . Bowen' s choic e fo r externa l narratio n i s no t an artisti c flaw o r a sig n o f despai r s o muc h a s a consciou s subversion o f th e ideolog y o f narrativ e itself .

Subtexts of Psychosexuality i

n

As Lennar d J . Davi s ha s argued , th e nove l generall y depend s on th e myt h o f realit y o f it s characters . Th e fundamenta l difference betwee n character s an d huma n being s i s tha t th e former exis t fo r a particula r purpos e withi n a create d discursiv e structure wherea s th e latte r d o "no t requir e a tex t t o exist." 14 The wa y i n whic h huma n being s ca n b e know n o r remai n a mystery differ s fundamentall y fro m th e way s i n whic h character s can b e (un)known . Huma n personalit y i s complex , mysterious , and i n th e final instanc e unknowable , an d wha t i s more , i t i s without purpose . Th e novel , i n it s capacit y t o offe r th e possibilit y of shape , ca n provid e a bridg e t o overcom e th e reader' s sens e o f alienation b y creatin g "illusion s o f complet e personalities " wit h which w e ca n identify. 15 Fiction , Davi s argues , serve s t o rationalize th e incomprehensibilit y o f huma n subjectivity . Th e character o f Ev a Trout , "inexplicabl y large , an d largel y unexplained," 16 defie s th e reader' s desir e fo r identificatio n and , since psychologica l identificatio n i s a necessar y par t i n th e process o f subjec t formation , criticall y affect s u s i n ou r ow n sense o f self . Insofa r a s identit y formatio n i s a n ideologica l process i n whic h novelisti c discours e i s structurall y inscribed , a character a s bafflin g a s Ev a Trou t no t onl y expose s th e impossibility o f knowin g eithe r onesel f o r an y othe r huma n being; i t als o undermine s th e ideologica l econom y o f classi c realism a s such . In additio n t o denyin g th e reade r th e reassurin g illusio n o f complete an d knowabl e personalit y i n term s o f characterization , the ambivalen t narrativ e voic e i n ET, which , a s Le e remarks , "seems a s muc h inten t o n obscurin g character s an d event s a s o n establishing them, " create s a furthe r disturbin g effect. 17 I n traditional realis t fiction, th e narrato r i s th e characte r wit h who m readers identif y mos t strongly. 18 Th e narrativ e voic e i s conventionally accorde d a hig h leve l o f authorit y an d a positio n of relativ e independenc e i n relatio n t o th e materia l organize d in /

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by th e text . Th e reader' s desir e i s primaril y directe d a t thi s position o f superiority , a t wha t Bowe n calle d th e writer' s "overlordship." 19 Th e narrator' s discursiv e power/knowledg e i s willingly submitte d t o b y th e readin g subject , fo r i t present s u s with th e illusio n o f contro l tha t i s b y definitio n lackin g i n ou r "real" lives . Th e reade r o f ET, however , i s denie d th e possibilit y of sharin g a n authoria l narrator' s knowledg e an d th e concurren t position o f powe r tha t s/h e desires . Moreover , a s Curti s Brow n points out , i n ET Bowe n n o longe r show s "character s reactin g t o a situation " bu t a "characte r creatin g th e situation s herself." 20 Since th e narrativ e voic e doe s no t assum e th e customar y measur e of contro l ove r he r awesom e protagonist , th e join t effect s o f th e narrative's doubl y subversiv e strategie s ca n onl y produc e a profound sens e o f alienatio n an d uneas e i n th e reader . Wha t i s more, th e leve l a t whic h thes e dislocation s essentiall y obtai n i s that o f psychosexuality . Thes e reflection s rende r an y vehementl y negative reaction s t o ET unsurprising . Bowen's deviation s fro m he r accustome d stylisti c practice s ar e neither expression s o f "dissatisfactio n wit h out-date d formulae " nor illustration s o f he r "lat e malaise" 11 The y are , rather , intrinsically entwine d wit h th e question s sh e se t ou t t o explor e i n her las t novel . In thi s context , i t i s importan t t o bea r i n min d the significanc e o f a writer' s sociohistorica l situation , whic h t o a considerable exten t determine s bot h th e proces s an d th e produc t of her/hi s creativ e activities . ET wa s writte n i n Hyth e o n th e Kent coast , i n th e littl e hous e Bowe n ha d bough t afte r th e enforced sal e o f Bowen' s Court , th e Iris h famil y hom e tha t she — as th e first femal e hei r i n a lon g lin e o f mal e predecessors—ha d inherited afte r he r father' s death . Th e author' s ingraine d sens e o f exile ca n onl y hav e bee n deepene d b y thi s ultimat e dislocation , which doubtles s goe s som e wa y t o accoun t fo r th e fragmente d structure o f wha t prove d t o b e he r final narrativ e text . Wit h a protagonist wh o expresse s hersel f "lik e a displace d person, " whose homelessnes s compel s he r t o endles s wandering s aroun d

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the world , ET unmistakabl y reflect s th e author' s ow n sens e o f displacement. Bu t Kent , an d th e Englis h coas t generally , ha d als o been th e scen e o f Bowen' s earl y youth , makin g u p th e landscap e she ha d share d wit h he r mothe r durin g th e las t five year s o f Florence Bowen' s life . I f th e author' s conclusiv e deracinatio n from he r nativ e Irelan d therefor e represent s th e culminatin g stag e in a lifelon g experienc e o f rootlessness , i t als o constitute d a brea k with he r paterna l pas t tha t enable d Bowe n t o g o bac k t o a n earlier par t o f herself , t o a pas t permeate d wit h th e (repressed ) memory o f he r mother. 22 Twent y year s befor e sh e finally move d to Hythe , Bowe n ha d writte n t o Charle s Ritchi e (t o whom , incidentally, sh e dedicate d ET): " I suppos e I lik e Hyth e ou t o f a back-to-the-wombishness, havin g bee n ther e a s a chil d i n th e most amusin g year s o f one' s childhood— 8 t o 13 . Bu t I can' t se e what's wron g wit h th e wom b i f one' s happ y there , o r comparatively happ y there." 2 3 Th e hous e sh e eventuall y bough t was calle d "Wayside, " bu t sh e rename d i t "Carbery " afte r th e long-lost propert y o f he r mother' s family . Towar d th e en d o f he r life, Bowe n apparentl y fel t a n urg e t o retur n t o he r materna l past, whic h give s ET a n underlyin g sens e o f "back-to-th e wombishness." A s a n exploratio n o f origins , th e novel' s cultural ideological contex t acquire s marke d significance . Insofar a s ET allow s u s t o discer n aspect s o f th e author' s search fo r he r life' s startin g point/meaning , i t i s als o a n investigation o f th e productio n o f meanin g itself . Bowe n wrot e the nove l i n he r lat e sixties , whe n th e ide a o f authorshi p n o longer hel d th e magica l promis e o f he r childhood , tha t is , th e prospect o f acquirin g th e autonom y an d contro l sh e i n thos e years associate d wit h adul t subjectivity . Wha t lingerin g fait h i n the constructiv e potentia l o f languag e remaine d whil e sh e wa s writing HD i n th e lat e 1940 s wa s severel y undermine d b y th e very subjec t matte r o f thi s novel , Worl d Wa r I I an d it s dislocations. Wha t i s more , whe n sh e wa s workin g o n ET, th e epistemological crisi s markin g th e middl e o f th e twentiet h

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century wa s alread y wel l unde r way . Thi s wa s a perio d i n whic h the concep t o f th e "transcendenta l cogito " a t th e hear t o f positivist philosoph y an d libera l humanis m ha d com e increasingly unde r attack . (Post)structuralis t though t ha d incontrovertibly show n th e radicall y decentere d natur e o f subjectivity, whil e th e critiqu e o f ideolog y ha d full y expose d th e pivotal rol e o f discours e i n th e constructio n o f th e multipl e meanings o f sel f an d world . Surel y a self-consciou s write r lik e Bowen, whos e appreciatio n o f th e constitutiv e functio n o f language ha d alway s bee n acute , mus t hav e bee n deepl y affecte d by th e implication s o f th e theorization s engendere d by/i n suc h cultural conditions . Instea d o f "incorporating ] th e ide a o f a future withou t an y verba l 'style ' a t all, " a s Le e woul d hav e it, 24 Bowen's las t tw o novel s an d thei r thematicall y inscribe d stylisti c features testif y t o he r profoun d awarenes s o f th e epistemologica l climate b y whic h bot h sh e an d he r ar t wer e produced . Th e structural decenterednes s o f ET therefor e place s th e tex t squarel y in a postmoder n sociocultura l contex t whil e simultaneousl y attesting t o th e author' s undiminishe d abilit y t o respon d t o th e changing condition s o f he r times . Markin g th e shiftin g configuration o f wha t sh e regarde d a s he r "uniqu e susceptibilit y to experience, " th e nove l underscore s wha t he r frien d Eudor a Welty declare d afte r th e author' s death : "[Bowen ] wa s a prim e responder t o thi s world." 2 5 At thi s poin t I shoul d qualif y som e o f m y foregoin g comment s concerning th e novel' s structur e an d style . B y takin g earlie r critical appreciation s a s m y startin g point , I ma y hav e inadvertently reinforce d rathe r tha n redresse d wha t I conside r to b e a seriou s critica l oversight . Althoug h i t ca n justifiabl y be maintaine d tha t ET i s a fa r mor e loosel y narrate d nove l than eithe r LS o r HD, ther e is , i n thi s respect , a notabl e differ ence betwee n th e tw o section s int o whic h th e tex t fall s apart. 26 Ostensibl y merel y stylisti c i n nature , th e discursiv e dis tinctions betwee n part s i an d 2 i n fac t reflec t a thematicall y

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significant divisio n tha t i s reinforce d b y th e narrative' s twofol d structure. Part 1 , wit h th e heavil y allusiv e titl e "Genesis, " consist s o f twelve fairl y shor t chapters . Presentin g a variet y o f scene s depicted i n a n impressionisti c manner , thes e sketche s communicate a somewha t nebulous , eve n surrea l atmosphere . Bowen's stoc k techniques—broke n syntacti c patterns , half sentences, unusua l sentenc e structures , an d s o on—ar e prominently i n evidence . Th e chronologica l orde r o f narrativ e events i s frequentl y disrupte d b y flashbacks an d reminiscences . The errati c third-perso n narrativ e perspectiv e a t severa l point s gives wa y t o diar y entrance s an d letters . Characte r developmen t occurs, i n additio n t o patch y dialogue , mainl y throug h othe r characters' observation s an d thei r response s t o on e another , an d by wa y o f externa l description . Th e rar e occasion s whe n w e d o share th e protagonist' s thought s ar e marke d of f i n th e textua l surface b y appearin g full y italicized . Th e matter-of-fac t titl e o f part 2 , "Eigh t Year s Later, " a t onc e indicate s a movemen t awa y from th e vaguel y mythica l an d epi c plan e evoke d b y tha t o f par t 1, a narrowin g dow n t o th e ordinar y worl d o f everyda y "reality " and linea r histor y tha t form s th e characteristi c chronotop e o f traditional novelisti c discourse . Althoug h roughl y equa l i n lengt h to th e first , th e secon d hal f o f th e tex t cohere s int o fou r longis h chapters i n whic h th e stor y unfold s mor e o r les s i n chronologica l order. Here , too , th e narrativ e perspectiv e i s ofte n substitute d b y the characters ' correspondence . Instea d o f disruptin g th e stor y line, however , thes e epistle s serv e t o strin g plo t an d actio n mor e tightly together . Od d syntacti c pattern s an d obscur e dialogue s d o occur, bu t fa r les s frequentl y an d les s obtrusivel y tha n i n par t 1 . The resultin g shif t i n moo d i s adequatel y reflecte d i n th e respective openin g passages : "This i s where we were to hav e spen t th e honeymoon," Ev a Trout said , suddenly, pointing across the water. She had pulled u p the car on a grass

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track running along the edge of a small lake. She switched off the engine— evidently, they were to gaze at the castle for some time, ( n ) Eight years later, Eva and her little boy, Jeremy, boarded a Pan-American Boeing 707 at O'Hare Airport, Chicago. Destination: London. (147) The differenc e betwee n thes e sequence s i n term s o f contextua l information i s striking . Th e nove l open s wit h a scen e i n which , in additio n t o th e protagonist , severa l unidentifie d character s ar e suggested t o b e present . Th e question s o f wher e th e scen e occur s and wh y thes e figure s ar e presen t ar e apparentl y a s unclea r t o th e characters a s the y ar e t o th e reader . Th e secon d passage , i n con trast, doe s not plung e u s into th e middle o f a scene but provides u s with exhaustiv e factua l informatio n i n th e manne r o f a newspape r report. Th e concisenes s o f th e messag e an d th e somewha t peremp tory tone in which i t is conveyed render the sequence almost "unlit erary" i n quality . The stylisti c discrepanc y betwee n th e novel' s tw o part s first o f all underline s th e contras t betwee n th e "productive " a s distinc t from th e "reflective " functio n o f language . We furthe r not e that i n the first passag e i t i s protagonis t Ev a wh o speak s th e openin g words, whil e i n th e secon d i t i s th e narrato r wh o assume s th e position o f speakin g subject . Thi s signal s th e cru x upo n whic h the distinctio n betwee n th e tw o section s hinges . Th e reaso n wh y the secon d hal f o f ET appear s mor e "narrative " i n characte r than th e first basicall y lie s i n th e shiftin g positio n o f th e narrator . As the difference underlyin g al l surface distinctions , it is the autho rial narrativ e voic e i n it s relativ e absenc e fro m th e first an d em phatic presenc e i n th e secon d par t o f th e nove l tha t produce s th e textual divergenc e markin g th e novel' s overal l structure . Wha t i s more, th e positio n o f power/knowledg e tha t th e narrato r assume s in par t 2 entail s a marke d deviatio n fro m th e novel' s repute d "external" metho d o f narration . Th e narrato r hencefort h no t onl y describes bu t als o merge s wit h th e consciousnesse s o f he r charac ters s o a s t o allo w bot h hersel f an d th e reade r t o explor e thei r

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"inner landscapes." 27 A s a structural feature , thi s alteratio n i n th e narrator's rol e brings to the for e th e novel's majo r preoccupations : the questio n o f discursiv e power/knowledge , th e (in)adequac y o f phallogocentric languag e t o articulat e (female ) sexuality/subjectiv ity, an d th e constraint s impose d in/b y th e symboli c orde r o n th e "ex-centric" subject' s dialogi c productio n o f (her)self. 28 M y pur pose i n thi s an d th e followin g chapte r i s t o sho w an d discus s th e links betwee n thes e issue s an d th e novel' s underlyin g sens e o f "back-to-the-wombishness" or , t o pu t i t in mor e genera l terms , it s treatment o f th e plac e o f th e mother/daughte r relationshi p i n th e process o f (female ) subjectivit y pe r se , a s wel l a s i n relatio n t o nonnormative sexualities. 29 Originating Masterplots. A s one of the founding myth s of Wester n culture, the biblica l stor y o f origins , "Genesis," is primarily a stor y of loss . Th e first boo k o f th e Ol d Testamen t recount s th e los s o f Man's innocence , hi s expulsio n fro m paradis e a s a resul t o f Eve' s transgression o f th e Father' s Law . Whil e Ev e i s activel y culpabl e for th e fall fro m God' s grace, Adam is guilty mainly by implication . Eve, however , i s no t onl y th e instigato r o f loss , deprivin g bot h herself an d Ada m o f thei r Edeni c bliss ; sh e i s also , paradoxically , the agen t wh o set s huma n histor y goin g b y enterin g int o "carna l knowledge." A s prime sinne r and a s the motivatin g forc e o f (pro) creation, he r doubl e functio n i n th e tex t o f patriarch y i s thu s structurally inscribed : Woma n i s at onc e madonn a an d whore , th e bearer o f (Man's ) million s an d th e caus e o f hi s destruction . Th e masterplot o f Judeo-Christianity i s fundamentally Man' s story , th e history o f hi s suffering s springin g fro m thi s prima l los s a t th e hands o f Woman . The histor y o f th e worl d i s a stor y o f symboli c differentiation , and th e distinctio n underlyin g al l symbolization s i s (hetero)sexua l difference.30 Th e persistenc e wit h whic h th e text(s ) o f patriarch y reinscribe sexua l differenc e i n binar y terms , establishin g Ma n i n his role a s the superior/activ e principl e i n opposition t o th e passiv e

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inferiority definin g Woman, 31 serve s both t o retain th e latter i n he r function a s Othe r t o th e Sam e an d t o obscur e th e essentiall y dua l position o f th e femal e principl e pe r se . The parado x incorporate d by th e ur-mothe r o f differentiation , tha t is , Eve' s (pro)creativ e and he r destructiv e powers , for m interdependen t element s i n th e foundation o f phallocrac y and , b y extension , embod y th e contra diction b y which th e constitution o f the male subject i s ensured. As the "conditio n o f existence " fo r bot h cultur e an d masculinity , femininity an d th e femal e bod y represen t a n activ e forc e whos e power mus t b e containe d throug h thei r designatio n a s th e sit e o f negativity.32 Th e threa t pose d t o mal e positivit y b y th e Mother' s (pro)creative potentia l i s screene d b y th e phallogocentri c privileg ing o f Eve' s guilt y aspect , Woman' s displacemen t t o th e sit e o f the abject. 33 I t i s precisel y a s a locu s o f contradiction , th e "dar k continent" o f huma n (i.e. , male ) subjectivity/sexuality , tha t th e category o f Woma n i s perpetuate d in/b y a secon d majo r myt h underpinning contemporar y Wester n culture , (Freudian ) psycho analysis. The bridg e coverin g th e conceptua l ga p betwee n th e oedipa l plot o f psychoanalysis an d th e biblica l plo t o f creatio n i s the abjec t female (body) . Insofa r a s "th e feminine " ha s a plac e withi n thes e master discourse s a s a productive conditio n o f existence , it s role is exclusively passive , whethe r a s hol y virgin , mothe r nature , o r an y other o f th e receptiv e topo i o f everyda y Christia n lore , o r a s th e object o f masculin e desir e whos e lac k (o f th e phallus ) i s compen sated fo r b y a desir e (re)directe d a t it s attainabl e substitute , th e (male) child . I n additio n t o repressin g th e femal e aspec t a s a n active principl e i n th e proces s o f (symbolic ) creation , bot h dis courses obscure the fact tha t Ma n a s well as Woman wa s cast fro m the Garde n o f Eden , tha t is , tha t bot h sexe s suffe r th e alienatio n that th e Christia n myt h o f origin s seek s t o naturalize. 34 Freud' s Oedipus stor y i s als o a stor y o f loss , o f th e infant' s los s o f th e mother a s it s first lov e object , whic h i s partiall y redresse d b y th e promise o f futur e phalli c power—for th e oedipa l boy , tha t is . The

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Law impose d b y th e wrathfu l Go d o f th e Ol d Testamen t become s the paterna l prohibitio n o f incestuou s desire , th e disruptiv e pres ence o f th e thir d facto r whos e threa t o f castratio n break s u p th e mother/child dya d t o instat e th e famil y triangle . In Lacan' s reread ing o f Freud , th e La w o f th e Fathe r i s literall y identifie d a s th e child's initiatio n int o th e symboli c order , whic h constitute s him / her as a subjec t b y openin g u p his/he r unconsciou s a s represse d desire. In Lacan' s scheme , Woman , i n fact , doe s no t exist , excep t as th e absolut e othe r i n phallogocentri c representation . I t i s th e suppression o f th e Mothe r an d o f a n activ e femal e sexualit y tha t allows phallogocentri c maste r narrative s t o establis h th e Fathe r i n his centra l positio n o f authority—whethe r i n th e for m o f God' s wrath i n the stor y o f Man' s fal l or , alternatively , a s the originatin g factor o f meanin g an d subjectivit y tha t bring s abou t th e infant' s primary spli t from th e mother . Since i n Wester n cultur e th e member s o f bot h sexe s ar e sub jected t o th e La w o f th e Father—indeed , sinc e heterosexual differ ence is a retroactive effec t o f its very operations—the biblica l myt h of creatio n necessaril y serve s a s a subtex t t o an y o f it s reinscrip tions, i n theoretica l a s muc h a s i n literar y texts . Bowe n emphati cally situates the story o f Eva Trout's "Genesis " within thi s specifi c cultural context . Bu t precisel y becaus e th e patriarcha l stor y o f origins hinge s o n th e structura l inscriptio n o f sexua l difference , a female author' s explici t interventio n i n th e maste r text(s ) signal s a revision rathe r tha n a reinscription. A s Madelon Sprengnethe r sug gests: Women writers ' version s o f th e Fal l ar e differen t fro m men' s i n tha t fo r women it is a mother/daughter story , and the Fall is portrayed in terms of the los s o f th e mother . Thi s shif t i s no t perhap s immediatel y apparen t because women rea d throug h th e Genesis story a s well as men, but these fictions hav e a different twist. 35 Discussing a numbe r o f contemporar y fictions o f femal e develop ment, Sprengnethe r show s that , a s "narrative s o f origin, " the y

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provide u s with a differen t perspectiv e o n th e fall . Centra l t o thes e alternative storie s o f los s is not th e famil y triangl e bu t th e mother / daughter relationship . In psychoanalyti c terms , i t i s thu s th e (los s of the) mother tha t inaugurates the process of female subjectivity — rather tha n th e intrusiv e Father . Ev e i s henc e reinstalle d i n he r active rol e i n th e stor y o f creation . A s "riva l fictions " t o th e mas terplots, thes e narrative s "challeng e som e o f ou r mos t cherishe d stories o f cultura l an d persona l development , callin g int o questio n some of th e ways in which woman ha s been represented i n psychoanalytic theory a s well as literature." 36 In th e ligh t o f suc h considerations , ET acquire s a significanc e that ha s gon e largel y unnoticed . Whil e unmistakabl y announcin g itself a s a stor y o f origin s i n bot h o f th e sense s distinguishe d b y Sprengnether, th e nove l ha s no t bee n rea d a s such , an d on e o f th e reasons fo r thi s oversigh t ma y b e tha t writer s an d critic s alik e "read through " th e masterplot s o f patriarcha l culture . An d a s sh e goes o n t o poin t out , th e critica l effor t require d t o "discove r a n unexpected tex t in the guise of a familiar story , one that i s capable, in turn , o f alterin g ou r cultura l awarenes s . . . involve s a kin d o f inner displacemen t . . . a psychi c disengagemen t fro m th e biblica l master plo t tha t provide s a n aur a o f familiarit y an d fro m th e oedipal maste r plo t tha t sustain s it " (299) . Before makin g suc h a n effort, I wil l conduc t a shor t detou r alon g th e Freudia n oedipa l trajectory an d indicat e th e ver y differen t role s playe d b y th e mother i n the psychosexual developmen t o f subject s o f eithe r sex . Freud's Little Man. I n his lecture "Femininity" (1932) , Freud reca pitulates hi s earlie r wor k i n th e field o f femal e sexualit y an d psy chosexual differentiation. 37 Addressin g himsel f specificall y t o th e "riddle of femininity, " h e maintains that the task of psychoanalysi s is no t t o "describ e wha t a woma n is " bu t t o inquir e "ho w sh e comes int o being , ho w a woma n develop s ou t o f a chil d wit h a bisexual disposition " (149). 38 Earlier , Freu d ha d establishe d th e Oedipus comple x a s the first clearl y recognizabl e stag e i n a child' s

Subtexts of Psychosexuality 221 psychic development. 39 Durin g thi s "phalli c phase, " whe n h e ha s learned ho w t o deriv e pleasur e fro m hi s genitals , th e littl e boy' s libidinal energ y remain s investe d i n hi s primar y lov e object , th e mother. Place d i n a positio n o f rivalr y wit h th e father , h e experi ences th e positive for m o f th e complex , consistin g i n a "desir e fo r the deat h o f th e rival—th e paren t o f th e sam e sex—an d a sexua l desire for th e parent o f th e opposit e sex." 40 Th e recognition o f th e former's superio r phalli c powe r an d th e accompanyin g threa t o f castration (whic h gain s realit y valu e only upon th e discovery o f hi s mother's "lack" ) compe l th e littl e bo y t o tur n awa y fro m th e oedipal situation . H e subsequentl y identifie s wit h th e father' s posi tion o f authority , and , wit h th e prospec t o f hi s ow n futur e phalli c power, suspend s hi s desir e fo r th e mother/femal e objec t unti l it s fulfillment durin g matur e (hetero)sexuality . Althoug h th e boy' s Oedipus conflic t involve s a struggl e tha t i s no t full y resolve d unti l its reemergenc e an d th e formatio n o f a secondar y objec t durin g puberty, th e "normal " trajector y o f mal e sexua l developmen t i s relatively straightforwar d i n tha t bot h hi s erotogeni c zone—th e penis—and hi s origina l objec t ar e retaine d throughou t it s variou s stages. The centra l plac e o f th e threa t o f castratio n i n th e resolutio n o f the boy' s Oedipu s comple x a t onc e signal s th e mor e complicate d course o f th e littl e girl' s psychosexua l development. 41 Initially , he r trajectory run s mor e o r les s paralle l t o th e boy's : she , too , take s the mothe r a s he r origina l lov e objec t an d enter s th e phalli c phas e upon discoverin g th e erotogeni c pleasur e sh e ca n deriv e fro m th e sexual orga n tha t function s a s a "penis-equivalent, " he r clitoris . During th e phalli c phase , Freu d says , "th e littl e gir l i s a littl e man." 4 2 In orde r t o pas s throug h th e positive or , a s h e graduall y came to defin e it , the "norma l Oedipu s complex, " the little girl ha s to accomplis h tw o comple x tasks. 43 First , sh e ha s t o abando n he r primary lov e objec t an d redirec t he r desir e t o th e membe r o f th e opposite se x withi n th e famil y triangle , th e father . Secondly , th e vagina (a s the "trul y feminine " sexua l organ ) shoul d a t som e poin t

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substitute th e clitori s a s th e woman' s "leadin g erotogeni c zone. " Freud's questio n o f femal e sexualit y become s a questio n o f "femi ninity." Remarkably—considerin g hi s insistenc e o n sexualit y a s a constructed phenomenon—Freud , i n thi s context , return s t o th e anatomical basi s o f sexua l difference : "Ho w doe s [th e littl e girl ] pass fro m he r masculin e phas e t o th e feminin e on e t o whic h sh e is biologically destined?" 44 In hi s attempt s t o answe r thi s questio n Freud develope d severa l notion s tha t gav e ris e t o heate d discus sions amon g hi s the n fello w analysts . Sinc e th e reviva l o f feminis t interest i n hi s wor k i n th e mid-1970s, 45 thes e notion s hav e contin ued t o preoccup y psychoanalyti c an d critica l feminis t theorist s alike. In "Th e Dissolutio n o f th e Oedipu s Complex " (1924) , Freu d still assumed that , sinc e the threat o f castratio n doe s not operat e i n the cas e o f th e littl e girl , he r Oedipu s comple x i s no t s o muc h dissolved a s "graduall y give n up. " Onc e th e littl e gir l ha s assume d the feminine positio n i n the famil y triangle , the "accomplishe d fac t of he r castration " urge s her t o transfor m he r lac k o f th e penis int o a "desir e . . . t o receiv e a bab y fro m he r father, " a wis h tha t i s eventually abandone d becaus e i t i s neve r fulfilled . Th e tw o wishes—for a peni s an d fo r a child—remai n "strongl y cathecte d in th e unconscious, " thu s preparin g th e gir l fo r he r futur e rol e (321). Clinical evidenc e forced Freu d t o reconsider hi s ideas. As we have seen , wherea s i t i s th e threa t o f castratio n tha t compel s th e little boy t o exit the positive oedipa l situation , it is this same "fact " that force s th e littl e gir l t o ente r it . Whe n sh e discover s no t onl y her ow n bu t als o the mother's lac k o f a penis, the girl's love for he r turns int o hatred . A s wel l a s bein g hel d responsibl e fo r th e girl' s own castrate d condition—th e mortificatio n abou t he r highl y infe rior "penis-equivalent, " Freu d inform s us , actuall y cause s th e gir l to los e interes t i n he r ow n "phallic " pleasure—th e mothe r als o turns ou t no t t o b e wha t sh e wa s expecte d t o be : th e complete , "phallic mother." 46 Th e girl' s discover y o f he r mother' s "lack " allows he r t o dro p he r a s a lov e objec t an d t o (re)direc t he r desir e

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toward th e father . Precisel y th e tenacity , however , wit h whic h some o f hi s femal e patient s clun g t o thei r attachmen t t o th e fathe r led Freu d o n t o th e notio n o f wha t ha s becom e know n a s th e "masculinity complex, " tha t is , a n endurin g wis h i n th e gir l t o obtain a penis/be a man . Wha t h e discovere d i n thos e case s wher e a woman's affinit y wit h th e father wa s particularly arden t wa s tha t it usuall y ha d bee n precede d b y a "phas e o f exclusiv e attachmen t to th e mothe r whic h ha d bee n equall y intens e an d passionate. " Freud ha d t o acknowledg e tha t th e perio d o f th e girl' s attachmen t to he r first lov e objec t migh t i n fac t no t b e conclude d b y th e oedipal conflic t bu t migh t exten d int o an d wel l beyon d thi s phase : "We ha d t o recko n wit h th e possibilit y tha t a numbe r o f wome n remain arreste d i n thei r origina l attachmen t t o thei r mothe r an d never achiev e a tru e change-ove r toward s men. " In orde r t o pre serve the central place of his main discover y (th e Oedipus complex ) in th e developmen t o f eithe r sex , Freu d situate d th e littl e girl' s "masculine" phas e i n a spac e anterio r t o th e "norma l positiv e Oedipus complex, " a spac e h e designate d th e "negativ e complex " or, 47 alternatively , th e pre-Oedipus. 4S I t is this phase, a s the sit e of the girl' s exclusiv e attachmen t t o th e mothe r an d a s a n explicitl y active stag e in her libidina l development , tha t has become the focu s of recen t feminis t theorization . This , i n turn , provide s u s wit h a rewarding approac h t o ET. (Pre)oedipal Love

and the Symbolic Mother

Eva's Story: Take One. Th e openin g chapte r o f ET present s u s with th e heroine , age d twenty-four , i n a scen e o f he r ow n design . She ha s brough t a "carloa d o f passengers " t o gaz e a t a castle , a "Bavarian fantasy " whos e "sightless " facad e show s wit h "photographic distinctness " agains t th e Januar y Worcestershir e sky (11) . Th e "giantess, " a s Ev a i s referre d to , ha s take n th e Danceys, inhabitant s o f th e neighborin g vicarage , o n a n outin g t o her forme r schoo l (12) . Th e scen e a t onc e establishe s Ev a a s a

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true hei r t o th e Trouts ' "geniu s fo r unreality " (44 ) an d disclose s her wil l t o b e "th e patient , abidin g encirclin g wil l o f a monster " (92). Thi s enigmati c figure, whos e behavio r i s "monolithi c . . . not, somehow , th e attitud e o f a thinkin g person " (12) , i s stayin g as a payin g gues t wit h he r forme r teache r Iseul t Smith—no w Mrs. Arble—an d he r husband , Eric . Th e extende d visi t a t Larkins i s als o par t o f th e heroine' s ow n desig n (16) . "Motherless fro m th e cradle " (39) , Ev a has , afte r he r father' s recent death , bee n place d i n th e car e o f th e latter' s (male ) lover . Since th e "bi g heiress " i s no t t o com e int o Will y Trout' s fortun e till sh e ha s reache d th e ag e o f twenty-five , he r "wicke d guardian " Constantine Ormea u ha d bee n ver y please d whe n hi s charg e expressed a "wis h t o tak e u p residence " a t Larkins . Sinc e Constantine consider s a "Trou t . . . o f an y kin d . . . a liability " (38), th e Arble s evidentl y "solve d a problem " (16) . However , Constantine's foreboding s abou t wha t h e regard s a s Eva' s "dreadful gift, " he r "endles s capacit y fo r makin g trouble , attracting trouble , strewin g troubl e aroun d he r . . . beget[ting ] trouble," soo n appea r t o materializ e nonetheles s (44) . For reason s tha t wil l becom e clea r shortly , Ev a feel s betraye d by Iseul t an d inform s he r guardia n tha t sh e want s t o leav e th e Arbles—whose shak y marriag e ha s visibl y bee n pu t unde r pressure b y th e ex-pupil' s presence . Fearin g resistanc e fro m Iseult, Ev a secretl y arrange s fo r youn g Henr y Dancey , th e "topmost intelligen t one " o f th e vicar' s fou r children , t o sel l he r beloved Jagua r whil e sh e hersel f set s ou t fo r Broadstair s o n th e south coast . Afte r takin g u p residenc e i n a huge , baroqu e vill a called "Cathay, " Eva , wh o ha s lef t fairl y obviou s clue s a s t o he r whereabouts, i s successivel y calle d o n b y Eric , Constantine , an d Iseult, eac h o f who m sh e suspect s o f seekin g t o restor e hi s o r he r former powe r ove r her . A t th e en d o f th e ex-teacher' s visi t i n lat e summer, b y whic h tim e Ev a ha s com e int o th e possessio n o f he r fortune, th e "she-Cossack " announce s tha t sh e wil l b e "havin g a little child " b y nex t Christma s (121) .

Subtexts of Psychosexuality 225 Eva's flight fro m he r guardian s seem s temporaril y a t a n en d when, i n th e penultimat e chapte r o f par t 1 , entitle d "Interim, " we ar e face d wit h a lette r date d Octobe r 195 9 fro m a n unknow n American professo r wh o ha s apparentl y falle n i n lov e wit h th e "monstrous heiress " o n a plan e t o Ne w Yor k (63) . (Th e letter , which remain s "unclaimed, " i s followe d b y th e parenthetica l narrative commen t tha t i t wa s eventuall y returne d t o th e sender , who i s neve r agai n mentioned. ) In th e cours e o f th e precedin g chapters, w e hav e becom e familia r wit h Eva' s rathe r bizarr e history. Som e ligh t ha s als o bee n she d o n he r relation s wit h th e two character s figurin g centrall y i n it—Iseul t an d Constantine , both o f who m see m t o b e a s muc h baffle d b y th e errati c action s of thei r protege e a s the y ar e terrifie d b y he r elusiv e personality . Eva Trou t i s preeminentl y a n "ex-centric. " Sh e wa s bor n a s the onl y chil d o f th e popula r bu t astut e businessma n Will y Trou t and hi s prett y wife , Cissie . Th e former , a s hi s shrew d love r "unerringly sensed, " ha d i t "i n hi m t o deviate, " whil e th e latte r was perhap s "delightful " bu t certainl y "not normal " (17 , 41) . Two month s afte r Eva' s birth , Cissi e fled fro m he r husband' s "obsession" wit h Constantin e an d wa s "almos t a t onc e kille d i n a plan e crash " (18) . Will y Trou t die s equall y abruptly : twenty three year s later , hi s "inexhaustibl e capacit y t o suffer " end s i n suicide. Ev a ha s spen t th e greate r par t o f he r childhoo d "unde r the shadow " o f he r father' s "hate d love " fo r Constantine . A t various moment s th e tex t suggest s tha t sh e blame s he r "wicke d guardian" fo r bot h o f he r parents ' deaths . Th e "ambience " o f her childhoo d i s thu s on e i n whic h love , violence , an d deat h ar e inextricably linke d t o "abnormality " an d sex/ualit y (92)—Eva' s case histor y i s no t merel y a questio n o f "heredity, " a s Constantine suggest s (40) . The suppositio n tha t th e psychoanalyti c masterplo t i s on e o f the principa l subtext s underlyin g ET i s born e ou t b y th e narrator's positio n o f one-upmanshi p i n relatio n t o Iseul t s o fa r as th e analysi s o f Eva' s cas e histor y i s concerned . A fac t "littl e

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known" abou t Eva , w e ar e told , i s tha t sh e ha d alread y attende d a schoo l befor e sh e wa s sen t t o Lumleigh , wher e sh e me t he r "brilliant teacher" : "Eve n Iseul t (the n Smith ) had , durin g th e great research , uncovere d practicall y nothin g o n tha t subject — she ha d perhap s no t probe d deepl y enough? " (48) . Th e plac e where Ev a wa s "fo r th e first tim e . . . expose d t o he r ow n kind " had bee n a n experimenta l educationa l enterpris e funde d b y Will y in orde r t o ge t a frien d o f Constantine's—"inspirationa l Kennet h of th e uncloude d bro w an d Partheno n torso"—ou t o f th e way . A "mixe d school " a t th e lakesid e castl e wit h Kennet h a s headmaster ha d presente d itsel f a s th e solutio n t o wha t fo r Willy , "in th e throe s o f a jealous y aggravate d b y a chroni c mistrus t o f Constantine," wa s rapidl y becomin g a "nightmare " (48) . Ami d the "wealth y littl e delinquents " o f th e school' s assorte d population, Ev a ha d plainl y bee n a n outsider . Thi s ha d partl y been du e t o th e fac t tha t sh e wa s know n t o b e th e "donor' s daughter" (48) . Wha t primaril y mad e Ev a appea r a n alie n t o th e young "veterans, " however , ha d bee n he r ostensibl e sexlessness : "At fourtee n [she ] wa s showin g n o sign s o f puberty " (49) . Thi s would appea r t o indicat e tha t Ev a ha d no t com e unde r th e swa y of tha t particula r technolog y o f sex , th e discours e o f adolescence . We recal l tha t i t i s durin g thi s phas e i n th e "normal " trajector y of psychosexua l developmen t tha t th e earlie r "oedipa l stabilization o f subjectiv e identity " i s disrupte d b y th e reemergence o f represse d imaginar y material. 49 Eva , however , having bee n raise d withi n a n "inverted " famil y triangle , ha d no t been initiate d int o heterosexua l differenc e a t all , an d henc e ha d not acquire d an y sens e o f a recognizabl e sex/sel f t o begi n with . When on e o f he r fello w pupil s aske d her : " 'Trout , ar e yo u a hermaphrodite?' " sh e ha d merel y responded : " ' I don' t know ' " (51). Onl y now , i n he r confrontatio n wit h "juveniles— a specie s known t o he r s o fa r onl y i n park s i n th e distanc e o r hotel s fleetingly," Ev a bega n t o discove r (sexual ) differenc e (49) . The text gives us another unmistakabl e clu e about its conceptua l

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subtexts: on e of th e pranks o f Eva' s companion s ha d bee n to "[set ] up a n Oedipa l trap " fo r a teache r "b y arrangin g a n effig y o f hi s mother i n hi s bed " (51) . I n th e Freudia n framewor k thu s evoked , Eva had u p til l this time remained unawar e o f her own "castrated " condition. Sinc e th e preoedipa l absenc e o f th e mothe r an d th e exclusive compan y o f tw o mal e adults—whos e sexua l relation s virtually cance l out th e female element—preclude d he r fro m takin g up he r "proper " positio n withi n th e famil y triangle , sh e ha d no t been compelle d t o ente r th e oedipa l complex—negativ e o r posi tive. Becaus e subjectivit y ca n onl y com e int o being , first, b y th e primary spli t from th e mother durin g the mirror stage , and second , by th e repression o f th e desir e fo r th e "forbidden " femal e lov e object durin g th e oedipa l stage , she, accordingly, ha d no t acquire d any sens e o f self . Onc e sh e wa s place d i n a contex t wher e "mixedness . . . was the whole idea," the first stage of Eva's subjec tive process was se t in motion : As for he r comrades , sh e took the m wit h equanimity . Sh e was senio r t o any o f the m (i n actua l age ) b y a mont h o r two ; on e o f the m wa s talle r than she , the rest rather miniature : even the smallest seemed wondrousl y physically complete to Eva , who ha d bee n lef t unfinished. S o these were humans, and this was what it was like being amongst them? Nothing hurt. From being with them, she for the first time began to have some idea what it wa s t o b e herself ; bu t that di d no t hurt . (51 ; italics min e excep t fo r the last) In th e normativ e term s o f th e oedipa l trajectory , thi s stag e o f Eva's psychosexua l developmen t woul d see m t o equa l wha t Freu d defines a s "primar y narcissism, " a n intermediar y phas e betwee n autoerotism an d objec t love. 50 Th e phas e roughl y coincide s wit h the Lacania n mirro r stage , th e perio d durin g whic h th e chil d ac quires it s first (imaginary ) sens e o f identit y b y recognizin g it s ow n mirror imag e a s distinct fro m it s mother's. Onl y when thi s primar y split is followed b y a secondary one , that is , the constitutio n o f th e unconscious upo n th e child' s entr y int o th e symbolic , doe s s/h e come into existenc e a s a "full " subject. 51

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Fredric Jameson ha s stresse d th e inseparabilit y o f th e Lacania n Imaginary an d Symboli c order s whil e stil l maintainin g tha t i t i s possible t o conceptualiz e th e forme r a s " a kin d o f preverba l regis ter whos e logi c i s essentiall y visual." 52 Th e Imaginar y i s a "uniquely determinat e configuratio n o f space " tha t i s "no t ye t organized aroun d th e individuatio n o f [a ] persona l bod y . . . ye t which nonetheles s swarm s wit h bodie s an d form s intuite d i n a different way. " Th e visibilit y o f suc h object s i s "no t th e resul t o f an ac t of an y particular observer, " sinc e they "carr y thei r specular ity upo n themselve s lik e a colo r . . . o r th e textur e o f thei r sur face." 53 Thes e ar e wha t Melani e Klei n ha s calle d "part-objects, " primary object s (breast , feces ) whos e psychi c investmen t i s trans ferred t o a n endles s numbe r o f mor e indifferen t objects . I t i s th e uniquely huma n capacit y fo r imaginativ e transformatio n tha t allows fo r th e "affectiv e valorization " o f suc h inanimat e objects . In Lacan's words : It is normally by the possibilities of a game of imaginary transposition that the progressive valorization o f objects is achieved, on what is customarily known as the affective level , by a proliferation, a fan-like disposition of all the imaginatio n equation s whic h allo w th e huma n being , alon e i n th e animal realm , t o hav e a n almos t inifinit e numbe r o f object s a t hi s . . . disposition, objects isolated in their form. 54 Jameson emphasize s tha t i t i s th e "primac y o f th e huma n imago" in the mirror stag e that enable s suc h identificator y investment . Th e whole process depend s o n th e "possibilit y o f symboli c association s . . . o f a n inanimat e thin g wit h th e libidina l priorit y o f th e huma n body." Ther e i s a substantia l difference , however , i n th e relation ship between sel f an d othe r durin g the mirror stag e as compared t o the late r (Symbolic ) Self/Othe r distinction . I n th e Imaginar y ther e is a "kin d o f situationa l experienc e o f othernes s a s pur e relation ship," on e i n whic h bodie s "primaril y entertai n relationship s o f inside/outside wit h on e another, " a spatia l configuratio n i n whic h the "chil d ca n occup y eithe r ter m indifferently , o r indee d . . . bot h at once." 5 5

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Each o f th e element s inheren t i n th e Imaginar y proces s o f th e mirror stag e i s present i n Eva' s initia l experience s a t th e castle , th e first objec t wit h whic h sh e "fel l i n lov e . . . a t first sight " (52) . The "genesis " o f he r dawnin g sens e o f sel f i s cas t i n term s o f an awakening : This was the hour. Through the curtainless window day stole in, fingering its wa y slowly , a s thoug h blindly , fro m thin g t o thing . Redness , thoug h still lik e a watered ink , bega n t o retur n t o th e top blanket , unde r whic h lay outlined he r body . This redemption fro m darknes s was for Eva , who had witnessed i t nowhere else , a miracle inseparable fro m th e castle. Her bed had its back to the window, but a looking-glass faced it—in that, she could se e existence begin again. Seeing is believing: again, after th e night of los s an d estrangement , afte r th e maliciou s lyin g o f he r misleadin g dreams i n which sh e was no one , nowhere, sh e knew herself t o b e here. Here again was the castle, and she in it. (53) Another "part-object " ha d presente d itsel f i n th e guis e o f Eva' s eleven-year-old roommate , Elsinore . Thi s "fairy-lik e littl e near albino," whose "washed-ou t beaut y gav e her a n ai r of age, " would indirectly caus e th e castl e school—"Hom e fo r inflicte d chil dren"—to com e t o a n en d (52 , 53) . Sufferin g fro m "sensuou s desolation," Elsinor e ha d walke d int o th e lak e on e day , an d al though sh e ha d bee n pulle d ou t i n time , he r ensuin g illnes s adde d another scanda l t o th e alread y numerou s mishap s marrin g th e establishment's reputation . In th e absenc e o f a prope r sickroom , the girl , wh o ha d gon e fro m "convulsion s . . . int o coma, " ha d continued t o li e i n he r "sa d be d distan t onl y fro m Eva' s b y th e width o f th e window " (55) . Eva , wh o wa s tol d tha t "[she] mus t not touc h her, " ha d begu n he r silen t watc h ove r Elsinor e (55) . Rendered i n conspicuousl y ritualisti c terms , th e episod e acquire s the significanc e o f a n initiatio n ceremony . Th e "octagona l cham ber," wher e th e curtain s stan d ou t i n a "cabalisti c pattern " an d whose ceilin g form s a n "umbrella-shape d canop y o f shadows " virtually absorb s it s "two consentin g prisoners." "Locked-up " i n a place tha t "bega n i n a cardboar d wa y t o belon g t o history, " Eva ,

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at fourteen , ha d bee n graduall y enfolde d i n a for m o f lov e tha t evokes th e primordia l mother/chil d dya d i n whic h othernes s con sists in "pur e relationship" : What mad e Ev a visualiz e thi s a s a marriag e chamber ? A s it s climat e intensified, al l gre w tender . T o repos e a han d o n th e blanke t coverin g Elsinore wa s t o kno w i n th e pal m o f th e han d a primitiv e tremor — imagining the beating of that other heart, she had a passionately solicitous sense of thi s other presence . Nothing forba d love . This deathly yet living stillness, together, of two beings, this unapartness, came to be the requital of all longing. An endless feeling of destiny filled the room. (56) The "stillness " o f thi s scen e o f lov e suggest s it s Imaginar y o r pre Symbolic nature . Th e ambivalenc e o f th e archetypa l symbiosis — representing th e sourc e o f lif e and carryin g th e threa t o f en gulfment—that qualifie s Eva' s experienc e indicate s tha t suc h "un apartness" ha d t o com e t o a n en d i f th e proces s o f he r subjectivit y was t o continue . I t was , quit e appropriately , Elsinore' s "corrup t mother" wh o ha d accomplishe d thi s first spli t necessary t o inaugu rate th e subjectiv e process : wit h he r "coming-into-the-room " t o take he r daughte r away , "al l her e ended " (57). Th e ruptur e o f th e dyad, thi s ultimat e experienc e o f "otherness, " ha d forme d th e culmination o f Eva' s mirro r stage . I n Lacan , th e subject' s imagi nary identificatio n wit h it s reflectio n i n th e mirro r constitute s a loss of the "Real"—the undifferentiate d "sameness " with al l introjected objects—tha t effect s a fundamenta l los s o f sel f neve r t o b e restored. 56 Th e los s o f th e (real) objec t inflict s a "narcissisti c wound," callin g int o bein g th e defensiv e mechanis m o f disavowal , or Verleugnung. 57 Thi s aptl y characterize s Eva' s reactio n t o th e separation fro m Elsinore : "Fro m tha t instant , dow n cam e obliv ion—asbestos curtain " (57) . By situating th e subjec t withi n th e libidina l economy—institut ing the desir e fo r th e los t object—th e primar y spli t set s the subjec t on it s wa y t o th e secon d decisiv e momen t fo r th e constitutio n o f full subjectivity , th e entr y int o language . Thi s par t o f th e (Lacan ian) subject' s trajector y roughl y coincide s with the Freudian "phal -

Subtexts of Psychosexuality 231 lie stage," whe n th e gir l chil d desire s th e mothe r an d want s t o ge t rid o f th e father , a stag e alternatel y designate d a s the pre-Oedipus or th e negativ e Oedipu s complex . Th e implication s o f Freud' s deployment o f thes e distinc t term s are , contrar y t o wha t m y indis criminate us e o f the m ma y hav e suggested , i n fac t fa r reaching . I n her influentia l stud y o f th e femal e voic e i n psychoanalysi s an d film, The Acoustic Mirror (1988) , Kaj a Silverma n i n fac t take s th e alternation o f thes e term s a s a startin g poin t fo r wha t amount s t o an entir e recastin g o f th e oedipa l masterplot . Sh e point s ou t tha t Freud, in The Ego and the Id (1923) , still suggests that the "subjec t is generall y oblige d t o negotiat e hi s o r he r wa y betwee n tw o ver sions of th e Oedipu s complex , on e o f which i s culturally promote d and work s t o alig n th e subjec t smoothl y wit h heterosexualit y an d the dominan t value s o f th e symboli c order, " th e othe r o f whic h i s "culturally disavowe d an d organize s subjectivit y i n fundamentall y perverse an d homosexua l ways " (120) . Freud define s th e tw o ver sions her e a s th e positiv e an d th e negativ e Oedipu s complex , re spectively. In "Femininity " (1933) , th e term s "pre-Oedipus" "o r "preoedipal phase " hav e completel y supplante d th e notio n o f th e negative Oedipu s complex . Everythin g tha t customaril y precede s the girl' s attachmen t t o th e father , tha t is , her passionate desir e fo r the mother , ha s thu s bee n situate d withi n th e preoedipal o r Imagi nary order . Effectivel y exclude d fro m th e Symbolic , the preoedipa l mother ha s becom e a sit e o f celebratio n fo r (especiall y French ) feminists a s th e locu s o f a n essentia l "feminine " characterize d b y plurality, contiguity , an d simultaneity. 58 Silverman' s argument , i n contrast, hinge s upo n he r attemp t t o restor e th e girl' s first attach ment t o th e mothe r t o it s plac e within th e symboli c b y resituatin g the negative comple x withi n th e oedipal situatio n pe r se . Such a relocation o f th e girl' s affectiv e investmen t i n the mothe r requires a reconsideratio n o f Freud' s notio n o f "castration. " Julie t Mitchell ha s show n tha t Freud' s notio n o f th e castration complex marks the turning point in his understanding o f sexua l difference. 59 It i s th e threa t o f castratio n tha t conclude s th e (boy's ) Oedipu s

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complex an d tha t "institute s th e supereg o a s its representative an d as representativ e thereb y o f th e law. " Th e concep t o f castratio n "operates a s th e la w whereb y me n an d wome n assum e thei r hu manity an d . . . give s th e huma n meanin g o f th e distinctio n be tween th e sexes. " Castratio n henc e "embodie s th e la w whic h founds th e huma n orde r itself." 60 Th e "natura l categorie s o f sex " are therefor e culturall y produce d "reactio n formations, " effecte d within a s much a s to sustai n th e binar y fram e o f sexua l difference . Both femininit y an d masculinit y ar e marke d b y castratio n anxiet y for, a s Mitchel l correctl y emphasizes , Freu d insist s tha t th e girl' s recognition o f th e "fact " o f he r castratio n onl y acquire s signifi cance b y th e prohibition o f th e Law : onl y whe n th e fathe r step s i n to forbid th e girl's access to the mother's body , assuming a position of sol e possessio n fo r himself , doe s th e fac t tha t th e gir l lack s a penis becom e a sourc e o f los s an d mourning . I n othe r words , onl y within th e term s o f phallogocentris m doe s th e gir l experienc e he r own bod y a s lacking . Th e symbolic meanin g o f th e notio n thu s determines the subject's "normal " heterosexual objec t choice : "Fo r Freud, identificatio n wit h th e appropriat e paren t i s a result o f th e castration comple x whic h ha d alread y give n th e mar k o f sexua l distinction." 61 Including th e mothe r withi n th e oedipa l scenari o prope r sub stantially qualifie s th e concep t o f castration . In Freud , th e castra tion crisi s forces th e little boy to exi t the positive Oedipu s comple x whereas i t compel s th e littl e gir l t o ente r it . Thi s ma y wel l be , Silverman concedes , bu t th e mother' s resituatio n withi n th e "gen eral equation " implie s tha t castratio n become s th e "impetus " whereby th e gir l enter s "onl y int o th e positive Oedipu s complex , and no t th e Oedipu s comple x tout court." I t follow s that , sinc e castration undeniabl y ha s a n "inaugura l par t t o play " i n th e mal e subject's entr y int o th e positiv e a s wel l a s i n th e femal e subject' s entry int o th e negativ e complex , "i n bot h case s . . . desire fo r th e mother i s initiated onl y through symbolic castration." 62 Castratio n thus lead s no t merel y t o desir e bu t t o "desir e specificall y fo r th e

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mother." Th e subject' s entr y int o languag e entail s bot h th e los s of the origina l objec t an d th e traumati c separatio n fro m th e mother : "Accession t o languag e mark s no t onl y th e eclips e o f th e real , an d the child' s divisio n fro m th e mother , bu t th e inscriptio n o f th e Oedipus comple x fo r bot h bo y an d girl." 63 Th e locatio n o f th e secondary los s i n th e separatio n fro m th e oedipa l mothe r render s male an d femal e subject s equall y castrated . Th e femal e subjec t i s henceforth spli t betwee n tw o "irreconcilable " desires , sinc e he r desire for th e mother, o r anothe r femal e object , i s one that virtuall y falls outsid e the symbolic . Silverman frankl y acknowledge s tha t he r theoretica l paradig m "closes of f th e pre-Oedipal domai n bot h a s an aren a fo r resistanc e to th e symboli c an d a s a n eroti c refuge. " But , sh e argues , t o rele gate th e mother/daughte r bon d t o th e preoedipa l phas e i s to "sug gest that femal e sexualit y precedes language an d symboli c structur ation." The invaluable positive effect o f her analysi s of the negativ e Oedipus complex i s precisely that it "contextualizes [th e daughter' s passion fo r th e mother ] an d th e sexualit y i t implie s firmly withi n the symbolic. " Thi s make s i t possibl e t o "spea k fo r th e first tim e about a genuinel y oppositiona l desire—t o spea k abou t a desir e which challenge s dominance fro m withi n representatio n an d mean ing, rathe r tha n fro m th e plac e o f a mutel y resistan t biolog y o r sexual 'essence' " (123-24) . The negativity o f the negative Oedipu s complex arise s fro m it s opposition t o th e phallus , o r th e Law ; i t is not th e "trac e o f som e mor e primordia l unio n o f mothe r an d child." Th e "homosexual-maternal " o r negativ e face t o f femal e subjectivity/sexuality can , afte r all , only pose a threat t o the phalli c order b y challenging dominant meaning s fro m within , tha t is , only when th e "unconsciou s mother " o f feminis m i s recognize d fo r what sh e is: an oedipa l rathe r tha n a preoedipal figure. A central aspec t in Freud's notio n o f femininit y i s the concept of repression. Silverma n insist s o n maintainin g o r eve n maximizin g this dimensio n o f femininit y o n accoun t o f it s "enormou s . . . transformative potential " (149) . Fo r wha t ha s bee n represse d ha s

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in th e mai n bee n associate d wit h th e unconsciou s only : th e nega tive Oedipu s complex , whic h comprise s no t onl y th e desir e for bu t also th e identificatio n wit h th e mother . Freud' s concep t o f th e "phallic phase " i n th e littl e girl' s sexua l developmen t reinforce s his assumptio n o f th e opposition/reversa l schem e i n th e libidina l economy: "Desir e fo r on e paren t presuppose s identificatio n wit h the other. " Lesbia n sexualit y thu s alway s implie s masculine identi fication. Silverma n show s tha t severa l o f Freud' s ow n text s argu e "against th e necessar y divergenc e o f identificatio n an d desire. " From thes e inconsistencie s sh e infers tha t i t is possible t o "concep tualize . . . a period afte r th e girl' s separatio n fro m th e mothe r . . . but before th e onset of the positive Oedipus complex, during whic h her identit y i s forme d throug h th e incorporatio n o f th e mother' s imago" (152) , that is , as an (a s yet) nonlacking , phallic mother . At thi s poin t a notio n introduce d earlie r i n Silverman' s argu ment acquire s particula r significance . Coinin g a phrase , sh e use s the ter m "acousti c mirror " t o denot e th e infant' s earl y perceptio n of the mother's voice . We recall that durin g the Imaginary phase of the child' s developmen t i t know s n o boundarie s betwee n sel f an d other an d experience s incorporate d object s a s if they were parts o f her/himself. I n traditiona l familie s i n th e West , th e mother' s voic e is usuall y th e first t o demarcat e th e child' s auditor y universe . Th e perception o f th e mother' s voic e lead s t o introjection—i t i s hear d from inside . Thi s i s accounte d fo r b y th e doubl e organizatio n o f the auditory/soun d system : a soun d enunciate d i s als o heard . Th e child could thus be said to "hear itself initially through tha t voice— to first recogniz e itsel f i n the voca l mirro r supplie d b y the mother " (80). No t onl y i s th e mother' s fac e th e visua l mirro r i n whic h th e child learn s t o recogniz e itsel f bu t als o he r "voic e i s th e acousti c mirror i n whic h i t first hear s itself. " I t i s thi s "conjunctio n o f identification an d eroticism " tha t form s th e represse d elemen t o f femininity (150) . The essentia l rol e of th e mothe r i n defining th e child's sexuality / subjectivity entail s tha t th e littl e girl' s identificator y investmen t

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during the negative Oedipu s comple x i s primarily a n incorporatio n of activity . Th e equatio n o f femininit y an d passivit y i s a "conse quence onl y o f th e positiv e Oedipu s comple x an d th e cultura l discourses an d institution s tha t suppor t it " (153) . Onl y upo n he r entry int o th e positiv e Oedipu s comple x i s th e girl' s love d objec t devalued o r show n t o b e "lacking. " Whe n cultura l pressure s en force he r t o continu e t o identif y wit h lac k whil e a t th e sam e time t o displac e he r desir e ont o th e father , th e resul t inevitabl y i s melancholia. This , rathe r tha n hysteria , Silverma n contends , ap pears t o b e th e "nor m fo r th e femal e subject—tha t conditio n o f melancholia whic h blight s he r relationshi p wit h bot h hersel f an d her culture " (155) . Silverman's theoretica l paradig m bear s o n Ev a Trout' s stor y i n several ways . The tex t unequivocall y underscore s th e fundamenta l role playe d b y th e symboli c mothe r o r th e female/materna l voic e in th e infant' s psychosexua l development . A first , quit e startling , suggestion o f this is the fact tha t Eva, having been only two month s old whe n Cissi e departed , "maintain s sh e remember s hearin g he r mother shriek " (40) . This suggestion i s taken u p when Iseul t Smit h appears o n th e oedipa l stag e to become , in her functio n o f "acous tic mirror," th e focu s o f Eva' s desire . Eva's Story: Take Two. Sinc e nobod y tell s her , Ev a ha d neve r learned whethe r Elsinor e ha d live d o r died , an d "no t told , sh e became unable to ask" (57) . After th e castle school had bee n close d down, sh e ha d bee n take n b y he r fathe r an d Constantin e o n thei r "global busines s trips." At the end of two years of traveling—fro m Mexico t o th e Fa r East , fro m Hon g Kon g t o Sa n Francisco , Ne w York, an d Hamburg—Ev a ha d informe d Will y tha t sh e "shoul d like to learn " an d want s t o g o to a n "Englis h boardin g school : on e for girls " (57) . Thus, a t almos t sixteen , Eva ha d entere d Lumleigh . She ha d a t onc e exhibite d al l th e sign s o f th e driv e fo r knowledg e linked b y Freu d t o a n earl y stag e i n infantil e sexuality , th e so called ana l phase , whic h i s determined b y sadomasochis m an d th e

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infant's sexua l curiosity . "A n ambiguou s force, " say s Tori l Moi , recapitulating Freud' s scattere d statement s o n "epistemophilia, " the "driv e fo r master y signal s th e child' s nee d t o dominat e itsel f and it s world." 6 4 Bot h th e intensit y o f th e driv e an d it s ambiguit y are readil y apparen t fro m Eva' s behavio r an d th e reaction s i t ha d evoked: "Eva' s attentio n di d no t wande r onc e a lesso n began : steadily, earnestly , emphatically , an d s o searchingl y a s t o appea r reproachful, i t remained focuse d o n whicheve r o f th e teachers hel d the floor. Som e o f the m foun d i t mesmeric . Mis s Smit h di d not " (58). At this equivocal stag e in her psychosexual development , Ev a had me t the woman wh o woul d b e of paramount importanc e t o it s subsequent progress . Sinc e the whol e o f th e heroine' s earl y histor y is reveale d i n flashbacks, befor e w e actuall y witnes s thi s first en counter betwee n Ev a an d Mis s Smith , w e hav e alread y becom e familiar wit h th e latter's recollecte d versio n o f the critical episode . In a n earl y chapter , entitle d "M r an d Mr s Arble, " Iseul t i s introduced a s a "highl y intelligen t person , youn g still , o f pleasin g appearance an d goo d character , a s t o who m ther e existe d bu t on e mystery: wh y ha d sh e thrown hersel f away ? (Sh e apparently had) " (16-17). Throughou t th e chapter , th e narrativ e voic e behave s un predictably: ostensibl y delivere d a s "facts, " wha t w e lear n abou t Iseult's relation s wit h he r ex-pupi l graduall y emerge s a s the forme r teacher's ow n retrospectiv e accoun t o f affairs . Havin g mad e a n "abiding impression " o n Eva , wh o ha d "neve r los t touc h wit h her," Iseul t "seeme d destine d t o hav e Eva—destined , sh e some times wondered , neve r t o los e her ? Everythin g ha d indicate d Iseult." Throug h suc h shiftin g focalization—th e narrato r almos t imperceptibly movin g in and out of the character's consciousness — the tex t succeed s i n revealin g Iseult' s pivota l functio n i n Eva' s "Genesis" whil e simultaneousl y disclosin g th e olde r woman' s pro pensity fo r repressio n an d rationalization : Iseult Smith had gone out of her way to establish confidence, for her own reasons—she proposed t o tackle Eva's manner of speaking. What caused the girl to express herself lik e a displaced person? The explanation—tha t

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from infanc y onwar d Ev a had had a s attendants displace d persons, those at a price bein g the most obtainable , to whose society she' d bee n largely consigned—for som e reason neve r appeared: to o simple, perhaps? Muc h went into the effort t o induce flexibility. But Miss Smith had come too late on th e scene ; sh e ha d ha d t o giv e up . Ev a b y the n wa s sixteen : he r outlandish, cement-lik e conversationa l styl e had set . Moreover—the dis couraging fact emerged—i t wa s more than sufficient fo r Eva' s needs. She had nothing to say that could not be said, adequately, the way she said it. What di d resul t fro m th e session s was , o n th e girl' s side , aw e fo r th e dazzling teacher ; also , Ev a wa s lef t i n a daz e o f gratitude . Til l Iseul t came, no human bein g had ever turned upon Eva their full attention—a n attention which could seem to be love. Eva knew nothing of love but that it existed—that, she should know, having looked on at it. (17) Although Iseult' s "ow n reasons " are never exactly defined , th e tex t suggests tha t he r nee d t o "giv e up " o n Ev a ha d sprun g no t fro m her pupil' s dull-wittednes s s o muc h a s fro m th e forc e o f th e girl' s passionate attachmen t t o her , o r rather , fro m th e teacher' s ow n reciprocal feelings . Behin d th e placi d surfac e o f "Mis s Smith , a s she the n was " ha d lai n th e powerfu l sexua l driv e tha t sh e ha d sought t o sublimat e throug h intellectua l activity : Supremacy se t apar t thi s wonderfu l teacher . Sh e could hav e taugh t any thing. Her dark sui t might have been the habit of an Order. Erect against a window o f tossin g branches sh e stood moveless , but fo r th e occasional gesture o f han d t o forehead—then , th e bringin g o f th e finger-tips to th e brain seeme d t o complet e a n electri c circuit . Throughou t a lesson , he r voice held a reined-in excitement—imparting knowledge, she conveyed its elatingness. Th e intellectua l beaut y o f he r sentence s wa s informe d b y a glow; word s sh e spok e sounde d new-minted , unhear d before . Wit h he r patient, sometimes ironic insistence upon fact, as fact, went what could be called her opposite capacity—that o f releasing ideas, or speculation, int o unbounded flight. (58 ) Caught withi n a cultural schem e in which th e desire for knowledg e is effectivel y spli t of f fro m it s bodil y inscriptio n b y bein g se t u p in extrapolatio n fro m heterosexua l difference , Iseult' s talen t fo r rational though t (o r he r "masculine " aspect ) ha d eventuall y bee n curtailed b y her equall y stron g "opposit e capacity. " While capabl e

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of restrainin g he r "feminine " bodil y desir e whe n confronte d wit h Eva's emergin g "life-lon g devotion " (17) , i n th e en d i t ha d bee n the "cerebra l youn g woman' s firs t physica l passion " tha t ha d in duced he r t o abando n a "sta r caree r fo r a n obscur e marriage " (18). I n patriarch y th e masculin e min d an d th e feminin e bod y ar e mutually exclusive . My readin g o f th e teacher/pupi l relationshi p i n term s o f lov e and sexua l desir e i s based o n th e centra l plac e o f languag e i n thei r interaction. Fro m th e perspective o f Silverman' s recas t oedipa l sce nario, Ev a ha d bee n abou t t o ente r th e negativ e Oedipu s complex . Since i t i s onl y i n th e positiv e comple x tha t th e gir l i s force d t o appreciate Woma n a s lacking , Iseul t ha d embodie d fo r Ev a th e still-complete, "phallic " lov e object . Th e teacher' s manifes t intel lectual power s ha d establishe d he r i n th e positio n o f th e activ e symbolic mother whos e voice functions a s the "acousti c mirror" i n which th e chil d recognize s herself . Th e tex t thu s prefigure s an d underscores Silverman' s subversio n o f th e Lacania n masterplot — in whic h i t is not th e mothe r bu t th e Fathe r wh o play s the decisiv e role i n th e child' s initiatio n int o th e symboli c order . Eve n i f Mis s Smith hersel f migh t appea r t o conside r suc h a centra l positio n fo r the femal e voic e a (feminist ) Utopia—sh e ha d remarke d upo n seeing he r ow n an d Eva' s shadow s cas t ahea d o f them : "'Yes , we're lik e comin g events!' " ($9) —we hav e see n tha t th e notio n o f the symboli c mothe r principall y implie s a reconceptualizatio n o f the existin g stat e o f affair s i n Western culture . It had thu s falle n t o Miss Smit h t o tak e Eva , "unabl e t o speak—talk , b e understood , converse" (63) , into the realm o f language . She had accordingl y se t out t o teac h he r pupi l to think : " T r y joinin g things together: this , then that , the n th e other . That's thinking ; a t least , that's beginnin g to think' " (62) . Iseult i s explicitl y presente d a s th e agen t precipitatin g Eva' s coming t o (self-)consciousness . Th e gir l ha d firs t responde d t o this gif t o f hersel f wit h incredulity , the n b y fallin g i n lov e wit h her teacher :

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Slowly credulity overtoo k her . Then, through on e after anothe r midsum mer night, daylight never quite gone from th e firmament, cubicl e curtains round he r like white pillars, she was kept amazed an d awake by joy. She saw (sh e thought) th e auror a borealis . Love like a great mot h circle d her bed, then settled. (63) From th e "firs t manifestation, " takin g "plac e a t five te n i n th e evening," Iseult had bee n vaguel y awar e o f th e nature o f th e seem ingly "occul t pact " int o whic h sh e an d Ev a ha d entered : "O f Ev a she was t o ponder, later : 'Sh e di d no t kno w wha t I was doing ; bu t did I?'"(61) . Ev a ha d notabl y suffere d unde r he r subjectio n t o th e law o f desir e an d whe n Mis s Smit h ha d notice d he r pupil' s "loo k of subjection , bewilderment , fatalism, " sh e ha d responsibl y de clared tha t the y "mustn' t exhaus t on e another. " Still , i n repl y t o Eva's half-hearte d apology , th e teache r ha d admitte d tha t sh e wa s not "really " sorr y either , thoug h consciou s o f th e implications : "Miss Smit h leane d back , considere d wha t sh e ha d said , bu t di d not emen d it " (64) . Despite her passio n fo r Mis s Smith, Eva had bee n an d remaine d wary o f th e symboli c orde r int o whic h sh e wa s bein g initiated . When Iseul t ha d urge d he r t o "think, " sh e ha d questione d th e purpose o f suc h efforts : Eva fitted her knuckles together. She frowned a t them. "Then, what?" "Then you go on." "Till when?" "Till you've arrived at something. Or found somethin g out, or shed some light on something. Or come to some conclusion, rightly or wrongly. And then what?—then you begin again." "Why, however?" Eva asked, not unreasonably. Miss Smit h whirle d he r fingers over he r forehead : a parod y o f despair ingness. She laughed aloud, an abandon which was endearing. "Honestly, how can I tell you? It's what is done, Eva. Try—" (62) In additio n t o disclosin g th e precis e natur e o f Iseult' s project , th e sequence adequatel y illustrate s th e (Derridean ) concep t o f dis course a s a n endles s proces s o f differentiatio n an d deferral . A s

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such, i t expose s th e precariou s foundation s o f Wester n metaphys ics, which , i n Silverman' s words , "locate s th e subjec t o f speec h i n the sam e ontologica l spac e a s th e speakin g subject " i n orde r t o create th e "illusio n o f self-presence." 65 Lacan , i n contrast , empha sizes tha t "speec h produce s absence , no t presence. " Since , Sil verman advances , th e symboli c orde r ca n neve r b e anythin g tha n "Other," th e "discoursin g voic e i s th e agen t o f symboli c castra tion." Th e ambiguit y o f th e voic e thu s originate s i n it s enablin g function: whil e creatin g th e illusio n o f th e subject' s self-presence , it i n effec t signal s th e irretrievabl e los s o f th e first object . In othe r words, the subjec t ca n com e into bein g only insofar a s the object i s lost. Th e voic e i s hence th e "sit e o f divisio n betwee n meanin g an d materiality," situate d i n the "partitio n betwee n the biological bod y and th e bod y o f language , or . . . the social body." 6 6 Miss Smith , i n he r paradoxica l positio n o f female subjec t o f power/knowledge, ha d seeme d a s yet untouche d b y the experienc e of "carna l knowledge. " In her zealou s intellectuality , he r "unfemi nine" celibacy, sh e had bee n al l spirit/mind, untainte d b y the mate riality o f th e (female ) body : i n he r roo m a t Lumleigh , "littl e be trayed th e fac t tha t anybod y inhabited " it . Indeed , "somethin g disembodied" th e teacher , s o tha t "neithe r the n no r late r di d Ev a look upo n he r a s beautifu l o r i n an y othe r wa y cla d i n physica l being" (64 , 61) . Later , Iseul t ha d com e t o loo k upo n hersel f a s someone "soiled " b y "havin g live d a thousan d live s . . . throug h books . . . internally" (93) . While a t that point acknowledgin g tha t any ide a o f onesel f i s "inconceivable " (91) , sh e ha d been , a t th e time when he r "noli-me-tangere" ha d actuall y bee n unneeded , stil l under th e illusion o f self-presenc e produce d by/i n language : In fact, a t that time, that particular spring at Lumleigh, the young teacher was in a state of grace, of illumined innocence, that went with the realization o f he r powers . The y transcended her ; the y filled her wit h aw e an d wonder, an d th e aw e an d wonde r gav e her a kind o f purity . . . . About Iseult Smith, up to the time she encountered Ev a and, though discontinu -

Subtexts of Psychosexuality 241 ously, for som e time after, ther e was something of Nature before the Fall. (61; italics mine) The sequence implie s that i t had bee n (he r desire for) Ev a who/tha t had urge d Iseul t to get on with th e "business " of life , that is , losing one's "innocence. " B y evokin g th e novel' s secon d majo r subtext , the biblical stor y o f creation , th e passage furthermor e suggest s tha t it ha d als o bee n Eva , no t ye t "soiled " b y language , wh o ha d brought t o bea r upo n Iseul t th e delusiv e natur e o f he r sens e o f self-presence. Since a femal e author' s revisio n o f th e Fal l fro m grac e revolve s around th e mother/daughte r relationship , an d specificall y aroun d the los s o f th e mother , Mis s Smith' s endeavor s t o brin g he r pupi l "nearer th e surface" o f th e "dee p waters" in which Eva had appar ently wishe d t o "g o o n bein g submerged " ha d recalle d t o he r th e primordial scen e o f dyadi c "oneness, " th e Imaginar y blis s tha t i s violently rupture d upo n th e subject' s entr y int o language . Iseul t had bee n force d t o realiz e he r symboli c castration , whic h entail s a first awarenes s o f th e illusor y natur e o f he r sens e o f self-presenc e or identity . Thi s i s obliquely ye t unmistakabl y communicate d b y a narrative comment . Whe n th e teache r ask s he r pupi l wha t sh e i s actually "afrai d of, " th e narrato r step s i n t o remark : "Ev a migh t have said : T h a t a t th e en d o f i t you'll find ou t tha t I have nothin g to declare ' " (64) . I n othe r words , Ev a ha d threatene d t o expos e that no t onl y he r ow n subjectivit y bu t subjectivit y generall y i s n o more tha n a necessary fiction wit h n o intrinsic meaning or essence . As soon a s Eva had inadvertentl y reminde d Iseul t of the primar y split, an d therewit h o f th e fictitious grounding s o f th e self , th e teacher ha d begu n t o withdra w fro m her , behavin g "noncommit tally—tolerantly, i f anything " (66) . The negativ e affec t associate d with th e scen e o f primar y loss , th e enforce d recognitio n o f he r alienation-in-language, an d th e reemergenc e o f he r represse d sex ual desire s fo r a female objec t ha d hencefort h bee n connecte d wit h Eva in Miss Smith's un/consciousness. This explains the persistenc e

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of he r fearfu l fascinatio n wit h he r forme r pupil . He r illici t same sex longings ar e palpably a t odd s with th e intellectual syste m fro m which Mis s Smit h derive s he r "symboli c authority. " A s such , th e character's dilemm a exemplifie s precisel y th e irreconcilablit y o f desires informin g "normal " femal e sexualit y a s delineate d b y Sil verman. A t th e time , however , Iseult' s excitemen t a t discoverin g her intellectua l power s ha d stil l been stron g enoug h t o subdu e an d neutralize an y unwante d physica l impulses . Takin g recours e t o her customar y strateg y o f disavowal , sh e ha d retreate d t o th e "unearthly" pleasur e o f speculativ e thought , leavin g Ev a o n th e verge of ful l subjectivit y s o as to enable the continued Verleugnung of he r ow n symboli c castration . I n th e final instance , th e La w o f the Father—splittin g of f th e (male ) min d fro m th e (female ) body , as wel l a s discountin g a femal e same-se x objec t choice—ha d caused Iseul t t o brea k th e unLawfu l "occul t pact " wit h he r pupil . She ha d don e so , however , i n a manne r no t provide d fo r b y th e classic oedipal scenario . Instead o f assumin g her "castrated " (femi nine) position , th e teache r ha d persevere d i n he r intellectua l (mas culine) role . Although , i n psychoanalyti c terms , Ev a ha d suffere d the los s o f he r symboli c mother , sh e ha d no t com e unde r th e sway o f th e castratio n complex , fo r Iseul t ha d no t undergon e th e devaluation tha t serve s t o ushe r th e gir l int o th e positiv e Oedipu s complex. Indeed , t o th e en d Ev a ha d declared : " 'Al l tha t I kno w of m e I hav e learne d fro m you ' " (66). Th e heroine' s secondar y loss thu s no t onl y involve d th e traumati c separatio n fro m he r lov e object; i t als o entailed he r entr y int o ful l subjectivit y b y way o f th e negative oedipa l complex , which , a s Silverma n maintains , open s up a "desire specificall y fo r th e mother." 67 Femininity Subverted. Afte r schoo l Ev a onc e agai n ha d joine d he r father an d hi s lover o n thei r travels , resuming he r plac e within th e inverted famil y triangle . I n th e ensuin g year s sh e "constantl y sen t picture postcard s t o Mis s Smit h fro m whereve r sh e found herself " and "caugh t glimpse s o f [her ] whe n bac k i n London " (18) . Afte r

Subtexts of Psycbosexuality 243 the teacher ha d give n u p he r caree r t o marry , he r forme r pupi l ha d often visite d Larkins . In short : Iseul t ha d remaine d a n "influence " (17). Thi s suggest s tha t Eva , no t havin g bee n compelle d t o (redi rect he r desir e withi n a heterosexua l libidina l economy , ha d per sisted withi n tha t ne w conceptua l space , a period afte r th e separa tion fro m th e mothe r bu t befor e th e inceptio n o f th e positiv e Oedipus complex . W e recal l tha t durin g thi s phas e th e gir l bot h identifies wit h an d desire s th e objec t o f th e sam e sex . Th e reposi tioning o f th e negativ e comple x withi n th e genera l oedipa l situa tion make s i t possible t o conceiv e o f a lesbia n objec t choic e a s th e identification wit h a n active femal e sexuality—instea d o f Freud' s "masculinity complex"—a s wel l a s a nonregressive (fo r full y sym bolic) for m o f desire . Since Freud's notio n o f femininit y rest s upo n repression o f th e (unconscious ) desir e fo r th e mothe r an d it s redi rection towar d th e father, Ev a obviousl y canno t b e classified i n th e conventional binar y term s o f sex . He r perseveranc e i n a positio n that fall s outsid e th e (phallogocentric ) symboli c determine s he r enduring "ex-centricity. " When Ev a ha d returne d t o he r forme r teache r som e tim e prio r to th e poin t wher e th e nove l opens , sh e ha d bee n motivate d b y a desire tha t defie s th e Law . Iseult , i n contrast , seem s t o hav e adopted th e rol e o f impotenc e an d passiv e inferiorit y appropriat e to he r sex . Havin g renounce d he r masculin e brai n o r activ e intel lectual powers , he r "movement s a s a housewife " resembl e "thos e of a marionette " (23) . The internalize d equatio n o f lac k an d femi ninity ha s resulte d i n extrem e self-disparagement : Iseul t feel s no t only that sh e has "murdere d [her ] life" bu t that sh e has "murdere d for nothing " (91) . Thi s suggest s tha t he r desire s hav e no t bee n fulfilled withi n th e heterosexua l contrac t t o whos e constraint s sh e has "willingly " subjecte d herself . Th e confrontatio n betwee n th e former teache r an d he r ex-pupi l i s henc e disconcertin g t o both . Eva, perceivin g he r lov e object' s embrac e o f he r cultura l devalua tion, i s mortified . Overwhelme d b y a n "enormou s sadness, " sh e first wishes that Iseul t would "vanish. " In the end, as we have seen ,

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she decides to flee from th e scen e of disenchantmen t herself . Iseult , on th e othe r hand , i s painfully reminde d b y Ev a o f th e " T " sh e had bee n an d "wa s t o hav e been " (91) . Bu t onc e sh e "know[s ] herself falle n i n hat e with " b y "thi s organis m [that ] ha d s o muc h loved her," sh e is also stirred b y "that origina l vivisectional interes t which ha d draw n he r t o her uncout h pupil " in the firs t plac e (33) . Eva's rejectio n o f Iseult' s morbi d self-effacemen t doe s no t spu r her int o followin g th e cours e se t ou t b y th e oedipa l masterplo t proper. Instea d o f identifyin g wit h a positio n o f powerlessnes s i n her turn , sh e mock s th e La w b y continuin g t o assum e a n activ e o r "phallic" position , on e tha t i s conventionally predicate d upo n th e possession o f a penis . He r discover y o f Iseult' s "castrated " condi tion doe s no t promp t he r t o ente r int o th e positiv e Oedipu s com plex, bu t issue s instea d i n a n almos t tota l detachmen t fro m th e symbolic orde r pe r se : outlandis h Ev a i s an d remain s a n outlaw . Having lef t Larkins , sh e arrive s a t Broadstair s "appearing ] les s feline tha n paramilitary " an d take s contro l o f Catha y i n a manne r recalling "Russia n troop s sai d t o hav e passe d throug h Englan d i n the lat e summe r o f 1914 " (76). Onc e settle d in , sh e i s filled wit h an "abysma l content, " fo r "this sh e possessed" (82 , 80). The heroine' s defianc e o f th e conventiona l rol e castin g i n th e sexual pla y o f gendere d sexualit y bring s he r powe r struggl e wit h Constantine t o a head . Th e latte r persist s i n tryin g t o subdu e hi s charge t o th e "form " b y tellin g he r tha t sh e i s "no t normal, " o r "something worse " (101) . Eva, however, instea d o f subjectin g her self t o th e "hom(m)osexual " rule s h e seek s t o impose , succeed s i n making Constantin e "shif t . . . hi s position. " Whe n he r wicke d guardian come s t o pa y hi s "lat e call " a t he r house , h e trie s t o practice hi s "vanishing " ac t upo n Eva , a "performanc e [that ] ha d always bee n fo r th e benefi t o f Willy—wh o coul d ac t bac k i n n o way." Constantin e present s he r hi s countenanc e wit h "on e o f it s master-pieces o f non-expression, " bu t th e victim's daughter , "con juring fro m a pocke t a voluminou s handkerchief , printe d wit h

Subtexts of Psychosexuality 245 dragons," succeed s i n breakin g th e spell , "vociferating : 'Sto p that. I won' t hav e it. ' " B y effectivel y resistin g th e manipulativ e sym bolic powers o f her father' s forme r lover , Eva shows that sh e is not in th e sam e positio n a s Will y ha d bee n (104) . Whicheve r o f hi s extensive rang e o f discursiv e trick s Constantin e deploys—black mail, threat , cajolery—sh e turn s ou t t o b e ou t o f hi s reach , "no t where sh e ha d been " (105) . Havin g renounce d furthe r identifica tion wit h th e positio n o f th e now-devalue d oedipa l mother , Ev a has obviousl y no t take n u p tha t o f th e fathe r either—a s Freud' s opposition/reversal schem e woul d require . Altogethe r "elsewhere " (105), sh e continue s i n tha t ne w conceptua l spac e allowin g fo r a "genuinely oppositiona l desir e . . . whic h challenge s dominanc e from withi n representatio n an d meaning." 68 Since desir e an d subjectivit y ar e interdependent , w e ma y safel y assume tha t he r self-containe d positio n provide s Ev a wit h a n equally radicall y devian t sens e of self. This assumptio n i s sustaine d when sh e catche s sigh t o f hersel f i n th e mirror : "There , indeed , was Eva ! On e fel t reinforced . Th e Eva s exchange d a nod , the n stayed rap t i n mutua l contemplation " (105) . Instea d o f instillin g her wit h a sens e o f inferiorit y o r lack , he r mirro r imag e confirm s Eva's increase d powe r o f self-determination . Rathe r tha n indicat ing its Imaginary o r preoedipa l quality , th e sens e of (same-sex ) sel f Eva derive s fro m he r mirro r imag e i s show n t o b e full y grounde d in th e symbolic . Thi s i s confirme d whe n Iseult , visitin g Catha y several month s later , finds the place filled with "outstandin g exam ples o f everythin g auro-visua l o n th e marke t thi s year , 1959 " (118). She , too , notice s tha t he r ex-pupi l ha s bee n "transformed " (108):

Iseult receive d agai n tha t puzzlin g impressio n o f gaine d weight—exactl y physical, or exactly not? The always ample and giant movements, slowed down (o r could that simply be the heat?) gave signs of having prestige for the girl who made them: she rated herself, all she did and was, decidedly higher than sh e had done . She was in possession; in possession o f what?

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Astronomic wealth, and its so far products in here, rationally should have supplied the answer: they not only failed to , they somehow did not begin to. (119 )

It i s obviousl y no t the/he r Father' s word/worldl y good s tha t hav e provided th e heroin e wit h a n enhance d sens e o f self ; rather , i t appears t o b e th e "irrational " (female ) bod y tha t ha s pu t he r "i n possession" o f a (nonnormative ) identity . Afte r Ev a ha s lavishl y reimbursed he r forme r teache r fo r an y damag e sh e ma y hav e caused, the "Amazo n a t bay" leave s for Ne w Yor k (74) . The undelivere d lette r referre d t o earlie r support s m y supposi tion tha t Ev a has assume d a radically ex-centri c sexua l identity . It s author, Professo r Holma n ( a hilariou s portrai t o f fatuou s an d verbose self-importance ) appear s t o hav e bee n fascinate d b y Ev a because neithe r sh e hersel f no r th e "primitiv e object " o f he r jour ney, he r "comin g reunio n wit h [her ] child, " seeme d t o hi m "credi ble" (123 , 124) . Judgin g b y hi s phallocentri c standards , "Mr s Trout" clearl y doe s no t fit i n wit h th e patriarcha l myt h o f moth erhood: You diverged , yo u ar e not t o kno w ho w widely , from th e mother-imag e hitherto entertaine d b y me . You r length y an d unencumbere d physiqu e with it s harboured energ y more seemed to me, and not a t the first glanc e only, that o f th e dedicate d discu s thrower. Th e then tota l reversa l o f my ideas could not be without some emotive effect. (123 ) While failin g t o mee t expectation s wit h regar d t o on e major aspec t of femininity , Ev a als o defie s th e heterosexua l matri x i n another . Although suc h a figure "assault s [Holman's ] sens e o f al l possibil ity," the professor ye t believes a husband t o Eva "mus t b e posited " (127). H e confesses , however , t o bein g "unabl e t o conceiv e who , or wha t i n manne r o f being , o r i n som e sense s wherefore , ca n b e Mr Trout. " A s a "being " that strike s Holman a s "autonomous . . . absolutely," Ev a i s not t o b e define d i n relatio n t o a male counter part. Sh e exceeds the binar y fram e o f sex . The final chapte r o f par t 1 reveals tha t Ev a ha s foun d a wa y t o

Subtexts of Psychosexuality 2

47

sidestep th e La w o f th e Fathe r i n wha t i s perhaps it s very founda tion. Instea d o f acceptin g th e rol e t o whic h sh e i s "biologicall y destined" t o perfor m a s the receptacl e o r beare r o f man' s progeny , she ha s mad e arrangement s t o bu y hersel f a chil d o n Chicago' s black market . Bu t befor e sh e sets out t o collec t her infan t son , Ev a has a n eeri e encounter wit h th e past. Sittin g down i n a coffee shop , she finds hersel f opposit e Elsinore , he r "wai f beaut y . . . a s i t ha d been, not child' s or woman's" (131) . While all seems to be "blotte d out" an d "silenc e roar[s ] i n her ears, " Eva remembers : The dark: the unseen distance, the known nearness. Love: the here and the now and the nothing-but. The step on the stairs. Don't take her away, DON'T take her away. She is all I am. We are all there is. . . . Right— then TAK E her away, take your dead bird. You wretch, you mother I never had. Elsinore, what happened? Nobody told me, nobody dared. Gone, gone. Nothing can alter that now, it's too late. Go away again. WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE ? Better not— (133 ) Elsinore, havin g spen t he r lif e "princip'l y mortifyin g [her ] mother," beg s Ev a t o tak e he r wit h her . In he r "despairin g clutc h upon Eva , roun d Eva, " th e "terrible , obstinat e self-determinatio n of th e dying " make s itsel f fel t (142) . In profoun d turmoil , Ev a realizes tha t Elsinor e ha s com e bac k "to o late " an d "a t th e wron g time." This curiou s episod e underscore s tha t subjectivit y i s a proces s based i n loss , bot h i n th e for m o f th e origina l objec t o r th e Rea l and i n term s o f th e first femal e lov e object . Whil e Ev a i s beyon d the first phas e o f identit y formation , th e primar y los s continue s t o exert it s ambivalen t powe r i n representin g bot h blissfu l fusio n an d annihilation. Th e sequenc e additionall y reaffirm s th e centra l plac e taken u p b y th e mothe r i n th e process o f (female ) psychosexuality . Having suffere d th e secondar y split , albei t withou t internalizin g the "proper" sens e of castration , Eva's desir e has remained a desir e specifically fo r a femal e object . A femal e subject' s abidin g desir e for a n objec t o f th e sam e se x i s irreconcilabl e wit h th e symboli c Law. Th e passag e concludin g Eva' s "Genesis " remind s u s o f ou r

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heroine's ineluctable inscription in the patriarchal order and hence of the fact that she is bound to the (Judeo-Christian) la w she is on the poin t o f furthe r trespassin g against . Bac k a t he r hotel , Ev a picks up the Gideon Bible and "put[s] her thumb in it: 'This is the law/ sh e read, 'of the burnt offering, of the meat offering, and of the sin offering, and of the trespass offering, and of the consecrations, and of the sacrifice of the peace offerings—' " (143) . The ominous sense of foreboding expresse d in these lines is, as we shall see in the next chapter, borne out when Eva returns to England in the company of her eight-year-old son, Jeremy.

7 Sexual/Textual Transgressions When I write, I am re-creating what was created fo r me . —"Out o f a Book"

Scriptural Encodings Ex-centric Outlaws. I t i s n o coincidenc e tha t Ev a an d Jerem y spend thei r first eigh t year s togethe r i n th e Unite d States. 1 A s a country les s exclusivel y roote d i n th e Judeo-Christia n tradition , or a t leas t wit h a muc h shorte r (patriarchal ) histor y tha n an y European country , Americ a i s no t onl y th e mythica l lan d o f opportunity; it s proverbia l melting-po t cultur e als o make s th e New Worl d th e topo s o f accommodatio n t o al l sort s o f displace d persons. Ther e is , however , a furthe r aspec t tha t render s thes e surroundings highl y plausibl e fo r Ev a an d he r adopte d son : th e boy turn s ou t t o b e a deaf-mute . I f hi s mother' s disengagemen t from th e establishe d orde r finds expressio n i n he r suspicio n o f language an d a fascinatio n wit h "auro-visua l equipment, " Jeremy's litera l inabilit y t o spea k woul d see m t o positio n hi m a s the sociosymboli c outcas t pa r excellence . Th e Unite d States , where th e spoke n an d writte n wor d ar e increasingl y bein g replaced b y th e visua l discours e o f movi e an d televisio n screen , 2-49

2jo Sexual/Textual

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provides mothe r an d so n wit h a cultura l contex t eminentl y suite d to thei r needs . The America n fixatio n o n image s appear s t o hav e allowe d Ev a and Jerem y t o remai n i n a n Imaginar y real m beyon d inside / outside distinctions . A fe w week s afte r he r retur n t o England , th e heroine reflects : Yes: durin g th e at-larg e America n years , insulate d b y he r fugu e an d hi s ignorance that there could be anything other, they had lorded it in a visual universe. They came to distinguish little between what went on inside and what wen t o n outsid e th e diurna l movies , or wha t wa s o r wa s no t con tained i n th e televisio n flickerin g the m t o sleep . Fro m larg e o r smal l screens, illusion overspilled on to all beheld. Society revolved at a distance from the m lik e a ferri s whee l danglin g bucket s o f people . The y wer e their own . Wasted , civilizatio n extende d roun d the m a s migh t acre s of cannibalized cars . Onl y the y moved . They wer e within a stor y t o whic h they imparte d th e onl y sense . The on e wonder , t o them , o f th e exterio r world wa s tha t anythin g shoul d b e exterio r t o themselves—an d could anything be so and yet exist? (189; first italics mine) Eva, wh o ha s take n th e La w int o he r ow n hands , has assume d th e position o f master/Go d ove r a worl d ostensibl y unaffecte d an d unconstrained b y th e phallogocentri c symbolic . Suc h a scen e o f "joyful complicity, " innocen t o f words , evoke s th e preoedipa l stage or , alternatively , th e paga n worl d befor e th e fall . Eva' s remi niscences, o f "sunrise s wit h Jerem y caperin g nake d o n [her ] be d like Cupi d cavortin g ove r th e couc h o f Venus " an d o f th e "subli mated monotony " tha t ha d "cocoone d them , makin g them nea r a s twins i n a womb, " for m resoundin g echoe s o f th e novel' s majo r cultural subtext s (189 , 188) . Th e couple' s share d "cinemato graphic existence , wit h n o sound-track " thu s reflect s th e presym bolic dya d i n whic h mothe r an d chil d ar e a s ye t undivided . Bu t neither a pre-Christian Ede n no r innocenc e ar e ever unproblemati cal or , indeed , tenabl e notion s i n Bowen . Whil e Jerem y ha d bee n "scanning" th e images , "seekin g fo r portents, " Ev a ha d bee n forced t o discer n "premonition s o f manhoo d i n hi s changeabl e eyes" (189) . I f sh e ha d thu s fa r succeede d i n "lordin g it " i n a n

Sexual/Textual Transgressions zji imaginary enclosur e i n whic h "thei r continuou s manne r o f bein g . . . ha d ha d a sufficienc y whic h wa s perfect, " th e unmistakabl e onset o f th e mirro r stag e i n he r son' s psychosexua l developmen t has mad e he r realiz e th e illusor y natur e o f he r exclusiv e powe r t o author he r son' s an d he r ow n lives : i n th e final instance , th e symbolic orde r prove s inescapabl e (188) . Acknowledging tha t Jer emy, "scio n o f Will y Trout, " mus t b e give n hi s Lawfu l plac e o n the discursiv e map , Eva has bee n prompted t o retur n t o England . The "uncontrollabl e eloquence " o f Jeremy' s look , th e opennes s he an d Ev a hav e i n common , thei r "alikeness, " which ha s abou t i t "something mor e underlying , bein g o f th e kin d whic h i s brough t about b y close, almost ceaseles s companionshi p an d constant , pen sive, mutual contemplation " (147) , evoke Eva's union with her so n in term s o f th e Lacania n Imaginar y i n whic h al l "otherness " i s experienced a s pure relationship. The boy's deafness ha s not force d Eva, wh o neve r wishe d t o spea k sinc e sh e failed t o th e "object " o r the "good, " t o star t doin g s o o n hi s behalf . Althoug h sh e ha s provided Jerem y wit h a successio n o f visua l mirror s i n whic h t o recognize himself , sh e ha s no t acte d a s th e "acousti c mirror " fo r him t o hear himsel f in . Ev a ha s assume d th e rol e o f symboli c mother wit h respec t t o al l form s o f significatio n excep t fo r lan guage/discourse. Th e secondar y split , th e definitiv e ruptur e o f th e mother/child dya d upo n th e entr y o f th e third facto r ha s no t take n place. Thus far , th e exclusiv e extraverba l communicatio n wit h hi s mother ha s preclude d an y sens e o f lac k o n th e par t o f Eva' s son . Neither th e los s define d b y Laca n a s th e subject' s "alienation-in language" no r th e physica l afflictio n tha t factuall y prevent s hi m from enterin g th e real m o f discours e ha s cause d hi m t o fee l i n an y way wanting . Rather , th e boy , "handicapped , on e wa s a t pain s t o remember, impose d o n other s a sens e tha t they were , tha t i t wa s they wh o wer e lackin g i n som e faculty " (158) . Jerem y ha s no t himself experience d th e symboli c castratio n tha t h e make s other s aware o f whe n h e an d hi s mothe r arriv e i n her nativ e country . Bu t

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whereas Ev a ha s recoile d fro m th e symboli c orde r o n accoun t o f its perceive d "castrating " operations , i n th e sens e tha t i t faile d t o accommodate he r ex-centri c desire/subjectivity , he r so n ha s no t acquired an y sens e o f a separat e sel f t o begi n with . Whil e Eva' s inability t o spea k is , i f no t exactl y a matte r o f choice , a t leas t t o some degre e determine d b y he r ow n agency , Jeremy' s physicall y imposed silenc e has cause d th e process o f hi s subjectivity t o hal t a t its initial (mirror ) stage . Upon thei r arriva l i n England , Ev a set s ou t t o recove r th e threads o f th e pas t i n whic h sh e wishe s t o entwin e he r son . Sh e learns tha t Iseul t an d Eri c Arble had separate d almos t immediatel y after he r departur e fo r America , basicall y o n accoun t o f Eric' s rumored connectio n wit h th e "repute d foetus " tha t wa s t o becom e Jeremy (242) . Iseul t ha s bee n livin g i n Franc e an d ha s no t bee n heard fro m since , whil e Eri c run s hi s ow n busines s i n Luto n wit h the hel p o f a "Norwegia n companion " wh o ha s born e hi m tw o children (170) . Findin g Larkin s deserted , th e prodiga l daughte r visits th e neighborin g vicarage , wher e sh e agai n encounter s Henr y Dancey, th e vicar' s eldes t son . Thi s ol d an d almos t onl y frien d from th e past, now donnin g the "for m o f a young man," is the firs t to mak e clea r t o Ev a tha t he r retur n t o th e Ol d Worl d wil l hav e incisive consequence s fo r hersel f a s wel l a s fo r he r relationshi p with Jeremy . Whe n h e discover s tha t sh e ha d "bee n sol d a pup, " he cruell y point s out : "'Yo u can' t ge t you r mone y back ; you'r e wrong with th e law'" (152-53) . Eventually, i t will fal l t o Henry t o play a mediatin g rol e i n Eva' s dealing s wit h th e Law , fo r h e him self, thoug h twenty-fou r an d a t Cambridge , i s no t ye t quit e fixed within th e establishe d order , no r ha s h e full y embrace d it s found ing tenets . Thi s i s reflecte d bot h i n hi s fraugh t relation s wit h hi s father—the vica r who, in his professional capacity , is a preeminen t upholder o f th e Law—an d i n th e youn g man' s visibl e uncertaint y about hi s ow n masculin e subject-position . Henr y i s still practicin g his par t a s a mal e intellectual-to-be . Th e manne r i n whic h h e i s

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presented adequatel y convey s th e performative natur e o f this , and by implication an y other, aspec t of identity : [Henry] too k u p a preparatory ne w position—leaning, thi s time , lightly against th e chimney-piece, hand s i n pockets , on e foot trailin g ove r the other, on which he stood. The pose put him back some way into equilibrium. Each of his ways of standing, youthfully mannered , had at the same time abou t i t its own authority: eac h gav e emphasis. Now, the nonchalance he enacted quite soon returned to him. (153 ) This insecurit y i n hi s prescribed rol e withi n th e play o f gendere d heterosexuality permit s th e Reveren d Dancey' s "ivor y othe r self , his fine-carved son " (157) to apologize for his harsh condemnatio n of Eva's "crime. " He does, however, brin g to bear upon the outlaw the realit y tha t he r wis h t o inscrib e hersel f an d he r so n i n th e historical present mus t involve an engagement with the past as well as the future . Henry i s no t th e onl y on e wh o inform s th e heroin e tha t sh e cannot continu e in her ex-centric position i f she is to create a space for hersel f an d Jeremy in the Old World. His intellectual sensibilit y and th e precariousnes s o f hi s sens e o f gendere d self , however , enable th e brillian t youn g ma n to articulat e i n ver y precis e term s what kin d o f dange r Ev a (re)presents . Whil e th e fact tha t sh e has placed hersel f beyon d th e La w make s he r ethicall y speakin g a "Typhoid Mary, " th e mos t "awfu l thing, " h e proclaims, consist s in he r "artless " behavior : i n he r refusa l t o relat e t o th e worl d according t o form , sh e "leave[s ] fe w live s unscathed . O r a t least , unchanged." Eva , i n he r unwillingnes s t o practic e th e "art " o f playing ou t he r par t i n th e dominan t cultura l scenario , "roll[s ] around lik e som e blin d indeflectabl e planet, " therewit h "plung[ ing] people' s idea s int o dee p confusion " (179) . Thes e remark s highlight tha t th e heterosexual matri x i s most seriousl y threatene d by thos e subject s wh o ar e unfixe d i n thei r relation s t o it , wh o assume devian t sexua l positions . Henr y therefor e insist s o n "pro jecting a role" for Eva, suggesting that, being conspicuous anyhow ,

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she migh t a s wel l b e s o o n purpos e an d se t u p a "spectacula r London house " to fill with "thos e know n a s 'people'" (177-78) . Constantine, too, asserts that Eva cannot pursue what he dispar agingly call s he r "harlequinade. " Wit h hi s "physica l smoot h col lectedness, imperviousness , hi s loo k o f bein g onc e an d fo r al l as sembled" (167) , th e forme r guardia n appear s no t a t al l uneasil y poised betwee n th e contradictor y pull s o f th e Law . Whil e on e would expec t hi m t o b e an "outsider " o n accoun t o f hi s homosex ual objec t choice , h e ha s i n fac t negotiate d th e mos t securel y "assembled" plac e insid e th e dominan t order . Th e essentiall y "hom(m)osexual" organizatio n o f societ y i s thu s underscore d rather tha n gainsai d b y his position. Exerting his power/knowledg e as a successfu l businessman , Constantin e a t th e sam e tim e enter tains—merely ostensibl y unLawful—relation s wit h hi s new friend , a "youn g Eas t En d priest. " Explainin g t o Ev a tha t hi s "angl e o n many thing s ha s bee n a goo d dea l altered " a s a resul t o f thi s ne w friendship, Constantin e casuall y adds that Father Clavering-Haigh t [!] i s "Anglica n naturally " (174) . Thi s seemingl y inconsequentia l observation accentuate s th e mutuall y reinforcin g operation s o f th e regulatory regime s o f phallogocentris m an d compulsor y female heterosexuality. Whil e hi s gende r positio n allow s th e forme r guardian t o persist in his deviant "habi t o f living" and yet maintai n an "undintabl e surface " (167) , Eva' s ex-centricity , h e contends , i s altogether intolerable . Stil l impresse d b y he r "unusual , man y would say , phenomenal , forc e o f character, " Constantin e suggest s that hi s forme r charg e marr y s o a s t o accommodat e he r "er , dy namic energy , seekin g a n outlet " (176) . Clearly , i t i s a n activ e female o r lesbia n sexualit y tha t pose s th e mos t seriou s threa t t o the "hom(m)osexual " economy . Th e reaso n wh y Eva' s acces s t o "normality" woul d see m t o b e restricte d t o th e conventiona l rol e of th e femal e se x derive s fro m th e fac t tha t sh e has , t o al l intent s and purposes , assume d on e o f it s position s whil e refusin g th e other. Sinc e motherhoo d i s practicall y interdependen t wit h femi ninity within th e Freudian paradigm , Eva' s adoptio n o f Jeremy ha s

Sexual/Textual Transgressions ZJJ nolens volens inserte d he r int o the oedipal masterplot . Constantin e communicates th e impossibilit y o f th e situatio n i n unequivoca l terms: You keep [Jeremy ] in Cellophane. You make a plaything of him; at best, a playmate . H e ma y wel l g o o n huggin g hi s disability , it' s a for m o f immunity. He does well with it—you mak e life too charming for him: an Eden. High tim e he was cast fort h fro m it ; as things are, that coul d only be don e acros s you r dea d body . Non e th e less , he has a Black Monda y Morning coming to him, I shouldn't wonder. (175) While underlinin g th e fac t tha t th e symboli c orde r i s bot h a n irretrievably falle n worl d an d revealin g th e sociopolitica l interest s underpinning it s foundin g structure , Constantine' s macabr e con cluding words will turn ou t t o have distinc t prophetic value . Delayed Subjection. Throug h th e shift i n the narrator's positio n i n the secon d par t o f ET, w e graduall y becom e familia r wit h th e heroine's appreciatio n o f hersel f an d o f th e world t o which sh e ha s returned, a worl d i n whic h gendere d subjectivit y an d intersubjec tive relations ar e constructed in/throug h language . Having hithert o ensconced hersel f wit h he r so n i n a n extralinguisti c "illusion, " Eva face s a renewe d confrontatio n wit h dialogi c interaction—he r conversations wit h primaril y mal e acquaintances—tha t inevitabl y leads t o a realizatio n o f he r symboli c castration . Findin g hersel f i n the "gri p o f a nervous vacuum " on e morning, sh e reflects : What was this lack she had felt?—it was foreign to her. How came it that she could fee l it ? Th e fac t was , since her retur n t o Englan d he r mistrus t of o r objectio n t o verba l intercourse—whic h sh e ha d understoo d t o b e fundamental—began t o b e undermined . Mor e tha n began ; th e proces s had been continuous. Henry, Mr Dancey, Constantine, Henry again , and now finally Fathe r Clavering-Haight : eac h ha d continue d th e other' s work. Incalculable desires had bee n implanted. An induced appetit e grew upon what it fed on. She was ready to talk. (188) Newly induce d t o tak e u p he r appointe d gende r role , thi s tim e indeed b y assorte d representative s o f th e thir d ter m withi n th e

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Law, Ev a i s lure d int o th e Self/Othe r econom y o f "hom(m)osex ual" desire . The colloquy wit h Constantine' s ne w friend Fathe r Tony, whic h immediately precede s thes e reflections , nonetheles s support s a reading o f Eva' s desir e a s th e reemergin g desir e fo r th e primar y love object , th e symboli c mother , tha t is , Iseult . Urge d b y th e "sardonic" priest , Ev a admit s tha t sh e resent s he r forme r teache r because sh e feel s betraye d b y her . Th e term s i n whic h sh e relate s the stor y o f he r los s ech o Silverman' s appreciatio n o f th e subject' s symbolic castration , tha t is , the los s of th e Rea l an d th e separatio n from th e mother , event s whos e "trauma s ar e s o complexl y imbri cated a s to b e virtually synonymous, " s o that bot h th e loss and th e separation acquir e the "force o f major surgery." 2 Ascertaining tha t there wa s n o "sapphi c relationship " betwee n the m (Iseul t "alway s was i n a hurry") , Fathe r Ton y inquire s wha t the n th e natur e o f Eva's "suppose d injuries " ma y hav e been. The heroine responds : "She desiste d fro m teachin g me . She abandoned m y mind. Sh e betrayed my hopes , havin g le d the m on . Sh e pretende d love , t o mak e m e sho w myself to her—then, thinking she saw all, she turned away. She—" "—Wait a minute: what were your hopes?" "To lear n . . . t o be , to become— I ha d neve r been. " Sh e added: " I wa s beginning to be. . . . Then she sent me back . . . again—to be nothing. .. . I remain gone. Where am I? I do not know—I was cast out from wher e I believed I was." (184—85) Although sh e ha d accepte d th e rejectio n fro m he r privat e Ede n b y acknowledging tha t sh e "becam e to o much " fo r Iseult , Eva , a s we hav e seen , ha d remaine d profoundl y attache d t o he r symboli c mother. Onl y later , whe n sh e recognize d tha t sh e ha d becom e a witness t o th e olde r woman' s internalize d sens e o f castration , tha t the teache r "hate d th e wor k sh e ha d feare d t o finish" an d tha t i t had bee n sh e hersel f "wh o was tha t work, " di d Eva' s passionat e attachment tur n int o resentment . Sh e has remaine d i n th e negativ e oedipal situatio n eve r since, and i t is only now, when sh e wishes t o become a ful l subjec t withi n th e patriarchal symboli c order , tha t

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cultural pressure s compe l he r t o ente r th e positive comple x an d thus t o redirect he r desir e to a member o f th e opposite sex . We recal l tha t Freu d himsel f foun d tha t th e girl' s attachmen t t o her firs t lov e object ca n exten d unti l well afte r th e ag e at which th e oedipal comple x normall y shoul d hav e ru n it s course. The cultura l or ideologica l determinatio n (a s distinc t fro m it s presumed "natu ralness") o f a woman's heterosexua l objec t choic e that thi s discov ery signifie s becam e a centra l issu e i n th e grea t psychoanalyti c debate amon g Freud' s contemporarie s an d wa s o f specia l concer n to hi s femal e colleagues . I f no t effectivel y conclude d withi n th e Oedipus comple x proper , thi s shif t i n th e femal e subject' s objec t choice cam e t o b e situate d b y classi c psychoanalysi s withi n th e adolescent crisis—i n th e narro w (clinical ) sens e o f th e term . A s Helene Deutsc h pu t it : "Thu s th e task o f adolescenc e i s not onl y t o master th e Oedipu s complex , bu t als o t o continu e th e work begu n during pre-pubert y an d earl y puberty , tha t is , to giv e adul t form s to th e old , muc h deeper , an d muc h mor e primitiv e tie s wit h th e mother, an d t o en d al l wavering i n favo r o f a definite heterosexua l orientation." 3 Whe n th e tex t o f ET link s th e definitive los s o f th e first objec t t o th e institutio n o f heterosexualit y an d thu s o f th e phallogocentric orde r itself , th e tw o underlyin g masterplot s o f ori gin once agai n converge . In he r engagin g study , The Mother/Daughter Plot, Mariann e Hirsch addresse s th e issu e o f sexua l objec t choice s i n th e contex t of th e mother/daughte r relationship. 4 I n a chapte r entitle d "Th e Darkest Plots : Narratio n an d Compulsor y Heterosexuality, " sh e borrows Adrienn e Rich' s well-know n phras e t o explai n th e fre quent appearanc e o f a mediatin g mal e characte r i n femal e storie s of th e fall. 5 I n modernis t femal e fiction, Hirsc h argues , "mal e presence provide s a mediatin g spac e whic h clarifie s th e limina l position o f women' s discours e an d o f femal e relationship s i n th e realm o f th e father " (114). 6 Th e mediatin g male , a s wel l a s hi s nineteenth-century predecessor , th e "nurturing " fraternal/paterna l figure i n femal e novel s wher e an y materna l attachmen t i s eithe r

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absent or repressed, yields a useful perspectiv e on Eva's burgeonin g desire for Henr y Dancey . Our heroine' s readines s t o speak , wit h it s concurren t sens e o f lack, reevoke s he r origina l oedipa l desire . Sinc e a same-se x objec t choice an d th e ex-centri c subject-positio n i t implie s ar e ideologi cally disavowed , th e only possibility fo r he r to attai n full y differen tiated subject-statu s withi n the Law is to position hersel f i n relatio n to a mal e object . Thi s would , paradoxically , als o provide he r wit h an acces s t o th e femal e object , fo r i f she , wit h th e hel p o f mal e mediation, ca n "finish " wha t he r symboli c mothe r ha s lef t "unfin ished," Ev a wil l n o longe r functio n a s th e reminde r o f th e latter' s own lac k an d henc e wil l n o longe r for m a sourc e o f mortificatio n and hatred . What i s more, Hirsch's notio n o f a "fraternal" allianc e would see m particularl y pertinen t t o Eva' s relation s wit h Henry , whom sh e has , afte r all , know n sinc e childhoo d (h e bein g twelv e and sh e twic e a s old) , whe n the y acte d a s allie s i n oppositio n to Eva' s powerfu l guardians . Sinc e Henr y i s no t (yet ) immutabl y fixed i n hi s masculin e positio n withi n th e Law , h e i s eminentl y suited t o tak e u p th e "nurturing " rol e traditionall y connote d fem inine. The restrictions impose d b y a subject-position withi n th e binar y terms o f sexua l differenc e ar e a t onc e born e dow n o n Ev a whe n she visits Henr y a t Cambridge . Whil e h e an d Jeremy ar e absorbe d in a gam e o f "cat' s cradle, " sh e sit s "locke d i n a n anguis h nobod y could explain." The "beautiful agonizin g mirage of the university, " which i s "inescapable from, " represent s th e symbolic order sh e has hitherto shunned : This was a forever sh e had n o part in . The eternity was the more real to her fo r consistin g o f fiery particles o f transience—bridge s th e pun t sli d under, raindrop s spatterin g th e Ca m wit h vanishin g circles , shivere d re flections, echoe s evaporating, shadows metamorphosizing, distances shift ing, glorificatio n comin g an d goin g o n building s a t a whi m o f th e sun , grass flashing throug h arches , gasp s o f primitiv e breat h comin g fro m

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stone, dus k ebbin g fro m waxe n woodwor k whe n door s opened . Hol y pillars flowe d upwar d an d fountaine d out , roun d the m ther e bein g a ceaseless confluence o f fanatical colour s burningly staining glass. Nothing was at an end, so nothing stood still. And of this living eternity, of its kind and one of its children, had been Henry, walking beside her. (180-81) 7 While discernin g it s transien t character , Ev a i s confronte d wit h the inaccessibilit y o f Henry' s seemingl y unshakeabl e "worl d o f learning." Th e gendere d distributio n o f power/knowledg e make s itself painfull y felt : Ev a i s "se t upo n b y th e swampin g isolatin g misery o f th e savage, " beginnin g t o suffe r fro m th e "blightin g melancholia" (Silverman ) tha t i s th e "norm " fo r a femal e subjec t (180-81).

The enforce d los s o f he r autonomou s positio n outsid e th e La w has instant repercussion s o n Eva' s relation s wit h Jeremy. Althoug h she tell s hersel f tha t he r ste p int o th e real m o f discours e ha s bee n taken "fo r hi s advancement, " sh e acknowledge s tha t sh e ha s "no t computed th e cost for hi m of entr y into another dimension. " Whil e it i s quit e inconceivabl e wha t th e deaf-mut e bo y ha s bee n "thrus t into th e middl e of, " th e "wors t wa s it s no t bein g s o fo r her . H e was alon e i n it . Void fo r him , this are a wa s a t th e sam e time dens e with experience s whic h b y claimin g he r mad e he r alien " (189) . Their lov e ha s neve r bee n mor e "mutuall y imploring, " bu t Ev a currently feel s tha t Jerem y "manacle[s ] her. " B y breakin g he r si lence, sh e ha s broke n he r "pact " wit h he r son : the y ar e n o longe r "alone together " (190) . Eva realizes that i t is not, a s Father Ton y suggested , Jeremy wh o is entirel y i n he r powe r bu t rathe r th e othe r wa y around . Grudg ingly assumin g he r feminin e position , sh e i s bese t b y it s accompa nying sens e o f guilt . He r remors e abou t th e irreversibl e endin g o f the "inaudibl e years " (188 ) i s reinforce d whe n i t prove s increas ingly difficult t o fulfil l th e compensatory promis e of finding he r so n a hom e i n th e "promise d land , th e abidin g city " o f he r nativ e country (163) : "Tha t Englan d wa s t o provid e on e ha d bee n im -

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plicit" (190) . Catha y i s "no t th e answer. " Markin g th e shif t i n Eva's position , th e hous e ha d prove d a "cas e o f a n absence " turn ing ou t t o b e "fatal. " Onc e a spac e sh e "possessed, " i t ha s no w become on e wher e "unmeaningnes s reigned " (163) . Sh e an d Jer emy ar e no longer th e only ones to impar t meanin g to their story . At th e ver y momen t whe n Ev a feel s tha t a n externall y derive d "tragedy" i s "tryin g t o si t dow n opposit e a t [he r table], " Iseul t reappears o n stage . Sh e phone s Ev a a t Paley's , th e hote l i n whic h the heiress' s suit e maintain s it s "provisiona l loo k o f permanence " (163). The forme r teacher' s impressiv e verbal "performance " give s Eva occasio n t o reflec t o n he r ow n an d Mis s Smith' s personalities . At first, sh e wonder s whethe r thi s ha d bee n Mis s Smith , o r some one "impersonating " her : " X ha d certainl y documente d hersel f faultlessly: no t a tric k missed . Bu t ye t i n anothe r wa y sh e ha d fallen short , betrayin g a n insufficient gras p of the character, it s insand-outs . . . somethin g . . . ha d no t run g true " (192-93) . The n another possibilit y occur s to her: "Th e impersonator o f Miss Smit h had bee n Mis s Smith , a decease d perso n purportin g t o b e a livin g one." Ev a realize s tha t sh e apparentl y know s a different , forme r Miss Smit h an d tha t sh e knows he r bette r tha n th e woma n wh o i s trying to revivify thi s persona. Bringin g home the performative an d unstable grounding s o f identity , th e dialogi c encounte r issue s i n a further reconsideratio n o f th e notio n o f subjectivity . Th e narrato r merges with th e heroine's consciousnes s t o reflect : Anyhow, what a slippery fish is identity; and what is it, besides a slippery fish? I f Miss Smith had not run g up Eva, nobody else had: "X " could be counted out . What is a person? I s it true, there i s not mor e than on e of each? I f so , i s i t thi s singula r forcefulness , o r forcefulnes s arisin g fro m being singular, which occasionall y cause s a person to bite on history? All the more, in that case, what is a person? (193—94) In orde r t o find a n answe r t o thes e ontologica l questions , Ev a decides to visi t the National Portrai t Gallery . Her uneas y premoni tions ar e confirmed :

Sexual/Textual Transgressions 261 They were all "pictures. " Images . "Nothin g bu t a pack o f cards"?—no t quite, bu t nearl y enoug h tha t t o defea t Eva . . .. Ever y sou l Ev a kne w became no longer anything but a Portrait. There was no "real life"; no life was mor e rea l tha n this . Thi s sh e ha d lon g suspected . Sh e no w wa s certain. (19 5-96) When Ev a returns to the "real world," sh e does so with a thoroug h understanding o f th e constructe d natur e o f cultura l identitie s an d of th e inescabilit y o f th e masterplot s fro m whic h huma n actor s must tak e thei r meanings : "On e plo t unravelled , anothe r knit ting. . . . Ye t her e th e persona e were , a s before . A s ever " (196) . While denyin g he r th e illusio n o f self-presence , th e experienc e pro vokes a renewe d determinatio n t o exer t he r agenc y wit h regar d t o the creatio n o f a self, to autho r th e stor y o f he r life . Sh e is soon t o learn, however , tha t th e ver y discursivit y o f th e meaning s o f sel f and worl d implie s tha t bot h ar e alway s alread y inscribe d i n a symbolic network tha t i s external t o a s well a s beyond th e reach o f any individual . Henceforth , Ev a i s irreversibl y take n u p b y th e phallocratic masterplots . Inscription into the Masterplots. Arrivin g a t th e studi o wher e Jer emy ha s latel y bee n spendin g th e afternoon s sculpturing , Ev a finds that h e ha s bee n abducte d b y a woman wh o ha d presente d hersel f as her friend . H e i s returned t o Paley' s a few hour s later , bu t Eva' s panic an d desolatio n durin g th e hour s o f he r son' s absence , wit h her eye s "fixe d o n nothin g bu t nothingness " (202) , induc e he r t o leave London . Settlin g i n Paris , sh e i s fo r th e first tim e "no t sur e where to go next" (203) . At th e poin t wher e Ev a i s "bese t b y th e quandarie s o f th e rootless rich , fo r who m eac h choic e become s a vagary, " w e hav e reached th e final chapte r o f par t 2 , an d thu s o f th e nove l a s a whole. The chapter' s titl e bring s the narrative lin e full circle . "Thi s is Wher e W e Wer e t o Hav e Spen t th e Honeymoon " i s literall y the openin g sentenc e wit h whic h th e unaccountabl e heroin e ha d introduced herself—characteristically , sinc e th e putativ e marriag e

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was th e product o f he r "passio n fo r th e fictitiou s fo r it s own sake " (242). Thi s emphati c circularit y herald s a tightenin g o f th e plo t while a t th e sam e tim e reinscribin g int o th e narrativ e th e myt h o f heterosexual romance . Th e episode s makin g u p th e fina l sectio n o f the tex t ar e qualifie d b y a risin g moo d o f urgenc y an d loomin g crisis. Once the y hav e take n u p residenc e a t th e Ritz , Jeremy, whos e numerous "paroxysms " hav e bee n becomin g a sourc e o f worr y t o her, surprise s Ev a b y bein g "implacabl y good " an d "conciliating. " She hersel f recover s som e o f he r self-assurance : "On e kne w no body: Pari s wa s one' s own. " Bu t whil e he r so n watche s "thi s further movie " wit h interest , Ev a i s force d t o perceiv e tha t th e breach betwee n the m ha s becom e irreparable : "A n unbridgeabl e ignorance o f eac h other , o r eac h other' s motives , ha d bee n clef t between them , an d ou t o f th e gul f ros e a breat h o f ice " (205) . There ar e severa l indication s suggestin g tha t i t i s no t onl y Eva' s hesitant step s int o th e real m o f th e symboli c tha t hav e cause d the forme r channel s o f thei r wordles s communicatio n t o becom e blocked. Th e mysteriou s interlud e awa y fro m hi s mothe r i s clearl y absorbing the boy's attentio n i n retrospect: h e turns to Eva "irradi ated b y som e secret " (205) . Th e strange r wit h who m Jeremy — otherwise no t "confiding"—ha d gon e awa y "willingly, " wil l late r turn ou t t o hav e bee n Iseult . Whil e suggestin g tha t th e latte r ha s succeeded i n initiatin g Jeremy int o th e "secret " (sexual ) subtex t o f Western culture , th e centra l positio n tha t Mis s Smit h continue s t o occupy i n Eva' s stor y i s further brough t t o th e for e i n a number o f letters exchanged betwee n he r an d Constantine . We lear n tha t th e forme r teacher , durin g th e eigh t year s o f he r own an d Eva' s absenc e fro m England , ha d bee n keepin g u p a onesided correspondenc e wit h th e figur e neares t i n acces s t o he r ex pupil. Addressin g hersel f t o Constantin e th e wa y sh e use d t o ad dress he r typewriter—curiou s t o se e "wha t i t wa s abou t t o tel l her" (91)—sh e ha s thu s establishe d hi m i n th e positio n o f th e "mediating male " whil e a t th e sam e tim e proceedin g wit h he r

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autoanalysis, relayin g t o hi m he r case-history-in-progress . A fur ther strin g o f letter s reveal s tha t Eva' s whereabout s have , throug h Henry, inadvertentl y bee n passe d o n t o Mis s Smith ; thi s precipi tates yet another move , for th e figure of her los t love object contin ues to haunt th e heroine's narrativ e itinerary . At Fontainebleau , Ev a contact s a couple—"docto r an d docto r wife"—who specializ e i n case s suc h a s Jeremy's. Unti l thei r com ing t o th e Ol d World , eac h o f th e variou s specialist s sh e ha d consulted ha d ru n u p agains t th e boy' s inne r resistance . Eva' s willingness t o speak , however , ha s plunge d th e bo y int o a hithert o unknown isolation . H e retaliate s agains t th e ruptur e o f thei r dy adic unio n b y respondin g remarkabl y wel l t o th e Bonnards ' treat ment. Whe n w e lear n tha t th e succes s o f th e doctors ' metho d depends o n "certai n factors , i n th e mai n psychic, " th e teleologica l masterplot o f Freudia n psychoanalysi s n o longe r operate s merel y as on e o f th e novel' s (hidden ) subtexts . Afte r a mont h wit h th e Bonnards—residing i n a hous e "boun d roun d b y a patriarcha l wisteria"—Jeremy begin s t o formulat e word s an d start s t o "ac cord t o th e lip s o f speakers , othe r tha n Eva , a level , exacting , scientific attentio n denie d formerly. " H e ha s bee n "wo n over " b y his therapists . Th e narrato r merge s wit h Eva' s consciousnes s t o explore th e causes of thi s radical change : What had decided him? One could recollect that, since the flight to Paris, in fac t sinc e th e ev e o f th e flight t o Paris , h e had , fo r al l hi s ange l amenability, bee n withdrawn a s never before . To be as others, simply to be as others, ha d neve r tempte d him—what , a s th e term s o f hi s lordly , made-magical lif e were , could (a s Constantine ha d asked ) b e the inducement? Bu t now , b y wha t mean s ha d th e ide a o f exceeding been mad e known t o him , o r mad e itsel f know n t o him ? . . . H e wa s interactin g ideally with the Bonnards. (215) Iseult wil l late r proudl y disclos e tha t sh e was th e first t o temp t th e boy ou t o f hi s "cage, " lurin g hi m ou t o f hi s "dream " int o "razor edged actuality , layer s deep " (245) . Takin g u p th e wor k sh e ha d left "unfinished " wit h Eva , sh e ha s thu s reassume d he r forme r

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role, initiatin g he r ex-pupil' s so n i n lack , therewit h institutin g hi s desire/subjectivity. Jeremy's symboli c inscriptio n force s hi m t o acknowledg e (het erosexual Othernes s (supplantin g th e "otherness " characterizin g the mirro r stage) . H e i s subsequentl y inserte d int o th e oedipa l family triangl e prope r b y hi s "psychologica l engineers, " th e Bon nards. Th e "accustome d communications " wit h Ev a brea k down : his "response s wer e no t les s willing , bu t les s ready. " N o longe r "one" wit h he r son , Ev a i s presently compelle d t o touc h Jeremy i n order t o ge t hi s attention . I n th e proces s o f becomin g th e femal e Other t o hi s mal e Same/Self , sh e realize s tha t th e gul f betwee n them i s eve n mor e marke d sinc e th e languag e tha t i s "t o b e hi s first" i s foreign t o her . Eva is able to "master " th e "vocabulary " o f the Frenc h novel s [! ] sh e start s readin g o n Jeremy' s account , "bu t not thei r content. " Whil e th e myt h o f romanc e remain s alie n t o her, th e mother/chil d dya d ha s conclusivel y com e t o a n end : "Hi s and he r univers e was over" (216) . Dr. Bonnard, a self-defined "environmentalist, " reject s the "hor rible doctrin e o f Predestination " an d i s therefor e primaril y inter ested in what Ev a has supplied Jeremy with, the "character o f wha t [she] ha[s] give n him " (222) . Extending hi s professional interes t t o Eva herself, he endeavors t o "mak e he r tr y t o defin e [he r situation ] for him " (221) . This issues in an unequivocal exposur e of Eva's excentric positio n withi n th e heterosexua l matrix . Dr . Bonnar d first asks Ev a wha t ha d mad e he r "prefe r mimicr y t o wha t coul d hav e been th e actua l continuanc e o f flesh-and-blood " (222) . Hi s us e o f the word "mimicry " call s to mind the debate on the "masquerade " of femininit y withi n recen t feminis t theory , especially i n relation t o the male gaze, or specularit y i n general. 8 As a concep t theorizin g "femininity, " "masquerade"— a ter m also echoe d i n Constantine' s designatio n o f Eva' s existenc e a s a "harlequinade"—was first use d b y one of Freud' s contemporaries , the femal e psychoanalys t Joan Riviere , as early a s 1929 . In "Wom anliness a s a Masquerade, " Rivier e relate s th e cas e histor y o f a

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patient considere d t o b e representativ e o f a "particula r typ e o f intellectual woman." 9 Riviere' s professionally highl y successful pa tient suffere d fro m a n extrem e nee d fo r reassuranc e fro m he r mal e colleagues, a s i f sh e feare d retributio n fo r usurpin g th e masculin e position culturall y acknowledge d t o b e rightfull y theirs . Sh e fur thermore devote d hersel f t o he r feminin e activitie s wit h unneces sary an d degradin g zeal , '"disguisin g hersel f a s merely a castrate d woman." He r patient' s aim , Rivier e infers , "wa s chiefl y t o mak e sure of masqueradin g a s guiltless and innocent" : Womanliness therefor e coul d b e assume d an d wor n a s a mask , bot h t o hide th e possessio n o f masculinit y an d t o aver t th e reprisal s expecte d if she was foun d t o posses s it . . . . The reade r ma y no w as k ho w I defin e womanliness o r where I draw th e line between genuin e womanhood an d the "masquerade." My suggestion i s not, however, that there is any such difference; whethe r radical or superficial, they are the same thing. (38) Feminist fil m theoris t Mar y An n Doan e take s u p Riviere' s concep t of femininit y a s a mean s t o "compensat e fo r th e theft o f masculin ity" o n th e par t o f th e woma n wh o assume s th e "positio n o f th e subject rathe r tha n it s object," positin g that "masquerading " offer s a radical strateg y agains t "patriarcha l positioning. " If womanlines s is a masquerade , Doan e argues , th e possibilit y eithe r t o wea r thi s "mask" o r t o remov e i t i s necessaril y implied . Rathe r tha n repre senting th e unrepresentable , th e "masquerad e o f femininity " would thu s "doubl e representation, " produc e a n "exces s o f femi ninity," an d thereb y threate n th e mal e syste m o f specularit y i n which woma n ca n onl y b e the object o f th e male gaze. 10 While highl y temptin g i n it s promise o f politica l empowerment , Doane's argumen t rest s o n a perhaps overl y optimisti c assumptio n of agenc y i n th e "deep-seated , psychicall y entrenche d play " b y means o f whic h sexua l identitie s ar e constituted. 11 Eve n i f w e take sufficientl y int o accoun t tha t th e performative act s in/throug h which gender s ar e produce d d o no t entai l tha t the y ar e merel y roles to be adopted o r rejected a t will, the supposition tha t feminin ity can b e performed t o exces s presupposes th e prior existenc e o f a

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female subjec t wh o ca n choos e (not ) t o perfor m he r ascribe d gen der role. Such a notion o f the masquerade o f womanliness, in othe r words, b y assumin g a radica l noncoincidenc e o f se x an d gender , is founde d o n th e state-of-natur e hypothesi s b y mean s o f whic h dominant discourse s naturaliz e a s fixed and immutabl e wha t ar e in effect n o les s unstable, constitute d effects : th e "natural " categorie s of sex , of ma n an d woman . Th e stake s involved i n maintaining th e duality o f gende r are , no t surprisingly , reveale d b y th e tw o mal e characters wh o a t thi s poin t (re)assum e thei r role s a s "guardians " over Eva' s story . Considerin g thei r veste d interest s in , respectively , the socia l an d th e economi c structure s o f th e "hom(m)osexual " economy, i t i s no t b y acciden t tha t Dr . Bonnar d an d Constantin e refer t o Eva' s outrageou s sexua l "play " i n simila r term s o f simula tion and/o r imitation . Whil e quit e differentl y situate d withi n th e dominant field o f power/knowledg e i n term s o f desire , thes e char acters ar e joine d i n thei r gende r investment s i n a socia l orde r subtended b y the binar y fram e o f sex . Established gende r relation s cu t acros s th e straight/ga y binary , for, a s Judit h Butle r point s out , th e mal e homosexua l i n Wester n culture serve s a s th e exceptio n t o confir m th e rule , occupyin g a discursive spac e withi n th e heterosexua l matri x a s prohibite d ob ject in relation t o which the law of nature ca n asser t itself. Whereas "homosexualities o f al l kind s . . . ar e bein g erased , reduced , an d (then) reconstitute d a s site s o f radica l homophobi c fantasy, " i t i s precisely a s "prohibite d objects " tha t mal e homosexualitie s ar e i n effect perpetuall y (re)constitute d b y officia l discourse s a s wel l a s "reverse-discourses" withi n th e "gri d o f cultura l intelligibility. " Lesbians, i n contrast , ar e "no t eve n name d no r prohibite d withi n the economy o f the law." The mandatory falsificatio n o f lesbianis m in phallogocentri c cultur e show s tha t i t i s no t compulsor y hetero sexuality pe r se , but compulsor y female heterosexualit y tha t i s th e condition upo n whic h th e "natural " orde r o f thing s or , to b e mor e precise, th e socia l contrac t depends . Onl y b y bein g relegate d t o a "domain o f unthinkabilit y an d unnameability " ca n th e lesbia n

Sexual/Textual Transgressions 267 be culturall y present : a s a n "abidin g falsehood, " a s a "copy , a n imitation, a derivative example , a shadow o f th e real." 1 2 I t is in it s virtual discursiv e absenc e (effectivel y reinscribe d b y derivativ e terms lik e "femal e homosexual" ) tha t th e categor y lesbia n mus t function a s the abjec t o f th e cultura l unconsciousness . By conspicuousl y performin g th e "unthinkable, " Ev a embodie s a threa t o f exposur e t o bot h ga y an d straigh t upholder s o f th e law . Since th e mos t explici t sexuall y specifi c definitio n o f th e heroin e given i n th e tex t i s tha t o f "hermaphrodite, " th e "monstrous " creature i s eminently suite d t o subver t wha t Butle r call s the "onto logically consolidate d phantasm s o f ma n an d woman. " He r sexua l "mimicry" is hence exactly the kind o f "drag " that Butler (drawin g on th e wor k o f Esthe r Newton ) claim s "enact[s ] th e very structur e of impersonatio n b y whic h any gender i s assumed." 13 In orde r t o ensure thei r self-presenc e a s male , tha t is , a s genuine , authentic , real subjects , Eva' s guardian s mus t se t of f he r "abnormal " per formance a s a harlequinad e agains t th e "rea l thing" : "natural " heterosexuality, which , a s w e hav e seen , i s i n fac t th e ter m o f "hom(m)osexuality." 14 Eva's mimicry is clearly not a strategic performance o f "feminin ity t o excess " wit h whic h sh e self-consciousl y attempt s t o subver t the phallocrati c order . Still , the "drastic " mean s b y whic h sh e ha s donned th e aspec t o f motherhoo d withou t goin g t o "al l tha t trou ble" o f heterosexua l intercours e indicate s tha t he r "womanliness " is n o mor e an d n o les s tha n a masquerade . Iseult' s perplexit y a t Cathay, leadin g he r t o wonde r "i n possessio n o f what" he r ex pupil appeare d t o be , is retrospectively place d i n a significant light : at tha t moment , Ev a ha d alread y se t th e schem e i n motio n b y which t o procur e Jeremy . Tha t he r feminin e dra g inadvertentl y serves both t o disguise and to maintain th e phallic powers ideologi cally denie d he r emerge s whe n Dr . Bonnar d ask s Ev a whethe r sh e had "wishe d . . . t o be Jeremy's fathe r a s well as his mother." "No t greatly startled, " sh e replie s tha t thi s ha s "possibly " bee n th e case (222) .

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The suggestio n tha t th e heroine' s ex-centricit y consist s firs t an d foremost i n he r rejectio n o f a gendere d sexualit y i s substantiate d by Iseult . I n wha t i s "no t a 'confession ' " t o Fathe r Clavering Haight, th e forme r teache r give s a n accoun t o f hersel f i n relatio n to Ev a and , b y extension , t o Jeremy . Claimin g t o hav e worke d a miracle wit h th e bo y durin g he r stole n hour s wit h him , Iseul t explains tha t he r interes t i n th e "fo r s o lon g hypothetica l child " had "alway s ha d a particula r undertow" : " 'I t wa s inextricabl e from m y feelin g fo r Eva . I care fo r her . . . . Implanted i n he r ther e is something whic h surmount s an y harm w e have don e eac h other . It i s somethin g i n whic h I wa s instrumental. ' " Acknowledgin g her critica l rol e i n furtherin g Eva' s psychosexua l developmen t an d disclosing th e "negative " affec t underlyin g he r "positive " interes t in Jeremy, Iseult , havin g bee n force d t o disavo w he r desir e fo r he r pupil unde r cultura l pressure , had , i n a slightl y twiste d versio n o f the oedipa l plot , com e t o "conceiv e o f [Eva' s child ] i n hi s ow n right, t o i n som e wa y desir e fo r hi s ow n sak e [sic] " (242) . He r forbidden desir e fo r Ev a ha d thu s resulte d i n th e desir e fo r a substitute objec t a t on e remove : he r lov e object' s ow n (substitute ) desire fo r a child . Th e renunciatio n o f he r masculin e positio n a s a subject o f power/knowledg e ha s ha d a doubl y castratin g effec t o n Miss Smith . No t onl y ha s sh e abandone d he r intellectua l drives , but th e repressio n o f he r lesbia n desir e ha s als o le d t o a n "emo tional hysterotomy " (225) . The fac t tha t Iseult' s "inside' s gone " i s directly linke d t o he r desir e fo r Eva , whom , sh e regretfull y sighs , "loved [her] , once" (212) . In additio n t o exposin g th e basi s o f he r endurin g "obsession " with he r forme r pupil , Iseult' s nonconfessio n justifie s a readin g o f Eva's harlequinad e a s a performanc e o f a nonnormativ e sexualit y with radicall y subversiv e potential . Situatin g he r ex-centricit y ex plicitly withi n th e binar y fram e o f sex , the forme r teache r explain s why th e heroine's chil d coul d onl y have been a boy : "For on e thing, a second Ev a would hav e been not onl y unthinkable bu t impossible. For another, she belonged in some other category. 'Girl' never

Sexual/Textual Transgressions 269 fitted Eva . Her so-called sex bored and mortified her ; she dragged it about after he r like a ball and chain. Why should she wish to reproduce it when she chose a child? Also, remember, thank s to her father an d Constantin e she had grow n u p apar t fro m women , othe r tha n hirelings . She did no t need women . Thei r vulnerabilit y antagonize d her—a s J found. Sh e had had enoug h o f he r father' s vulnerability . Sh e ha d watche d hi m bein g destroyed—. . . . Tha t Will y image , i t becam e he r objec t t o repair , o r reconstitute—" (243) This sequenc e almos t literall y foreshadow s Butler' s radica l recon ceptualization o f sexualit y a s a compulsivel y repeate d "strin g o f performative acts, " o f a sexuall y determine d sel f a s th e (repro duced effec t o f a discours e tha t "nevertheles s claim s t o 'represent ' that sel f a s prio r truth." 1 5 Ev a ha s rejecte d femininit y pe r se — whether i n th e guis e o f he r father' s victimizatio n a t th e hand s o f his lover o r i n the for m o f Iseult' s self-mutilatio n unde r pressur e of phallocratic ideology . Fallin g outsid e th e gri d o f cultura l intelligi bility, sh e i s indeed "unthinkable. " Positionin g onesel f beyon d th e Law, however, exact s it s price. This is currently makin g itsel f felt . Hitherto, Eva has maintained a complete disregar d fo r th e inter pellating Other/ s makin g u p th e dialogi c networ k o f th e symbolic . After he r disappointmen t i n Iseult , th e self-sufficien t natur e o f he r "pure relationship " wit h Jerem y ha d temporaril y subdue d an y reemerging wis h fo r a n Othe r i n relation t o whom/which t o consti tute he r Self . Th e breakdow n o f tha t "perfec t union " i s bringin g about a drastic change in this respect. It is the environmentalist Dr . Bonnard wh o inform s Ev a wh y i t i s importan t t o conside r "wha t is thought o f [her] , or was" : One is so much made by it. Whether on e resists it or not, it has so much power. It is so hard not to comply with it, not to fall in with it—not to be overcome b y i t i n th e ver y battl e on e ha s agains t it . Th e wa y on e i s envisaged b y othe r people—wha t easie r wa y i s there o f envisagin g oneself? Ther e i s a fatalis m i n one' s acceptanc e o f it . Solitud e i s no t th e solution, one feels followed. Choice—choice of those who are to surround one, choice of those most likely to see one rightly—is the only escape. But for some of us it is an escape difficult t o make. (223)

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Eva's expanding desires preclude a further dismissa l of (the ) Other/ s upon whic h he r subjectiv e differentiatio n depends . He r instructor , true t o th e creed s o f hi s profession , put s grea t emphasi s o n th e critical rol e o f specularit y i n th e subjectiv e process . The "gendere d nature" o f th e gaz e give s th e doctor' s word s al l th e mor e signifi cance: th e enclosur e fro m whic h Ev a i s urge d t o "escape " has , after all , bee n a n exclusivel y "visual, " eve n "cinematographic " one. No t onl y wil l sh e hencefort h b e cas t int o a symboli c field i n which th e authorit y o f th e loo k i s a mal e prerogative—so tha t th e range o f he r "choice " i s considerabl y reduced—bu t he r so n Jer emy i s enterin g th e Real m o f th e Fathe r too—an d i n anticipatio n of a differen t position . Th e boy , w e shal l see , assume s hi s "phal lic" powe r wit h a vengeance . Closing Circles. Th e imposin g presenc e o f th e castl e o f Fontaine bleau durin g he r exchang e wit h Dr . Bonnar d underscore s th e link s between Eva' s growing desire for Henr y an d her earlier experience s at th e castle-school . I n th e throe s o f th e reemergin g oedipa l crisis , which no w seem s to b e approaching it s positive stage , her sens e of apprehension i s a s ye t vague . Whe n sh e tell s Dr . Bonnar d tha t she i s "frightened , a s thoug h [she ] wer e abou t t o die " (224) , th e implications o f acceptin g he r prope r rol e withi n th e heterosexua l matrix ar e invoke d i n unmistakabl e terms . Moved b y her nee d fo r recognition, Ev a is allowing herself t o become defined i n the binar y terms o f gender , whic h threaten s t o pu t a n en d t o he r ex-centri c self. A retur n visi t t o th e scen e o f he r first lov e i n th e compan y o f Henry enhance s rathe r tha n alleviate s th e heroine's anxiety . The episode is presented a s if performed o n stage. Set against th e castle, which "seeme d t o b e leaning a little back, like a propped-u p canvas," th e tw o figures floatin g o n th e lak e i n thei r "brigh t shirt s . . . admire d eac h other , dreamily , a s the y di d th e scenery " (229) . The unreal atmospher e is not a s idyllic as it seems, for th e "stained , sham castle " resound s wit h "revengefu l unhear d echoe s . . . a s though b y frivollin g wit h th e past th e buildin g incurre d th e past a t

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its nastiest " (230) . The actor s themselve s ar e awar e o f th e illusor y quality o f thei r gambo l i n fron t o f thi s "pleasure-ship, " which , a s Henry observes , i s to o "dreamed-u p . . . t o do " (231) , thereb y underlining th e mythica l characte r o f th e heterosexua l plot— a plot, moreover , tha t i s t o b e superimpose d o n th e passionat e ech oes o f a prior , mor e "primitive " sexua l scenario . When , despit e their repeate d attempts , th e coupl e fail s t o ge t int o th e castle , Henry implore s hi s companio n t o tel l hi m "what' s suppose d t o be goin g t o happen, " addin g somewha t uneasily : '"Yo u ar e th e authority—if ther e i s one?' " B y lettin g th e pas t g o unheeded , however, Ev a i s losin g he r autonomou s self , an d therefor e i s n o longer th e sol e autho r o f he r story . Th e biblica l reverberation s punctuating th e tex t underscor e wit h star k precisio n th e natur e o f the larger plot tha t i s rapidly unfolding : The torrents of the future wen t roaring by her. No beam lit their irristible waters. The Deluge : dea d arm s flailin g lik e swimmers . Where wer e the y on their way to being swept to, she, Henry, Jeremy? Who had opened the sluice-gates, let throug h thi s roaring ? Th e boy , doing s o by the same act by whic h h e heave d th e li d fro m hi s tom b o f silence ? Jeremy , whos e destiny she had diverted? One does not do such a thing with impunity, the priest ha d said . Th e docto r ha d warne d her . . . . Sh e absently turne d t o Henry, at this moment, caverns of apprehension. (233) The passag e underline s Jeremy' s critica l functio n i n establishin g both himsel f an d Ev a i n th e oedipa l triangle . The joint appearanc e of the priest and the doctor a s the angels of retribution furthermor e testifies t o th e reinforcin g operatio n o f th e novel's underlyin g mas terplots, agains t whose foundin g law s Eva has trespassed i n a mos t intolerable manner . Whe n th e heroin e subsequentl y get s entangle d in a bria r bush , provokin g fro m Henr y th e exclamatio n tha t sh e will b e "lik e Abraham' s ram " (234) , w e ar e reminde d o f th e por tentous passag e fro m th e Gideo n Bibl e that , he r ow n "Genesis " concluded, inaugurate d th e stor y o f he r unLawfu l motherhood . Despite he r growin g sens e o f alarm , Eva' s "indomitabl e will " and he r ben t fo r th e fictitiou s urg e he r t o "precipitate " th e nex t

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installment o f he r ow n subversiv e plot . Bac k i n Englan d o n th e advice o f th e Bonnards , wh o fel t i t bes t fo r Jerem y t o b e "quit e away fro m [her] " fo r a while , sh e inform s Henr y tha t sh e intend s not merel y t o lov e bu t als o t o marr y him . B y his reaction s Henr y unwittingly highlight s his role as a fraternal figure i n Eva's alterna tive oedipa l scenario . H e protest s tha t th e pla n woul d mak e hi m "almost anothe r Jeremy, " fo r t o Henry—"suc h a split-u p charac ter"—Eva remain s "outsize , larger-than-life" (236) . His fea r o f hi s father's condemnatio n o f a furthe r "brus h wit h Mammon " (232) , that is , Eva, lead s hi m t o rejec t th e pla n a s crazy . Althoug h Henr y tries t o disguis e hi s sexua l insecurit y b y declarin g tha t h e "could make lov e t o [Eva], " althoug h the y hav e neve r "s o muc h a s touched" (237) , he reveals , on thei r wa y back , tha t th e traditiona l balance of power i n fact doe s not apply : to o nervous to driv e Eva' s new Jaguar, h e is forced t o hand bac k the wheel to her. Reassertin g herself a s the directo r o f he r harlequinade , Ev a proceed s b y askin g Henry t o ac t th e par t o f he r "bridegroo m . . . fo r on e occasion, " by "appearing] t o depar t wit h [her ] o n a weddin g journey " fro m Victoria Station , "see n of f b y friends." T o his shocked objectio n a s to th e "poo r fun " sh e is "master-minding" hi m into , she responds : " To r once , one day only , part o f on e day only , you would a t leas t be min e in the eyes of the world' " (238 ; italics mine) . Despite hi s blunt refusa l t o featur e i n he r "comedie noire" th e youn g ma n begins t o b e irke d b y "tha t fata l ol d fascinatio n o f cookin g a plo t with Eva " (239) , therewith authenticatin g her in the role of author / director. Afte r a protracte d perio d o f soul-searchin g (hi s interna l struggle wit h the/hi s Fathe r i s beautifull y done) , Henr y complie s with th e request o f th e "Iro n Maiden " o f hi s youth (232) . While engrosse d i n th e preparation s fo r th e pla y sh e i s stagin g for hersel f an d Henry , Ev a i s distracte d b y anothe r plot , thi s on e "imposed o n her " b y th e Bonnards . A s th e "inspire d authorities " with regar d to Jeremy, these "dedicated zealots " have ordained he r to reassembl e th e forme r suit e a t Paley' s s o a s t o mak e i t loo k plausible fo r he r son' s unexpecte d visi t t o Londo n (253) . Th e

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3

irreversible effects o f the boy's initiation int o the Law of the Fathe r are clea r th e momen t h e make s hi s entr y wit h a "touc h o f th e executive, however junior. " Th e narrator explains : They wer e seein g eac h othe r afte r thei r first , thei r on e separatio n sinc e Jeremy had (virtually) been born to Eva. And what was disconcerting was, not tha t ther e wa s an y questio n o f disillusionment , o n eithe r side , bu t rather tha t th e minut e was reigned ove r b y a startling, becaus e unavoid able, calmness—a calmnes s to which there was no alternative. One could have called it a disinfected one . . . . Anything primitive, was gone. . .. Th e dear game was over, the game was up. (254) Foregrounded b y the emphatic presence of linea r time ticking awa y toward th e narrativ e climax , th e scen e o f th e post-Imaginar y re union betwee n mothe r an d so n signal s th e teleologica l violenc e inherent i n th e oedipa l tract : Ev a an d Jerem y ar e hencefort h en gaged i n th e primordia l battl e betwee n th e sexes . Becomin g a n "onlooker" a t he r son' s acquisitio n o f hi s masculin e identity — a projec t "supervise d b y himself"—Eva' s suspicion s abou t hi s "therapy" increase : What sor t o f dup e ha d th e nobl e Bonnard s imagine d thi s bo y to be ? As stars in Eva's firmament, they declined slightly—a fundamental misgivin g shook her. Alternatively, were their machinations five fathoms deep ? This recherche fo r th e basi c the y ha d mad e suc h a poin t o f . . . wha t o f it ? Unloading Jeremy o n her , fo r tha t adduce d reaso n . . . hi s directors , his psychological engineers could have had an undeclarable motive: what? To bring abou t thi s undoing . To ri d no t onl y the child o f Ev a but th e child and Eva of one another. (255) The passag e expose s th e "hom(m)osexual " interes t i n th e mother / child separation . Whil e ensuring the female subject' s availabilit y a s the authenticatin g Othe r t o th e Same/Self , th e enforce d spli t als o guarantees th e female subject' s dispossessio n o f symboli c power . As th e "directors " o f th e oedipa l plo t proper , whic h essentiall y concerns the demolition o f a libidinal econom y in which th e femal e subject occupie s a n activel y phalli c position , th e Bonnards ' mod e of treatmen t attest s t o th e phallogocentric inscriptio n o f th e narra -

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tive of classi c psychoanalysis. By defining woman a s lack (o n which man's presenc e depends) , th e Freudia n masterplo t serve s t o ob scure th e symboli c castratio n intrinsi c t o mal e an d femal e subjec tivity alike . Jeremy' s "preoccupation " therefor e strike s Ev a a s something "alie n o r eve n hostil e t o " t o th e "limpi d seriousnes s o f childhood." Hi s separatio n fro m hi s mother is , after all , the loss of the Rea l a s muc h a s th e los s o f hi s presymboli c self . Although th e boy i s cas t i n hi s prospectiv e rol e a s th e subjec t o f power/knowl edge, hi s "centredness " ha s "somethin g forbidding—sundering ? repellent?" abou t it : h e i s hencefort h cu t of f fro m th e exces s t o rational (masculine ) consciousness . T o thi s exposur e o f th e mal e subject's origi n i n lack, the narrator wryl y adds : "History, on e wa s forced t o remember , i s forged b y the overriders of handicaps, som e evident, som e no t know n til l th e end " (256) . Whil e emphasizin g the oedipa l underto w o f th e narrativ e o f patriarcha l history , th e remark acquire s a specificall y menacin g rin g i n th e ligh t o f scat tered reference s t o a revolve r tha t subsequentl y begi n t o surfac e i n the text. Having found it s way into the hotel's storeroo m vi a Iseult, the gu n ha d ende d u p ami d th e "stunnin g amount " o f belonging s Eva wa s t o reassembl e int o a scen e o f "domesticity " a t Paley's . Immediately attracte d t o th e "on e extraneou s parcel " in th e room , Jeremy ha s stealthil y take n possessio n o f thi s unmistakabl e phalli c attribute (253) . The novel' s fina l scen e contain s al l th e element s o f a gran d finale. Unde r th e dom e o f Victori a Station , thi s "templ e o f depar ture," on e afte r th e other characte r reappear s t o witness the trium phant concludin g ac t o f th e heroine' s harlequinade . In additio n t o Henry, Constantine , Iseult, an d Eric Arble, we witness an unidenti fied "drif t o f people " radiatin g th e "waveringnes s o f a phanto m company." Thes e anonymou s extra s accentuat e th e spuriou s na ture o f th e scen e abou t t o b e enacted : th e conventiona l "happ y ending" to the story of heterosexua l romance . Since these nameles s characters functio n a s a chorus , thei r presenc e als o hint s a t th e mythical origin s of th e tragic cultural scrip t onto which the protag -

Sexual/Textual Transgressions 275 onist/director persist s i n superimposin g he r ow n blasphemousl y revised versions . Still , i t i s precisel y as myth s tha t th e patriarcha l founding text s ar e s o compelling . Thi s i s unambiguousl y brough t to th e fore whe n Henry , discernin g th e "triba l likeness " among th e members o f th e crow d an d thei r "look , o r air , whic h i n it s ow n way wa s lik e a wedding garment, " astutel y reflect s tha t a n "unrea l act collect s roun d i t real-e r emotio n tha n a rea l act , sometimes " (261). Then, with the aspect of a genuine tragic heroine, Eva make s her appearance . He r grandeu r provoke s a n awe d silence : Not fa r off , i n on e o f thos e chanc e island s o f space , sh e stoo d tal l a s a candle, some accident of light rendering her luminous from top to toe—in a pale suit, elongated b y the elegance of its narrowness, and turned-bac k little hat of the same no-colour; no flowers, but on the lapel of the jacket a spraying-ou t subcontinen t o f diamonds : a great brooch . A soft furthe r glow had bee n tinted o n to her face; her eyes were increased b y the now mothy dusk of their lashes. She was looking unhurriedly, all but abstractly in the direction of Henry. (261-62 ) The imagery i n this passage splendidly underscores the sexual over determination o f th e heroine' s magnificence . Whil e he r bod y an d posture ar e define d i n unequivocall y phalli c terms , the strikin g us e of th e wor d "subcontinent " t o describ e Eva' s brooc h recall s Freud's designatio n o f femal e sexualit y a s th e "dar k continent " o f psychoanalysis. W e ar e als o reminde d o f th e archeologica l imag e he use d t o describ e hi s discover y o f th e negativ e Oedipu s comple x or th e pre-Oedipus : acknowledgin g it s hidde n an d subversiv e power, Freu d declare d tha t th e passionat e bon d betwee n mothe r and gir l chil d wa s "lik e th e discovery , i n anothe r field, o f th e Minoan-Mycenaean civilizatio n behin d th e civilizatio n o f Greece." 16 Th e suggeste d lin k i s confirme d whe n Ev a reveal s tha t the "spraying-out . . . diamonds"—which invit e excited comment s from everyon e present—ha d bee n he r mother' s (262) . Whil e he r phallic surfac e appearanc e reflect s Eva' s ex-centri c positio n withi n the La w o f th e Father , it s conceale d o r underlyin g foundatio n i s thus show n t o b e the bond wit h th e first love object, th e mother .

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Eva reaffirm s he r rol e a s stag e manage r b y confessin g t o Con stantine tha t sh e ha s hersel f invite d th e "Happ y Band " o f "mist like phantom s . . . stil l seeking , unflaggingly " alon g th e platfor m (264). Th e surrea l atmospher e i s give n a distinctl y contemporar y dimension whe n a rumor start s spreadin g o f "fil m . . . being shot. " This i s the perfec t momen t fo r Jerem y t o appea r "o n th e stage , o r the platform." Th e "audience-minded" crow d stand s back to allo w him th e "spac e an d fre e pla y [of ] th e chil d star. " Whe n th e bo y lifts th e gu n ou t o f hi s dispatc h cas e "i n a manne r evidentl y re hearsed," i t i s clea r tha t h e i s engage d i n playin g ou t a differen t scenario tha n th e one se t up b y his mother (266) . But Eva's contro l as directo r o f he r harlequinad e i s undermine d i n othe r respect s a s well. Henr y inform s he r tha t h e i s "no t goin g t o ge t off " th e train a s planned . Seein g th e da y thu s bein g turne d int o a genuin e "coronation day, " Ev a shed s th e firs t tear s o f he r life . Whe n th e couple step s bac k ont o th e platfor m the y ar e a s ye t ignoran t o f Jeremy's arrival . Constantin e give s the m hi s blessin g an d wishe s them a "pleasan t future. " This , he adds , "will resembl e th e past i n being th e result , largely , o f a concatenatio n o f circumstances. " Such conceptualization s ar e al l bu t alie n t o Eva , s o sh e ask s he r former guardia n wha t "concatenation " means . These ar e "he r las t words." "A t th e sigh t o f Eva, " Jerem y speed s "lik e a bo y o n th e screen towards th e irradiated figure , wavin g his weapon i n salute. " Holding ou t he r arm s t o receiv e him, Ev a turn s roun d a t a "cr y o f terror" fro m Henry : That instant , th e revolve r wen t off . Sh e fell , whil e th e sho t ran g roun d Victoria Station. Jeremy coul d no t sto p runnin g on . A woma n bystande r t o who m nothing wa s anythin g ha d th e quickes t reflex—sh e snatche d hi m bac k before he could fall over the dead body. (266) The fac t tha t i t i s a "woma n bystander " wh o prevent s th e ful l disclosure o f th e fina l iron y o f Eva's/th e text' s en d indicate s th e

Sexual/Textual Transgressions zyj complicitous positio n o f femal e subject s i n patriarcha l ideology . Yet, b y almos t literall y fulfillin g Constantine' s prophesy , Jerem y also reaffirms th e central functio n o f the (los s of) th e mother i n th e process o f bot h mal e an d femal e subjectivity . Induce d b y th e pri mary split , hi s ac t i s on e o f retaliatio n agains t th e inflictio n o f a narcissistic wound, th e traumatizing ruptur e o f the Imaginary dya d that install s th e subjec t as subjec t b y openin g u p her/hi s uncon sciousness. Havin g bee n inscribe d i n a n alternativ e a s wel l a s int o the maste r narrative , however , Jeremy' s oedipa l trajector y ha s be come exceedingl y complicated . Th e boy' s ac t o f aggressio n agains t Eva therefor e signifie s o n severa l intertwinin g level s a t th e point s where thes e two conflictin g plo t line s intersect . Jeremy's sens e o f betraya l i s enhance d b y th e fac t that , instea d of showin g herself t o b e lacking, his mother ha d suddenl y assume d the positio n o f speakin g subjec t i n relatio n t o whic h hi s ow n affliction cam e t o represen t a "doubled " symboli c castration . Fur thermore, b y assumin g th e role s o f mothe r a s wel l a s fathe r i n th e family triangle , Ev a ha d situate d hersel f i n both—o r neither—o f the conventional (oppositional ) gende r positions with regar d t o th e phallus/sexual desire . Hence, her son' s initiation int o the "normal " oedipal comple x unde r th e guidance o f th e Bonnards ha d rendere d the lov e objec t h e wa s force d t o renounc e simultaneousl y int o th e rival parent . B y killin g Eva , h e ha s ri d himsel f no t onl y o f th e castrating mothe r bu t als o o f th e masculin e figure endowe d wit h superior phalli c power , equall y representin g th e threa t o f castra tion. Finally , an d n o les s importantly , th e boy' s entr y int o th e symbolic orde r ha s no t onl y le d hi m t o assum e hi s prope r posi tion withi n th e oedipa l situatio n bu t ha s als o se t hi m u p i n hi s function a s futur e defende r o f th e Law . Embracin g hi s rol e a s th e agent o f prohibitio n an d retribution , h e punishe s Ev a fo r havin g committed the archetypa l cardina l sin . Th e positio n o f phallic / creative powe r sh e ha s bee n usurpin g is , afte r all , i n bot h th e Christian an d th e oedipa l myth s o f origin , th e prerogativ e o f th e

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Father/male. Bot h th e heroine' s sexua l ex-centricit y an d he r harle quinade o f womanlines s ar e show n t o b e intolerable i n a symboli c order i n whic h mal e presenc e ca n onl y b e define d i n relatio n t o female absence . The Mother's Tongue

and Female Authorship

Cracking Surfaces. Th e histor y o f Bowen' s las t heroin e woul d seem adequatel y t o suppor t Victori a Glendinning' s contentio n that a t th e en d o f he r career , th e autho r "dispense d wit h th e civilized surfac e o f behaviour" : i n ET, "ther e i s n o longe r a cracked crus t ove r th e surfac e o f life. " Th e biographer' s inferenc e that Bowe n finally "allowe d th e danger , despair , an d passio n which ha d alway s lai n unde r th e surfac e t o b e expressed" 17 acquires furthe r interes t whe n w e regar d he r las t nove l a s a stor y of origin s i n th e severa l sense s suggeste d i n th e openin g sectio n of the preceding chapter. Its underlying "back-to-the wombishness " qualifies ET a s a n exploratio n o f origin s i n whic h th e "danger , despair, an d passion " expresse d o n th e surfac e leve l ar e directl y linked t o th e daughter' s passionat e desir e fo r an d separatio n fro m the mother . A s traumati c experience s i n themselves , thes e psychi c events tak e o n particula r edg e i n th e ligh t o f Bowen' s persona l tragedy, th e premature deat h o f he r mother . O n th e intra- a s muc h as th e extradiegeti c level s o f th e text , ET represent s a fictional recreation, an d thu s a reworking , o f wha t w e ca n safel y assum e t o be a represse d par t o f th e author' s un/consciousness . Whil e th e protagonist's histor y testifie s t o th e centra l plac e o f wha t I hav e termed Bowen' s materna l pas t o n th e narrativ e o r intradiegeti c level, the pivotal rol e o f th e narrato r illuminate s it s significance o n the extranational o r extradiegetic level. As mentione d before , th e absen t mothe r o r th e figure o f th e "terrible" olde r woma n ar e recurrin g feature s i n Bowen' s work . The essentia l ambivalenc e o f thes e figures ha s neve r bee n mor e explicitly brough t t o th e for e tha n i n ET, whethe r sh e appear s i n

Sexual/Textual Transgressions 279 the guis e o f ever-absen t Cissie , o f Elsinore' s "corrup t mother, " o f Iseult Smith , or , indeed , o f th e eponymou s heroin e herself . Th e novel's formidabl e protagonist , however , i s present no t onl y i n he r role of mothe r bu t als o as a daughter (o f sorts). As such, she woul d seem t o b e the perfect embodimen t o f "sexua l ambiguity , disguise , and polynymia," tha t is, of the crisis-subjectivity tha t Julia Kristev a assigns t o th e characte r o f th e adolescent . A s w e hav e seen , th e open psychi c structur e represente d b y thi s mythi c figure function s as a locu s o f it s creator' s represse d desire . T o repea t Kristeva : "There i s a certain identificatio n o f th e narrator wit h hi s seductres s or seducer , eve n more so , since these adolescent s escap e al l catego ries—even thos e o f code d perversions—an d impos e themselves o n novelists a s metaphors fo r w h a t . . . calls to him, the mirage of prelanguage o r unname d body." 1 8 Th e multiplicit y o f th e metapho r in question , "outsize " an d "monstrous " Eva , whos e "perversion " is explicitl y "coded " a s "hermaphroditism, " reside s precisel y i n her dua l rol e a s mother/daughter , a heterogeneit y tha t Mariann e Hirsch attribute s t o the femal e characte r pe r se . Even so : The multiplicity of "women" is nowhere more obvious than for the figure of the mother, who is always both mothe r an d daughter. Her representa tion is controlled by her object status, but her discourse, when it is voiced, moves he r fro m objec t t o subject . But , a s lon g a s sh e speaks a s mother , she must always remain the object in her child's process of subject-forma tion; she is never fully a subject. 19 From the fact tha t mother s ar e mainly "absent , silent , or devalued " in femal e fictions i n th e classi c realis t tradition , Hirsc h infer s tha t the convention s particula r t o thi s genr e "shu t ou t variou s form s o f indeterminacy, instability , an d socia l fragmentation , includin g . . . maternal perspective s an d experiences. " Sh e goe s o n t o sugges t that th e "thoroughnes s wit h whic h femal e realis t writer s eliminat e mothers fro m thei r fictions" ma y partl y resul t fro m "hostility , resentment an d disappointmen t o n th e par t o f thes e writer s them selves, as well as with thei r total self-identificatio n a s daughters." 20

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The characte r o f Ev a Trou t combines , o r perhap s doubles th e elements o f ambiguit y an d polyvalenc e inherin g i n eithe r o f thes e mythic figures—the adolescen t a s muc h a s th e maternal . I n bot h functions, th e heroin e therefor e constitute s a highl y ambivalen t object o f authoria l identificator y an d desirou s investment . Sinc e ET transcend s conventiona l generi c boundarie s whil e stil l re maining firmly inscribe d i n th e realis t tradition , on e woul d expec t the figure o f th e mothe r t o b e bot h presen t an d absen t in/fro m th e text, t o find he r occupyin g th e positio n o f bot h subjec t an d objec t of narration . Althoug h th e latte r expectatio n i s readil y confirmed , the tex t remain s ultimatel y divide d a s to th e former . Surfacin g i n a structural decenteredness , th e resultin g sens e o f contradictio n i s foregrounded b y th e shif t i n narrativ e metho d tha t distinguishe s the novel's two parts . In usin g th e author' s biograph y a s a dialogizin g backgroun d against whic h t o explor e th e fictional text' s "unconsciousness, " i t is no t m y intentio n (posthumously ) t o analyz e Elizabet h Bowe n nor t o resurrec t th e traditiona l Author-Go d conclusivel y pu t t o death b y poststructuralis t theory. 21 Wha t I a m concerne d wit h i s the (theoretical ) construc t o f th e speaking/writin g subject , an d more precisely , th e concep t o f th e femal e author . B y incorporatin g a numbe r o f textua l modes—suc h a s letters , diar y fragments , (non)confessions—that ar e essentially discursive inscriptions of th e characters' selves , while stil l bein g situate d explicitl y i n th e tex t o f history, ET present s itsel f emphaticall y as tex t i n it s postmoder n context. A s a self-consciousl y intertextua l constructio n i n whic h a multiplicity o f heterogeneou s discourse s intersect s o n variou s lev els, th e nove l direct s u s t o th e autho r a s a n intra - a s muc h a s a n extratextual configuration . T o clarif y m y point , I mus t digres s briefly int o auteu r theory . Despite the preoccupation wit h femal e language , the category of the autho r ha s remaine d relativel y untheorize d withi n feminis t literary studies. 22 In line with dominan t trend s within genera l criti cal theory , th e autho r i s largel y see n a s a textua l effec t whos e

Sexual/Textual Transgressions 281 "origin" i s ideology . Althoug h th e psychic spillag e betwee n th e speaking subject and the subject of speech is usually regarded as an inevitability, th e authoria l beare r o f th e discours e i s generall y firmly rooted "outside " the text. In feminist cinema , and in film theory generally, the problematization o f th e autho r ha s bee n a centra l concer n fro m th e 1960 s onwards. Silverman, for example, addresse s the question of femal e authorship from the double perspective of cinematic and psychoanalytic theory. 23 Full y concedin g th e critica l primac y o f th e autho r "inside" the text, Silverman opposes the view that the biographical author shoul d b e dismisse d fro m th e theoretica l aren a entirely . Instead, sh e propose s a "ne w mode l fo r conceptualizin g th e rela tion" betwee n thes e tw o authoria l instances . Designatin g th e sec ond instanc e th e "autho r 'outside ' th e text, " sh e argue s tha t thi s figure can "com e int o existenc e a s a . . . self-affirming subjec t onl y through th e inscription o f th e author 'inside ' the text," and is thus fundamentally differen t fro m th e on e "lai d t o res t b y Barthe s i n 1969" (193) . Suc h inscription , w e recall , obtain s throug h identifi cation an d the desire for mastery, occurring on both the intra- and the extradiegeti c level s o f th e text . I n othe r words , th e autho r "outside" i s alway s present , bot h i n th e for m o f "an y representa tion or network o f representations " through which s/h e i s "consti tuted as speaking subject" and in the "body" of th e text, that is, as the "'nodal ' points " existin g i n recurren t element s i n narrativ e strategies, movement, verbal style, and so on. 24 The reconstruction of the author "inside" the text requires analysis o f al l level s o f narratio n an d focalizatio n a s wel l a s o f thei r interrelationships. W e hav e note d tha t th e narrato r i n novelisti c discourse is the character with which readers most readily identify . But th e narrato r a s a person a create d b y th e tex t i s a t th e sam e time th e figure in relatio n t o whic h th e textua l autho r stand s o n a level of "diegeti c equivalence." 25 I f the sexually ambivalent adolescent a s wel l a s th e absen t o r "terrible " mothe r for m tw o o f th e "nodal" points in Bowen's texts, the relationship in ET betwee n its

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narrator an d it s protagonist—i n whic h thes e tw o figures co alesce—would see m t o offe r a n excellen t wa y o f approachin g th e two indissolubl y intertwine d autho r effect s conceptualize d b y Sil verman. The Itinerary of Recovery. A s a narrative o f creation , th e Oedipu s myth i s th e stor y o f th e sow' s relation s t o fathe r an d mother , t o male an d femal e origin . ET present s a n alternativ e myth , th e stor y of th e daughte r an d he r relatio n t o th e mother . A s Hirsc h point s out, th e extrem e complexit y o f th e psychi c interactio n betwee n mothers an d daughter s necessitate s tha t th e literar y criti c adop t a psychoanalytic perspectiv e whe n approachin g suc h stories . I therefore onc e agai n tur n t o psychoanalysis . I n Beyond the Pleasure Principle (1920) , Freu d trie s t o accoun t fo r hi s patients ' nee d t o recover o r reexperienc e traumati c event s rathe r tha n merel y re member them . Th e compulsio n t o repeat , h e says , i s connecte d with th e drive s o r instinct s an d shoul d b e conceive d a s a n "urge inherent in organic life to restore an earlier state of things th e living entity ha s bee n oblige d t o abando n unde r th e pressur e o f externa l disturbing forces. " Freu d infer s tha t th e drive s ar e the "expressio n of th e conservative natur e o f livin g substances " an d tha t the y ar e "historically determined." 26 Th e movemen t o f th e driv e i s thu s directed a t a poin t before , an d sinc e th e ultimat e momen t befor e the subject' s beginnin g i s death , th e movemen t o f th e driv e i s directed a t the a s yet unknown bu t impose d end . Peter Brooks , takin g "Freud' s Masterplot " a s a startin g poin t for a discussio n o f th e movemen t o f narrative , assert s tha t met onymic repetitions , deviation s an d detour s makin g u p th e middl e of a story—o r th e bod y o f th e text—i n th e en d serv e t o produc e the unit y o f meaning/significanc e i n th e shap e o f metaphor. 27 Drawing o n Lacan , wh o "equate d metonym y an d desire, " Brook s concludes tha t i t i s the desir e fo r totalize d meanin g tha t move s th e narrative o f contiguou s syntagmati c relation s throug h th e elemen t of time towar d metaphor , whic h i s "i n thi s sens e totalizing." 28

Sexual/Textual Transgressions 28

3

What i s more, narrative beginning s becom e significan t onl y in light of th e ending . In othe r words , i t i s the desir e fo r illuminatio n o f beginnings an d of the haphazard cours e o f event s constitutin g the (metonymical) middl e o f a stor y tha t lie s behin d th e desire fo r the totalizing metapho r o f meaning/ending . I n thi s perspective , th e movement o f narrativ e i s b y definitio n informe d b y a specificall y masculine desire. 29 Its self-conscious inscriptio n i n dominant myth s o f creation suf ficiently validate s a readin g o f ET a s a n exploratio n o f origins , with the understanding tha t the author's gende r give s a twist to the traditional cours e o f thi s narrativ e mode . A s a femal e revisio n o f the stor y o f loss/th e Fall , Bowen' s las t nove l constitute s a searc h for meanin g a s wel l a s for a pas t anterio r t o he r inscriptio n int o history a s a writin g subject . Approachin g th e end of he r life , th e author clearl y felt the need to retrace "beginnings " in order to shed light on the "middle" part o f the story of her self. Since she closely associated he r profession wit h he r "grown-up " status , th e textua l reinscription o f th e adolescen t a s a metapho r o f sexua l ambiva lence signifie s a n attempt t o recover a subjective stat e prio r t o her assumption o f symboli c authorit y a s a (heterosexually ) gendere d subject. Tha t i s to say , the process o f writin g th e novel le d to the restoration o f a sel f precedin g th e moment whe n Bowe n assume d the sociocultura l rol e of the author i n which sh e located th e center of he r adul t sens e o f identity . Moreover , a s a topo s o f incom pleteness, th e literar y figure o f th e adolescen t represent s a n ope n psychic structur e only retrospectivel y or , in the words o f Kristeva , only "throug h th e eyes o f a stable law." 3 0 Full y establishe d i n her position o f (adult ) symboli c authority , Bowe n resurrecte d a s a n object o f identificator y investmen t a n imaginar y figure wh o i s placed outsid e th e symbolic du e to her ex-centric, tha t is , lesbian, desire. In the character o f "unfinished," inarticulat e Eva Trout, she constructed a metaphor o f a sexually amorphou s subjectivity—" a slippery fish"—residing neithe r withi n no r without th e patriarchal symbolic—a figure whos e libidina l energ y i s not organized i n cor-

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respondence with th e normal/normative positiv e Oedipus complex . The textual configuratio n o f this mythic figure, we recall, is directly connected t o th e reemergenc e o f th e Oedipu s crisi s an d th e desir e for th e first lov e object , th e mother . B y optin g fo r a metho d o f "external narration " throughou t th e scene s o f origi n ("Genesis") , Bowen no t onl y create d a discursiv e spac e fo r th e represse d desir e for a same-se x lov e objec t bu t als o allowe d th e subjec t o f thi s desire to spea k (for ) herself . In other words , the text allow s fo r th e self-articulation o f th e "unthinkable " lesbia n subject . Th e shif t i n narrative metho d followin g upo n th e originar y scene s i s closel y entwined wit h th e contradiction s inherin g in Eva's doubl e role . The respectiv e subtitle s o f th e novel' s tw o part s ar e i n them selves misleading . Th e suggestiv e valu e o f th e first woul d lea d on e to expec t th e familia r Bowe n narrator , th e aloo f ye t benevolen t organizing voic e full y i n contro l o f he r discours e an d he r material , the Author-God creatin g an d directin g the fictional worl d fro m he r position o f "overlordship. " The arbitrary titl e of the novel's secon d part, "Eigh t Year s Later, " suggests , i n contrast , a n inscriptio n o f the narrativ e int o th e large r tex t o f history , a fragmente d plo t whose contingen t developmen t lie s outsid e an y speakin g subject' s control. But as we have seen, these initial expectation s ar e immedi ately thwarted b y the ways in which th e two section s open, the on e setting u p th e protagonis t a s th e subjec t o f speech , th e secon d installing th e narrato r i n he r positio n a s the dispassionat e reporte r of narrativ e events . Th e contradictio n inherin g i n suc h a reversa l of discursiv e agenc y i s sustaine d b y th e overal l stylisti c differences distinguishing th e text's tw o sections . The implie d authorit y o f th e Go d o f th e Ol d Testamen t i s thoroughly undermine d b y th e fragmented , o r perhap s mor e accu rately, shiftless, operatio n o f the narrative in part 1 . The haphazar d sequence o f scenes , superimpose d b y a textua l surfac e tha t i s am biguous if not obscure , and a blurred, unfocused narrativ e perspec tive, tur n "Genesis " int o a full y disperse d discourse . Still , a t th e end o f thi s narrativ e trajector y withou t definabl e origin , a dis -

Sexual/Textual Transgressions 285 course givin g voice t o wha t i s essentially a "no-voice, " we fin d th e heroine almos t i n triumph , o r a t leas t i n "possession. " Whe n i n part 2 bot h structur e an d styl e tighten , th e narrato r i s unmistak ably presen t i n he r rol e o f authority , whil e th e plo t evolve s i n a straightforward teleologica l lin e t o culminat e i n a painstakingl y orchestrated narrativ e climax . Whil e th e author/narrato r regain s her positio n a s th e organizin g voice , offsettin g th e equivoca l ton e of th e precedin g discours e o f incohesion , th e protagonis t i s no t only supplante d i n he r rol e a s director—move d fro m th e positio n of subjec t t o tha t o f objec t o f narration—bu t i s finally obliterate d from th e tex t altogether . Th e poin t o f transitio n betwee n th e tw o sections is literally forme d b y the chapter entitle d "Interim, " wher e Eva i s flying t o wha t wil l tur n ou t t o b e anothe r universe . Th e stage o f transitio n fro m he r adolescen t (o r daughter's ) positio n t o that o f th e mothe r i s mediated b y the direc t observation s o f a mal e character, Professo r Holman . Henceforth , th e heroine's agenc y de creases: sh e lose s contro l ove r he r stor y an d i s force d t o giv e up he r ex-centri c gende r rol e i n exchang e fo r a plac e withi n th e heterosexual matrix . We recal l tha t th e figure o f th e adolescen t enable s th e novelis t to recover repressed or unconscious psychic material while simulta neously allowin g fo r a reorganization o f he r psychi c space throug h the ac t o f symboli c inscriptio n itself . Writin g adolescenc e thu s provides a lin k betwee n desir e an d discourse . Sinc e th e writer' s affective investmen t i n th e sexuall y ambivalen t figure i s locate d i n the adolescen t searc h fo r a (secondary ) lov e object , thi s unfocuse d psychosexual stag e coincide s wit h a n allusiv e eroticis m i n whic h "nothing bu t signs" ar e articulated. 31 I n "Genesis, " th e relation ship betwee n th e author/narrato r an d he r inarticulat e protagonis t is on e o f desir e a s wel l a s identification . Operatin g i n a clearl y homoerotic libidina l economy , th e narrator's investmen t i s directly related t o th e passionat e energ y cathecte d t o th e (incestuous ) first object, th e mother . Whil e th e inces t tabo o an d th e cultura l dis avowal o f a femal e same-se x objec t choice—mutuall y inscribe d i n

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the foundin g myth s o f patriarchy—forc e th e femal e subjec t t o abandon th e origina l objec t an d t o repres s he r primar y desire , th e recovery o r reexperienc e o f traumati c event s ultimatel y serve s t o enable he r t o gai n master y ove r them . In thi s perspective , th e textual reinscriptio n o f he r primar y desire , whil e allowin g Bowe n to recove r a repressed/disavowed past , woul d simultaneousl y see m to serv e a s a scree n agains t th e threa t o f "shapelessness " an d "amorphousness" sh e associate d wit h th e preadul t o r nonwritin g aspects of herself . In par t i , suc h measure s o f symboli c containmen t woul d see m to hav e offere d adequat e protectio n agains t th e threa t o f psychi c dissolution presente d b y the "polynymia " o f th e adolescent' s "for bidden" desire . Thi s evidentl y doe s no t hol d tru e fo r th e novel' s second part . Whe n Ev a shift s he r positio n fro m adolescent/daugh ter t o phalli c mother , tha t i s to say , when sh e become s th e creato r of differenc e herself , th e autho r emphaticall y (re ) assumes he r posi tion a s th e organizin g discours e an d transform s he r creatio n fro m a subjec t int o th e objec t o f narration . I n th e final instance , it is th e fundamental ambivalenc e o f th e materna l figure tha t account s fo r the resolut e assertio n o f th e narrator' s "overlordship " i n th e novel's secon d part. Embodyin g blissfu l fusio n a s well as the threa t of annihilatio n or , t o pu t i t differently , functionin g bot h a s th e object o f desir e and a s the agen t o f ruptur e an d betrayal , the figure of th e mothe r apparentl y require s a mor e vigorou s exertio n o f symbolic powe r tha n th e mer e textua l reinscriptio n tha t suffice s t o gain master y ove r that othe r mythi c figure, the crisis-subjectivity o f the adolescent . The Power to Speak the Ex-centric. Th e ultimat e erasur e o f th e heroine fro m th e tex t o f Bowen' s las t nove l obtain s significanc e i n yet anothe r sense , connecte d wit h bu t distinc t fro m tha t outline d above. I t ha s becom e clea r tha t th e oedipa l scenario , an d mor e particularly th e complexitie s o f th e femal e trajector y withi n it , resounds o n bot h th e consciou s an d th e unconsciou s level s o f thi s

Sexual/Textual Transgressions 28j text. W e mus t bea r i n mind , however , tha t a t leas t o n th e former , it i s a n Oedipu s reversed : instea d o f followin g th e cours e o f th e male her o o f th e origina l myt h b y killin g th e father , th e so n (Jer emy) kill s th e mothe r (Eva) . Whereas th e extradiegeti c eliminatio n of th e materna l characte r symbolize s th e master y o f th e conflictua l affect cathecte d t o thi s figure, th e essentia l dualit y o f th e femal e protagonist i s not onl y retrospectivel y sustaine d bu t i s structurall y inscribed i n the text's twofol d division . In par t 1 , the figure o f Ev a function s i n a same-se x econom y a s an objec t o f desirou s investmen t fo r th e author/narrato r an d a s a subject o f desir e i n he r ow n right . Sh e i s allowe d t o spea k (for ) herself. He r ver y inarticulac y reflect s he r ex-centri c positio n i n relation t o th e heterosexual—or rather , "hom(m)osexual"—orga nization o f th e phallogocentri c symbolic . I n th e cours e o f par t 2 , her nee d t o exis t i n a recognizabl e manne r wit h regar d t o (the ) Other/s force s Ev a t o ente r int o th e La w o f th e Fathe r an d t o assume a conventiona l gende r position . Sh e nonetheles s trie s t o maintain he r phalli c power s a s th e directo r o f he r harlequinade . The ensuin g developmen t o f th e plot , a s muc h a s th e narrator' s "overlordship," reveal s tha t suc h a subjectivit y a s Eva' s canno t exist in a conventionally teleologica l narrative plot. In other words , the narrativ e itsel f move s a s a counterforc e t o th e creatio n o f a female subjec t wh o seek s to exer t th e activ e powers tha t dominan t discursive regime s relegat e t o member s o f th e mal e sex . Whil e th e movement o f discours e itsel f i s show n t o b e quit e ineluctable , the constraint s i t impose s o n femal e sexualit y ar e simultaneousl y critically expose d by/i n Eva' s dissolutio n a t th e en d o f th e narra tive. In the final instance, she is destroyed b y her son (a s a represen tative o f th e Law ) a s muc h a s b y th e narrato r wh o assume s he r power a s Author-God . Rather tha n manifestin g a despai r a t a "breakdow n o f lan guage" as such, as Lee has suggested, it would appea r tha t Bowen' s last nove l expresse s a mor e specifi c sens e o f disillusionment , tha t is, a los s o f fait h i n th e possibilit y o f articulatin g a t onc e th e tw o

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aspects o f he r identit y tha t sh e ha d tende d t o separat e throughou t her life : th e "wholl y personal , o r womanish " an d th e "writin g part" o f herself. 32 I have suggeste d that , i n her searc h fo r origin s in ET, Bowe n explore d he r prewriterl y past , a perio d suffuse d wit h the memor y o f he r mother , an d discovere d th e implication s o f he r adoption o f th e father' s discourse . In a cultur e whos e foundin g conceptual scheme s revolv e aroun d th e absenc e o f th e mothe r a s the sit e o f symboli c origin , th e narrativ e o f passionat e attachmen t between mothe r an d daughte r mus t ultimatel y remai n hidden . Th e ex-centric desire informing thi s "dar k continent " woul d see m to b e necessarily inexpressibl e fo r th e female subjec t wh o wants t o spea k with authority . Bowen's final "statemen t o f [her ] poetic truth" woul d appea r t o testify t o th e impossibility o f full y graspin g the meanin g of th e tw o modalities o f (her ) sel f i n conventiona l symboli c terms . In thi s context, i t i s interestin g t o not e a n aspec t tha t I hav e thu s fa r mentioned onl y in passing. In additio n t o relating the protagonist' s "case history, " th e nove l als o render s another , b y givin g roo m t o the voic e o f th e protagonist' s symboli c mother/lov e object , Iseul t Smith. Whil e underlinin g th e presenc e o f psychoanalysi s a s on e o f the text' s discursiv e undercurrents , th e frenzie d attempt s o n th e part o f this verbally an d intellectually highl y gifted woma n symbol ically t o inscrib e hersel f amoun t t o wha t I have earlie r calle d self or autoanalysis . Still, neither i n the form o f her nocturnal addresse s to he r typewriter , he r extende d correspondenc e wit h Con stantine—duly accepte d a s fascinatin g "psychologica l material " (227)—nor he r nonconfessio n t o Fathe r Ton y doe s th e teache r succeed i n full y apprehendin g th e tex t o f herself . Sh e is eventuall y forced t o admi t wit h a not e o f despair : '"Ho w inconceivabl e one self is!' " But Miss Smith' s rol e in ET a s the emotiona l an d intellec tual victi m o f he r conflictua l gende r positio n i s mos t poignantl y brought t o th e for e b y th e disclosur e tha t th e boo k sh e ha d in tended t o writ e whil e awa y i n Franc e "wa s bor n dead " (228) . Her searc h fo r hersel f i n th e text s o f he r symboli c Fathers—sh e

Sexual/Textual Transgressions 289 intermittently cite s o r allude s t o Proust , Dickens , an d D . H . Law rence, an d a t on e poin t claim s t o suffe r fro m a "Hedd a Gable r complex" (192)—fails , sinc e thes e maste r discourse s no t onl y d o not reflect bu t i n effect exclud e the "womanish " par t o f her experi ence. Iseult' s thwarte d self-exploration s principall y concer n he r passionate obsessio n wit h Eva . Th e centra l plac e o f lesbia n desir e and thu s o f th e motherf s body ) i n th e constructio n o f femal e subjectivity/sexuality pe r se , a s wel l a s th e Verleugnung o f suc h a bond in/b y dominan t regulator y regime s o f power/knowledge , ar e thus forcefully exposed . Still, a s Hirsc h point s out , i t i s precisel y i n th e "interpla y be tween absence/silenc e an d determinin g significance " tha t th e ma ternal is located. 33 Th e elimination o f the figure of the mother fro m the tex t therefor e remain s ambiguous . I t migh t b e argue d tha t th e novel's endin g constitute s a subscriptio n t o th e phallogocentri c master narrative s i n whic h th e repressio n o f th e mothe r i s th e condition fo r th e daughter' s creativ e symboli c space . In contrast , Eva's annihilatio n migh t equally be seen as a genuine subversion o f the oedipa l famil y romance . I t is , afte r all , a t th e ver y momen t when sh e seem s willin g t o tak e u p he r appropriat e positio n withi n the heterosexua l matri x tha t th e heroin e i s exterminate d fro m th e narrative, while at the same time the "subcontinent" o f the mother / daughter bon d i s discursivel y inscribed . I n thi s sense , th e novel' s conclusion represent s a refusa l o n th e par t o f th e narrato r t o pla y out th e oedipa l plo t o f (hetero)sexua l difference , whil e stil l re taining he r ow n positio n a s symboli c agen t i n a n orde r sustaine d by thi s an d othe r suc h myths . In othe r words , th e tex t maintain s the doubl e visio n embodie d i n th e dua l rol e o f th e protagonis t herself. In this sense, it is thus not s o much Eva , or the figure of th e mother, bu t th e sexuall y overdetermine d structur e o f th e narrativ e form tha t i s eventually exploded . Th e coexistenc e an d join t opera tions o f th e novel' s tw o parts—th e shiftin g setting s an d scene s determining th e movement o f th e first, offse t b y the linear develop ment characterizing the second—therewith acquir e the significanc e

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of a trul y ex-centri c narrativ e space . Thi s spac e i s no t a Utopia n extrasymbolic o r feminin e spac e (a s oppose d t o a masculin e se quential temporality) , bu t a dynami c i n whic h bot h modalitie s operate a t the same time: that which Teresa d e Lauretis has terme d the "space-off, " th e "movemen t fro m th e space represented by/i n a representation, by/i n a discourse , by/i n a sex-gende r system , t o th e space not represented yet implied (unseen ) in them." 3 4 I t is perhaps only suc h a space , i n whic h th e contradictio n o f a subversiv e female sexualit y i s perpetually hel d in suspense, that ca n accommo date the last of Bowen' s formidabl e heroines .

8 From Marginality to Ex-centricity She and I belong to the same sex, even, because there are only two: there should certainl y b e more. —The House in Paris

(Postmodernist Identifications Poststructuralist theorie s o f differenc e an d th e cultura l brea k occa sioned b y postmodernis m hav e rendere d an y foundationalis t claims t o universa l validit y politicall y suspec t an d theoreticall y untenable: n o categor y b y whic h individua l huma n being s (how ever provisionally) defin e themselve s ca n an y longe r b e maintaine d to groun d th e subject . Whethe r specifie d i n term s o f gender , race , class, sexua l orientation , o r an y o f th e categorie s subsume d unde r the by-no w notoriou s phras e "an d s o on, " n o singl e elemen t o f differentiation ca n b e assume d t o for m th e only , o r eve n th e pri mary, foundin g aspec t o f an y identit y define d i n exclusionar y terms. Feminist discours e has functioned centrall y i n this epistemo logical shif t i n perspective o n huma n subjectivity. 1 The insistenc e o n a differentiate d othernes s notwithstanding , the feminis t projec t i n th e 1990 s continue s t o tak e a s it s startin g point th e historica l existenc e o f "women " or , similarly , t o bas e itself o n th e theoretica l notio n o f th e femal e subject . Indeed , a feminist politic s canno t simpl y d o awa y wit h al l concept s o f (fe 291

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male) identity . T o th e exten t tha t gende r function s a s one—bu t clearly no t th e onl y one—o f th e mos t pervasiv e structurin g force s that concretel y affect s eac h o f u s i n ou r individua l lives , this cate gory o f identificatio n mus t continu e t o b e posited i n order t o allo w for a critica l analysi s o f it s highly comple x an d divers e operations . Still, a postmoder n feminis t critiqu e need s t o addres s gende r i n it s specific an d intertwinin g relation s t o othe r ideologica l structure s and t o analyz e their joint effects o n theoretical, sociopolitical level s as muc h a s o n tha t o f subjectiv e experience . Thi s shoul d serv e t o preclude th e (inadvertent ) takeove r b y mainstrea m feminis m o f various disruptiv e othernesses , including, mos t notably , differences in sexua l orientatio n a s wel l a s ethni c an d racia l differences i n terms other tha n black . The postmoder n celebratio n o f differenc e ha s le d no t s o muc h to th e "dispersa l o f th e subject " a s t o a recognitio n o f it s multipl e inscription i n a rang e o f contingen t an d intersectin g discursiv e structures. Fa r fro m resultin g i n a "vie w fro m nowhere," 2 post modernism ha s necessitated a conscious an d explici t contextualiza tion o f an y discursiv e positio n o r critica l perspective. 3 Contempo rary literar y theor y start s from th e premise that signifyin g practice s play a constitutiv e rol e i n th e formatio n o f wha t i s i n effec t a n idealization: tha t "slipper y fish" calle d identity . Curren t feminis t theory ha s become , i n th e word s o f Teres a d e Lauretis , n o mor e and n o les s tha n a "politic s o f self-representation." 4 Bu t th e insis tence o n th e heterogeneit y o f th e processe s o f significatio n tha t both structur e an d deconstruc t suc h representation s ha s als o com pelled feminis m t o b e a "politic s o f location " i n the widest sens e of the term . Rathe r tha n a "resistanc e t o th e recognitio n tha t on e i s always somewhere," a s Susan Bord o argue s i n a defensiv e accoun t of it s presume d apolitica l pluralism , th e postmoder n "projec t o f embracing heterogeneity " signifie s a self-consciou s acknowledg ment of the contextual boundarie s that overdetermine any enuncia tory act. 5 Any ac t o f speech , an y for m o f reading/writin g i s d e fact o

From Marginality to Ex-centricity 293 situated withi n a contingen t an d shiftin g se t o f materia l socia l relations an d i s thus , b y definition , interested. B y exposin g th e constraining effect s o f dominan t discursiv e regimes , feminis t the ory an d practic e hav e foregrounde d th e significanc e o f th e enunci ating subject' s situatednes s withi n a symboli c networ k o f unequa l power relations—i n particula r th e foundin g structure s o f patriar chy: phallogocentris m an d compulsor y heterosexuality . Since , a s Bordo correctl y point s out , th e "inescapabl e fac t o f huma n em bodiment" render s i t physicall y impossibl e t o d o critica l justic e t o the myria d o f structurin g force s simultaneousl y operativ e i n a given society , i n a n individua l subject , o r eve n i n a singl e literar y text, i t i s i n th e interes t o f a feminis t critiqu e t o continu e t o tak e the categor y o f gende r a s one o f it s central object s o f investigation . The focu s o n gender , however , nee d no t entai l a denia l o r obscur ing of other, equally important factor s o f differentiation . I n curren t lesbian theory , therefore , th e "contextua l imperative " mean s a relative privilegin g o f th e categor y o f sexualit y i n orde r t o analyz e the way s i n whic h thi s "axi s o f exclusion " function s through, 6 against, and/o r i n conjunctio n wit h othe r force s o f sociodiscursiv e stratification.7 A s a politics of location an d self-representatio n bot h within an d without a phallogocentric discursiv e realm, postmoder n critical theor y an d practic e shoul d thu s atten d t o th e private , th e specific, an d th e particular a s much a s to th e fundamentall y publi c and institutionalize d discourse s b y which "identities " ar e sociocul turally produce d an d subjectivel y inscribed . In the preceding chapters I have employed various strategie s an d methodologies generate d b y feminis t theor y an d practic e ove r th e past decades . Sinc e an y chose n perspectiv e wil l b e investe d wit h a critic's specifi c sociopolitica l an d subjectiv e interests , I have selectively focused o n theoretical perspective s tha t appeare d t o offer th e best practica l tool s wit h whic h t o explor e a n equall y selectiv e number o f Elizabet h Bowen' s novels . Althoug h indisputabl y con tingent, thes e choice s hav e no t bee n arbitrary . Inspire d b y th e dynamics o f th e transferentia l proces s i n whic h writer/text/reade r

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are mutuall y engaged , the y bot h resul t fro m discursiv e interpla y and deriv e fro m th e natur e o f th e tas k I had se t mysel f i n writin g this book : criticall y t o reasses s th e accomplishmen t o f a largel y neglected femal e author , t o brin g to bea r on her texts the notion o f fiction a s th e "'non-expository ' theor y o f practice," 8 an d t o prac tice lesbia n feminis m a s a "politic s o f identity, " a s a "political personal strateg y o f surviva l an d resistanc e that i s also, at the sam e time, a critical practice and a mode of knowledge." 9 Th e end focu s of m y theoretica l itinerar y ma y appea r t o sugges t tha t I regar d psychoanalysis ultimatel y a s formin g th e mos t viabl e approac h t o the "comple x notio n tha t th e femal e subjec t i s a sit e o f difference s [that] remai n concretel y embedde d i n socia l an d powe r rela tions." 1 0 Althoug h th e intrinsi c temporalit y o f an y kin d o f narra tive—even on e situate d withi n a self-consciousl y antiteleologica l context—inadvertently implie s a movement toward progress , suc h a dialecti c i s certainly no t intended . Rather , b y focusin g o n differ ent way s t o addres s th e vexin g question s centra l t o a radica l femi nist projec t i n what hav e alread y bee n calle d "postfeminist " times , it has bee n m y purpose t o underlin e th e necessaril y interdependen t relations betwee n variou s way s o f theorizin g and practicin g a cri tique tha t i s a politica l a s muc h a s a n epistemologica l enterprise . Even so , th e apparen t narrowin g o f focu s i n th e las t chapter , m y reading o f ET a s a cas e histor y o f sorts , doe s indicat e som e o f the assumption s underlyin g m y reading/writin g practice . These ar e connected wit h wha t seem s t o emerg e a s the critica l concep t i n current theoretica l debate s a s wel l a s i n th e literar y text s i t ha s been m y attemp t t o de/reconstruct , tha t is , the notion o f identity . My privilegin g o f psychoanalysi s i n th e precedin g tw o chapter s is relate d bot h t o th e literar y tex t aroun d whic h m y argumen t i s organized an d t o th e aforementione d theoretica l questions . A s a narrative—as oppose d t o a scienc e o r clinica l methodology—o f psychic formatio n i n whic h representatio n an d identificatio n pla y determining roles , psychoanalysi s bear s directl y o n th e problem s currently facin g feminis t theory . Moreover , th e centra l plac e o f

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5

sexuality i n th e Freudia n accoun t o f subjectivit y ha s inevitabl y le d to a n abidin g interes t amon g feminis t theorist s i n psychoanalyti c theory—and n o les s importantly , i n th e critique s t o whic h Freud' s work ha s give n rise. 11 By approaching hi s writings a s sociohistori cally specific texts, an d b y disclosing their inconsistencies an d blin d spots, their phallogocentric gap s and biase s as well as their analyti c potential, suc h critique s hav e rendere d psychoanalysi s int o on e o f the mos t productiv e intertext s amon g man y mode s o f contempo rary theory . Thi s i s partl y becaus e psychoanalysi s deal s wit h th e (re)constructions o f meaning . In clinica l practice , th e proces s o f psychoanalysis consist s i n the listening to an d th e telling of stories : analyst an d analysan d ar e mutuall y engage d i n th e (re)productio n of meanin g throug h fictionalization. A s such , psychoanalysi s pro vides on e o f th e mos t feasibl e conceptua l scheme s wit h whic h t o explore identit y formatio n a s a discursivel y produced/producin g effect, or , pu t slightl y differently , a s a sexuall y overdetermine d signifying process . Freud's cas e histories revea l that he realized that , sinc e any stor y is bot h tol d an d receive d from/withi n a particula r perspective , neither poin t o f vie w ca n eve r b e disintereste d o r objective . Wit h the reemergenc e o f critica l interes t i n hi s wor k i n th e earl y 1970s , feminist film theorist s wer e amon g th e first t o acknowledg e th e relevance o f th e psychoanalytic accoun t o f th e formatio n o f sexua l identities a s a semiotic phenomenon. Callin g attentio n t o th e inter relations betwee n th e "processe s o f psychoanalysi s an d cinema, " the debate o n th e gendered natur e o f th e gaze directed th e theoreti cal focu s t o what E . Ann Kapla n ha s calle d th e "materializatio n o f the signifier. " Th e ensuin g insigh t int o th e clos e link s betwee n social experienc e an d ar t allowe d critic s t o "rea d dail y lif e a s structured accordin g t o signifyin g practices." 12 In thi s way , th e much dispute d ahistoricit y o f psychoanalytic theory , an d therewit h its use(lessness ) fo r feminis m a s a sociopolitical practice , ha s bee n newly hel d u p fo r discussion . Bu t eve n i f a substantia l par t o f psychoanalytic discours e ha d no t bee n relate d a s cas e histories ,

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Freud's metatheoretica l narratives , an d th e majo r concept s h e evolved i n them , explicitl y dra w o n fictions, tha t is , on th e found ing myth s o f classica l antiquity . I n othe r words , psychoanalysi s unequivocally attest s t o th e discursiv e natur e o f th e social , politi cal, an d persona l investment s tha t infor m th e narrative s b y mean s of whic h w e construc t ourselve s an d th e world—an d vic e versa . That Freu d wa s largel y incapabl e o f lookin g beyon d th e bound aries o f hi s ow n narro w sociocultura l contex t ha s effectivel y bee n pointed ou t b y man y o f hi s critics , bu t thi s nee d no t detrac t fro m the radica l insigh t h e offer s int o th e materia l ontolog y o f th e human psyche . As a technolog y i n th e Foucauldia n sense , psychoanalysis virtu ally "invented " wha t i n th e earl y twentiet h centur y cam e t o b e accepted a s th e individual' s inne r psyche . Elizabet h Bowen' s posi tion withi n th e literar y an d intellectua l circle s o f Londo n an d Oxford i n the 1920 s an d 1930s , not quit e within bu t clos e enoug h to wha t i s now know n a s Bloomsbury , allow s u s safel y t o assum e that sh e wa s familia r wit h Freud' s basi c assumptions. 13 He r earl y novel LS wa s i n fac t writte n a t a tim e whe n psychoanalysi s wa s increasingly gainin g groun d a s a lay discourse, proffering a sophis ticated yet accessible account of the psyche as an inner spac e whose unconscious driv e energ y wa s assume d t o hav e a n autonom y an d authority o f it s own . Whe n Bowen' s wor k i s place d withi n thi s sociohistorical context , i t i s no t reall y surprisin g t o find tha t th e author initiall y pose d on e o f th e centra l question s addresse d by/i n all he r novels , tha t is , th e constitutio n o f (female ) subjectivity , i n terms o f a binar y oppositio n betwee n inne r an d oute r reality . He r preoccupation wit h th e interio r o f th e inne r soul , wit h wha t Wil liam Jame s i n 189 0 first define d i n th e metapho r o f th e "stream " or rive r o f thought , o f consciousness, 14 irrefutabl y situate s Bowe n within th e cultura l climat e o f modernism . A t th e sam e time , how ever, w e recal l tha t Loi s Farquar' s struggl e fo r identit y i s no t depicted a s a n exclusivel y intrapsychi c proces s bu t i s cas t a s a conflict betwee n inne r an d oute r space . I n thi s sense , th e nove l

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7

would see m t o exten d th e preoccupation s o f th e positivis t an d deterministic naturalis t writer s o f th e nineteent h century , whos e focus wa s predominantl y o n th e "conflict s o f individua l aspiratio n and socia l obligation, " o n th e "clas h o f tradition s an d self-fulfill ment." 1 5 Wha t thu s amount s t o a n apparen t contradictio n i n th e author's positio n als o pertain s t o th e operatio n o f languag e itself . While Bowe n t o a certai n degre e share d th e overwhelmin g fea r o f the inadequac y o f languag e an d th e los s o f fait h i n "objectiv e reality" that characteriz e th e works of a large number o f modernis t writers, sh e neve r adopte d th e accompanyin g drea m o f a n "orde r in ar t independen t o f o r els e transcendin g th e humanistic , th e material, th e real.' 916 He r concer n wit h languag e therefor e neve r results i n th e aestheti c introversio n crucia l t o muc h modernis t art . These ambivalences , however , d o no t legitimiz e relegatin g Bowe n to the margin s o f th e major cultura l movemen t o f th e earl y twenti eth centur y o r denouncin g he r fictions a s reactionary return s t o th e confinement o f a n idealize d Edwardia n past . Rather , the y indicat e Bowen's comple x inside/outsid e positio n wit h regar d t o th e pre vailing artisti c an d intellectua l tendencie s o f he r times . He r earl y concentration o n her characters ' inner psychic space and her simul taneous insistenc e o n thei r situatednes s i n th e historica l her e an d now instal l her firmly within the larger cultura l context—althoug h in a n ex-centri c position . It has become clear that Bowen's concer n with the problematica l relations betwee n inne r an d oute r "reality " wa s strengthene d rather tha n weakene d b y th e shiftin g sociohistorica l coordinate s in whic h sh e successivel y foun d herself . Th e risin g leve l o f self consciousness qualifyin g bot h he r fictional an d he r critica l writing s testifies t o a deepenin g awarenes s o f th e locate d natur e o f he r sel f and her art . World Wa r I I evidently forme d a watershed experienc e in thi s respect : he r deep-seate d convictio n o f th e inseparabilit y o f the privat e fro m th e publi c an d he r acut e insigh t int o th e critica l operations o f gende r i n bot h wer e confirme d an d acquire d particu lar poignanc y whe n th e autho r explore d thes e question s i n th e

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guise o f th e mora l dilemm a controllin g HD. 17 Th e author' s las t novel, i n whic h th e boundarie s betwee n inne r an d oute r spac e ar e blurred t o th e exten t tha t thei r interactiv e force s becom e practi cally interchangeable , a t onc e display s a growin g emphasi s o n externality with regar d t o narrative technique an d embodies a mos t private o r inner-directe d stor y a s a cas e histor y and/o r stor y o f origins i n whic h sexualit y take s cente r stage . Formin g a pivota l and representativ e aspec t o f th e contradictor y or , perhap s mor e accurately, o f th e idiosyncraticall y ambivalen t qualit y o f Bowen' s novelistic discourse , thi s structura l featur e o f ET attest s t o wha t I consider the novel's essentially postmodern character , exemplifyin g an ex-centricity alread y prefigured i n the paradoxical dualit y of LS. To validat e m y clai m t o a postmoder n qualit y i n Bowen' s late r work, I mus t briefl y retur n t o th e sociocultura l climat e i n whic h she starte d he r writin g career . In he r nonfiction , Bowe n repeatedl y underlined th e profoun d influenc e o f Marce l Prous t o n he r idea s about literature . Sh e adhere d t o th e Frenc h novelist' s notio n o f ar t as a "centra l illumination, " a s th e onl y mean s b y whic h discon nected an d contingen t realit y ca n b e patterned. 18 Sh e di d not , however, harbo r a belie f i n th e wor k o f art' s abilit y t o "transcen d its locality" ; no r di d sh e subscrib e t o a notio n o f th e writer' s styl e as a "symbolis t totality." 19 Indeed , Bowen' s deliberat e inscriptio n in th e traditio n o f socia l realis m represent s a refusa l t o accep t th e modernist tenet of a fundamental disjunctio n betwee n socia l realit y and literar y language , o f a n absolut e aestheticis m repudiatin g an y notion o f mimesi s o r descriptio n that , i n it s turn , resulte d i n th e autotelic an d hermeti c antinarrative s typica l o f hig h modernism . The author' s devian t stanc e connect s he r wor k wit h another , les s centrally acknowledge d aspec t o f th e by-no-means-homogeneou s modernist movement . As Richar d Sheppar d point s out , th e antiar t form s o f dadais m and surrealis m evolvin g contemporaneousl y wit h modernis m d o not conve y a fundamenta l despai r a t th e communicativ e abilit y o f language bu t actuall y reinstat e languag e a s on e amon g man y

From Marginality to Ex-centricity 299 means o f communication. 20 Positin g verba l significatio n a s a me dium wit h a powe r o f it s own , indee d a s a constitutiv e forc e ove r which huma n being s hav e limite d control , thes e movement s wen t counter t o th e modernis t tendenc y t o celebrat e th e author' s abilit y to creat e a newl y ordere d univers e ou t o f socia l chaos . A s th e ultimate form s o f modernism , thes e countercultura l movements , whose aims were social an d existential rathe r tha n purel y aesthetic , should, Sheppar d maintains , be regarded a s the precursors o f post modernism. Suc h insistenc e o n th e necessit y o f acceptin g th e ne w situation an d developin g alternativ e sociocultura l countercurrent s from withi n finds expressio n i n Bowen' s particula r blendin g o f diverse generi c an d discursiv e styles , tha t is , i n he r sustaine d at tempt a t transformin g establishe d narrativ e form s an d technique s in orde r t o articulat e radicall y altere d view s o n th e subjec t and/i n society. I n th e word s o f on e o f he r characters : "On e ha s t o liv e how on e can." 2 1 Th e countercultura l abandonmen t o f th e claim o f mastery ove r meanin g an d th e univers e implie s a politicizatio n o f literary discourse . This render s Bowen' s assertion s o f the inextrica ble link s betwee n privat e an d publi c reality , an d o f th e critica l function o f narrativ e discours e i n constructin g both , int o radica l gestures—in politica l a s much a s in artisti c terms. In accordanc e wit h th e Proustia n notio n o f writing/readin g a s indefinite processe s o f self-definition , Bowen' s text s reflec t a con cept o f identit y that , i n th e final instance , i s irreducibl e t o eithe r inner o r oute r space , o r t o an y on e ter m i n a n endles s rang e o f similar binar y oppositions . Th e resultin g ambivalences , surfacin g on bot h th e representationa l an d th e discursiv e level s of he r narra tives, produc e a sens e o f instabilit y an d crisi s palpabl e fro m he r earliest novel s onward . I t is , however, especiall y i n he r late r wor k that conventiona l interpretiv e strategie s ar e thoroughl y under mined. B y bot h invokin g an d defyin g traditiona l readin g expecta tions, these novels generate disturbing effect s that , a s we have seen , may unsettl e eve n th e "professional " readin g subject . However , rather tha n retracin g a line of argument that can be found through -

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out th e foregoin g chapters , I want t o conclud e b y dwellin g o n th e significance o f th e literar y enactmen t o f suc h irreducibilit y i n th e context o f (feminist ) discourse s o n sexuality . Sexual In/Difference In he r introductio n (1976 ) t o th e Pengui n editio n o f The House in Paris (1935) , th e Britis h novelis t A . S . Byatt declare s tha t thi s i s a novel abou t "sex , time , an d th e discover y o f identity." 22 Suc h a claim woul d appea r t o hol d tru e fo r al l o f Bowen' s novels . Al though he r treatmen t o f se x i s alway s subdued , occurrin g a s i t were off-stage , it s consequence s an d implication s featur e cente r stage i n th e storie s o f mos t i f no t al l o f he r characters ' lives . Moreover, a s I hav e trie d t o show , sexualit y play s a critica l rol e not onl y i n term s o f plo t an d narrativ e movemen t bu t als o insofa r as th e text s constitut e th e author' s discursiv e exploration s o f (he r own) subjectivity . Byatt connect s he r firs t t o he r secon d emphasi s wit h th e asser tion tha t "se x ha s a history " (9) . Thi s critica l poin t i s no t onl y borne ou t b y Bowen' s preoccupatio n wit h th e her e an d no w bu t also b y he r shiftin g perspectiv e o n sexua l identities . I t i s th e thir d of Byatt' s emphase s tha t function s a s th e poin t o f intersectio n a t which al l o f th e author' s majo r concern s converge . Th e centra l place o f th e questio n o f sexualit y i n Bowen' s wor k account s fo r my fina l theoretica l focu s o n psychoanalysis . B y conceptualizin g subjectivity, psychosexuality , an d discours e i n clos e interrelatio n with on e another , psychoanalyti c theor y allow s fo r a n exploratio n of th e libidina l processe s informin g th e fictional tex t o n it s variou s levels o f operation . I t therewit h open s th e possibilit y o f readin g Bowen's novels with regard t o what Barthes would cal l their "read erly" a s wel l a s thei r "writerly " aspects . I n th e remainde r o f thes e pages, I will concentrate o n wha t ha s hitherto com e only obliquel y under discussion : th e significanc e o f th e author' s stylisti c idiosyn crasies in relation t o the ex-centric content o f her novels .

From Marginality to Ex-centricity 301 As indicate d above , I have , fro m a n avowedl y intereste d per spective, sough t criticall y t o rea d Bowen' s text s no t onl y wit h regard t o (heterosexual ) gende r bu t als o i n terms o f (lesbian ) sexu ality. I n thi s sense , I have trie d t o mov e beyon d a feminis t critiqu e such a s tha t o f Lassner , whos e mai n argumen t revolve s aroun d a notion o f sexua l difference cas t in strictly binary terms, as woman' s difference fro m man . Whil e vali d i n itself , an d clearl y a n improve ment o n critic s wh o leav e th e questio n o f gende r virtuall y ou t o f account, suc h a heterocentri c conceptio n o f identit y i s i n th e final instance to o reductiv e t o generat e a sufficientl y comprehensiv e view o n Bowen' s texts . Fo r eve n i f w e disregar d th e fac t tha t thi s exclusionary notio n o f sexua l differenc e ha s becom e increasingl y problematic i n theoretica l term s a s well , Teres a d e Laureti s cor rectly remind s u s tha t th e earl y feminis t "emphasi s o n sexua l dif ference a s gende r . . . has rightl y com e unde r attac k fo r obscurin g the effect s o f othe r difference s i n women' s psychosocia l oppres sion." 23 I t woul d see m tha t i t i s bot h Bowen' s Anglo-Iris h origin s and, paradoxically, he r gende r tha t hav e operated i n precisely suc h an obscurin g manner . Failin g t o mee t th e requirement s o f domi nant (male ) literar y movements , sh e has , t o al l intent s an d pur poses, bee n lande d i n th e position o f literar y exile : off mainstrea m modernism, of f Bloomsbury , of f th e Anglo-Iris h traditio n even . Fully t o disentangl e th e we b o f cause s fo r he r marginalizatio n would requir e analyse s o f mor e tha n jus t gende r o r nationalit y differences. Hence , by highlighting th e aspec t o f sexuality , I do no t wish t o clai m prid e o f plac e fo r thi s elemen t o f othernes s a s a structuring forc e i n th e author' s texts . Havin g sai d this , I woul d still maintain tha t i t is the ex-centric nature o f her fictions' underly ing desire , apparen t fro m th e first nove l onward , that , i n intricat e interaction wit h th e othe r note d aspect s o f difference , ha s mad e i t particularly difficul t fo r critic s to asses s the radicalnes s o f Bowen' s accomplishment. While no othe r criti c of Bowe n has , as far a s I know, relate d th e stylistic aspect s o f he r wor k t o a radicall y subversiv e desire , I am ,

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of course , no t th e firs t t o dra w attentio n t o th e importanc e o f same-sex relationship s i n th e live s o f he r heroines , o r o f lesbia n sexuality generall y i n he r novels—bot h Le e an d Glendinnin g fleet ingly atten d t o thes e issues. 24 Th e American/Canadia n novelis t Jane Rule , however , ha s devote d a n essa y specificall y t o th e con struction o f lesbia n experienc e i n Bowen's novels. 25 Rule describe s a patter n o f "lesbia n experienc e bracketin g th e heterosexual experienc e o f marriag e an d children " i n which "mar riage i s bot h th e unlikel y an d inevitabl e cente r a t eithe r en d o f which i s th e mor e likel y an d les s destine d involvemen t o f wome n with thei r ow n kind " (115) . Sh e maintain s tha t th e presenc e o f lesbian character s an d relationship s i s particularl y prominen t i n the author' s earl y work . Whil e subsequen t novel s "concentrat e o n the emotiona l lif e o f women, " i t i s onl y i n he r las t novels , Rul e posits, tha t Bowe n returne d t o a "concer n fo r relationship s be tween women " (115) , suggestin g tha t thi s shif t i n emphasi s i s directly relate d t o th e deat h o f th e author' s husban d i n 1952 . Bowen's concentratio n o n heterosexua l relationship s i n th e 1940s , however, woul d see m t o b e no t a shif t i n emphasi s s o muc h a s a n exceptional move ; no r doe s i t strik e m e a s havin g directl y t o d o with he r marita l status . After all , when i n her first novel,T7? e Hotel (1927), sh e create d th e relationshi p tha t wa s t o se t the patter n fo r many o f he r ensuin g fictions—the passionat e involvemen t o f a young gir l wit h a n olde r woman—th e youn g write r ha d i n fac t just bee n married. 26 Moreover , a s anothe r instanc e o f he r practic e of "transpose d autobiography, " th e displacemen t o f lesbia n sexu ality t o on e o f th e subplot s i n he r war-tim e nove l HD reflect s a n urgency to examine male-female interactio n i n a specific sociohisto rical context , resultin g i n view s tha t appea r rathe r blea k i f no t downright destructive . A s Glendinnin g inform s us , HD wa s writ ten durin g th e perio d whe n Bowen' s affai r wit h th e Canadia n diplomat Charle s Ritchi e was reputedly a t its height. 27 If biograph ical information i s to she d an y ligh t o n alterin g sexua l orientation s in her fiction, i t would thu s see m that Bowen' s extramarita l affair s

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03

provide mor e conclusiv e evidenc e fo r shiftin g concern s i n thi s field.28 Bu t whateve r th e wort h o f th e possibl e connection s be tween th e author's lif e an d her art in the realm o f sexual relations , it i s obvious tha t th e issue o f lesbia n sexualit y surface s i n mos t of her texts . In th e essa y referre d t o above , d e Laureti s contend s tha t th e feminist "ac t o f assumin g an d speakin g fro m th e positio n o f a subject" ha s opene d u p a "critica l space " allowin g fo r lesbia n identity t o b e spoke n an d "conceptuall y articulated." 29 Yet , th e exclusive focu s o n gender a s both caus e and end of women's socia l oppression ha s resulted i n a "sexual indifference " withi n feminis m itself, i n th e institutio n o f a conceptua l framewor k i n whic h "fe male desire for the self-same, a n other femal e self , cannot b e recognized." D e Laureti s henc e assert s tha t th e "conditio n o f possibil ity" o f lesbia n representatio n consist s i n th e "critica l effor t t o dislodge th e erotic fro m th e discourse o f gender. " Drawin g o n the works o f a rang e o f lesbia n artist s an d writer s t o suppor t he r claims, she shows that it is at their textual/discursiv e leve l that suc h a dislodgemen t ca n and does variously occur . Thi s lead s her to the conclusion tha t a thoroug h rethinkin g o f "what , i n mos t cultura l discourses an d sociosexual practices , is still . . . a gendered sexual ity," require s th e critical analysi s o f discursive attempt s t o "escap e gender, t o den y it , transcen d it , o r perfor m i t i n excess , an d t o inscribe th e eroti c i n cryptic , allegorical , realistic , camp , o r othe r modes o f representation , pursuin g th e diverse strategie s o f writin g and o f readin g th e intransitiv e an d ye t obdurat e relatio n o f refer ence t o meaning , o f fles h t o language." 30 I t i s i n m y attemp t t o disentangle th e "indissolubl e knot " o f sexualit y an d reproductio n in Bowen' s text s tha t th e significanc e o f psychoanalyti c theor y incontestably manifest s itself . Fo r rathe r tha n explorin g th e ques tion o f femal e subjectivit y primaril y i n terms o f "gendere d sexual ity," Bowen's novels constitute a discursive quest for nonnormativ e sexual identitie s o n bot h th e sociohistorica l an d th e profoundl y intrapsychic level s of experience .

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As the quotation headin g this chapter suggests , Bowen was full y aware of th e untenability o f the binary fram e o f sex , of a "natural " sexual differenc e resultin g i n stabl e categorie s o f heterosexua l gender. He r nee d t o mov e beyon d suc h narro w boundarie s o f (self-)determination i s reflected i n the fact tha t her protagonists ar e never fixed i n thei r identities—that , t o us e her ow n words , "Bow en-characters ar e in transit consciously." 31 The sexua l overdeterminatio n o f thes e characters ' differance surfaces explicitl y in the central place taken up by the paradigmati c figure o f sexua l ambivalence , th e femal e adolescent . I have argue d that thi s figure operate s no t onl y a s a subjec t o f desir e i n relatio n to othe r femal e character s an d th e autho r "inside " th e tex t bu t also a s th e objec t o f desir e o n th e extradiegeti c level , a s a n objec t of eroti c investmen t fo r th e autho r "outside " th e text . Classi c psychoanalytic theor y ha s show n tha t desir e an d identificatio n ar e inextricably linke d i n subjectiv e formation . Withi n th e traditiona l family triangle , thes e distinc t moment s i n th e econom y o f desir e obtain i n diametricall y oppose d directions . B y insistin g o n th e noncoincidence o f th e gender position s amon g which th e processe s of desir e an d identificatio n tak e effect , th e reversal/oppositio n scheme o f th e oedipa l conflic t serve s t o reinforc e an d maintai n established "hom(m)osexual, " tha t i s t o sa y compulsoril y hetero sexual, gende r relations . A feminis t critiqu e o f Freudia n theor y such a s Silverman's , reinstatin g th e negativ e Oedipu s comple x within th e realm o f th e symbolic, has made i t possible to reconcep tualize femal e sexualit y i n terms o f a radically subversiv e desire , a s the proces s an d th e produc t o f bot h eroti c investmen t i n an d identification wit h th e parent o f th e same sex. 32 Subjectivity is , as Laca n ha s shown , a n imaginar y construction . Silverman's metapho r o f th e "acousti c mirror " expand s th e psy choanalytic conceptualizatio n o f th e psychosexua l proces s fro m the visual/specula r t o th e auditory/acousti c real m o f perception . This conclusivel y qualifie s th e relevanc e o f th e femal e subject' s physical lac k o f a peni s an d thereb y als o th e concep t o f feminin -

From Marginality to Ex-centricity 305 ity—or rathe r o f masculinity—upo n whic h bot h th e Freudian an d the Lacania n theorie s o f "hom(m)osexuality " depend . Bu t instea d of constitutin g literall y perceive d image s o f th e child' s a s ye t un formed self , thes e variou s "mirrors " i n whic h i t first learn s t o recognize itsel f represen t fantas y image s o f th e chil d a s other , a s objects tha t th e mother project s ont o th e screens of a differentiate d other, th e symboli c real m o f oute r reality . Fro m th e earlies t stage s onward, th e subjec t thu s identifie s wit h wha t ar e in effec t s o man y culturally inscribe d fantasie s o f th e paren t fo r who m s/h e need s t o exist in order t o com e into bein g at all . This renders sexua l identit y into a fantasmatic formatio n tha t ha s little to d o with anatomy. 33 Although th e gendere d natur e o f th e mother' s fantasie s play s a critical rol e i n th e psychosexua l developmen t o f th e child , i t i s possible t o conceive , a t thi s ver y earl y stag e o f subjectiv e forma tion, o f (female ) sexualit y a s "dislodged " fro m (female ) gende r identity. Moreover , withi n th e Freudia n paradigm , th e mother' s desire fo r th e chil d serve s a s a substitut e fo r th e phallu s tha t i s denied he r a s a n adul t femal e subject . Thi s implie s tha t th e girl' s primary sexua l identification s ar e with phallic images, not wit h th e lack o f femininity . I n longin g t o b e wha t th e mothe r desires , t o fulfill th e promis e o f bein g th e mother' s object , th e child' s ow n desire is opened up . It is in this sense that th e operation o f desir e is indissolubly linke d t o identification . Sinc e th e girl' s desir e durin g the negativ e stag e o f th e oedipa l comple x i s directed a t th e phallic , sexually active mother , bot h he r identificator y energ y an d he r erotic desir e ar e directe d a t a phallic , o r rathe r a nonlacking , position. Th e splittin g of f o f th e on e fro m th e othe r durin g th e positive oedipa l phas e i n orde r t o mee t th e requirement s o f th e heterosexual matri x occur s onl y whe n th e girl' s first lov e objec t undergoes the devaluation o f normative femininity . Wha t is, within this perspective , a surprisin g empirica l fact , tha t is , th e cultura l prevalence of femal e /?eterosexuality , attest s to the pervasive opera tions o f dominan t regime s o f power/knowledge . I t als o goe s t o show tha t th e concep t o f a gendere d sexualit y pe r s e serve s t o

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maintain th e "hom(m)osexual " orde r i n which th e tabo o o n lesbi anism woul d appea r t o take precedence eve n over that o f incest. 34 The poin t o f m y shor t theoretica l detou r i s no t a sociopolitica l but a literary-critica l one . A conceptio n o f femal e identit y a s a fantasmatic proces s i n whic h th e figure o f th e mothe r occupie s a central place serves to connect the stylistic aspects of Bowen's wor k to bot h it s literary-historica l contex t an d it s underlyin g desire . T o elucidate thes e connections , I must tur n t o a n essa y b y Shar i Ben stock, i n whic h sh e reread s th e histor y o f modernis m fro m th e perspective o f contemporar y lesbia n theory. 35 Benstoc k begin s b y clarifying tha t he r object , th e "exploratio n o f Sapphic modernism," woul d no t hav e bee n possibl e te n year s ag o o n accoun t o f the fac t tha t th e "denia l o f al l form s o f lesbia n experience , includ ing artisti c an d aestheti c experiences , an d th e suppressio n o f lesbi anism b y an d withi n histor y hav e define d i t a s a n exclude d Othe r within cultura l tradition." 36 Whil e acknowledgin g th e difficultie s of definitio n surroundin g th e ter m (male ) modernis m itself , sh e concentrates he r argumen t o n th e variet y o f "(female ) modern isms," makin g a (provisional ) distinctio n betwee n thos e author s who "followe d traditiona l model s o f for m an d style , bu t whos e subject matte r wa s Sapphism " an d thos e wh o "filtere d th e lesbia n content o f thei r writin g throug h th e scree n o f presumabl y hetero sexual subjec t matte r o r behin d experimenta l literar y styles " (184-85). I woul d argu e that , a s th e product s o f a n "expatriate " par excellence , Bowen' s text s d o no t exactl y fal l withi n eithe r o f these categorie s bu t belon g t o bot h a t th e sam e time , exemplifyin g that whic h lie s behin d th e tw o side s o f wha t Benstoc k designate s the "psychosexua l faul t line " of subjectivity . Drawing o n Lacania n psychoanalysis , Benstoc k use s th e ter m "fault line " t o sugges t th e "structura l relation " betwee n th e con scious an d th e unconsciou s tha t i s textuall y "marke d i n a patter n of crack s an d fissures, evidenc e o f th e cultura l imprin t tha t th e unconscious constantl y unsettle s an d undermines. " Sinc e a sub ject's cultura l positio n i s b y definitio n a sexua l position , th e in -

From Marginality to Ex-centricity 307 scription o f sexualit y i n the literary tex t "reveal s th e psychosexua l positioning b y eithe r tracin g [th e faul t line's ] contour s o r at tempting (howeve r unconsciously ) t o trace its patterns" (188) . Precisely i n th e contex t o f highl y (self-)consciou s mode s o f writin g such a s post/modernism , th e tension s o f a simultaneou s tracin g and encodin g of these contour s ca n be clearly discerned . The mark of psychosexual doubl e inscription an d the violence with whic h the lesbian a s psychosexual othe r is socioculturally repressed , Benstoc k posits, emerge s i n th e writin g o f femal e modernis t text s i n thei r "use o f trope s an d images , whic h ar e themselve s disguise s o f th e unconscious," an d i n thei r "linguisti c excess " (189) . Suc h a focu s on th e "structura l term s o f figuration itself " no t onl y place s th e works o f mor e o r les s officiall y "canonized " femal e writer s int o a radically differen t ligh t bu t als o succeed s i n furthe r movin g femi nist theor y "beyon d it s concern s wit h representation-of-woman as-figure." Th e grammatica l unconventionalitie s an d syntacti c deviations i n th e text s o f "sapphi c modernists " attes t t o wha t i s pertinent t o symboli c practic e i n general , tha t is , th e fac t tha t "representation i s always premise d o n th e loss o f tha t whic h can not b e represented." B y employing strategie s o f disruptio n suc h a s elliptical forms , experimenta l punctuation , and , particularly prom inent in Bowen, double or triple negatives, these texts figure "woman-in-culture" a s th e sit e o f absenc e o r negativity , an d therewit h "mark th e impossibility o f figurability an d the failure o f represen tation" itself . Suc h technique s o f "grammatical-rhetorica l 'devia tion,'" Benstoc k contends , ar e not merely articulation s o f the "experimental or avant-garde, but the Sapphic" (191-92) . Silverman's recastin g o f th e Freudia n paradig m enable s u s t o take Benstock' s argumen t one—crucial—ste p further . Th e relocation o f th e negativ e Oedipu s comple x withi n th e symbolic , a s a stag e o f psychosexua l developmen t precedin g th e heterosexua l acculturation o f th e positiv e Oedipus , establishe s th e girl' s desir e for he r first lov e objec t a s a n inauguratin g momen t i n the proces s of her subjectivity. Th e interrelated operation s o f desire and identi-

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fication rende r femal e sexualit y int o a fantasmati c formatio n that , instead o f representin g a preoedipal o r unconsciou s stag e o f devel opment, i s firmly situate d withi n th e real m o f th e signifier/phallus . Rather tha n expressin g th e positio n o f "woman-in-culture " i n terms o f heterosexua l gender , th e inscriptio n o f suc h a desir e b y way o f technique s o f "deviation " signal s th e negativ e presenc e o f lesbian sexuality/identit y within th e text of phallogocentric culture . The gaps , fissures, an d disruption s qualifyin g th e texts o f "sapphi c modernists" ar e no t articulation s o f a femininit y that , withi n th e terms o f a binar y sexua l difference , ca n onl y b e define d a s lac k o r absence. The y are , rather , th e marker s o f a radica l femal e o r les bian sexualit y resolutel y situate d o n thi s sid e of th e "psychosexua l fault line, " a sexualit y whos e phalli c natur e contain s suc h subver sive potential tha t i t must b e doubly disavowed . By definin g th e "sapphi c eroti c power " informin g th e text s o f female modernist s a s th e forc e o f a sexua l wwconscious , Benstoc k inadvertently reinforce s th e "sexua l indifference " inheren t i n a concept o f sexua l identit y conceive d o f i n strictl y binary , tha t i s to sa y heterosexuall y gendered , terms . Instea d o f articulatin g a n "unfigurable" sexua l unconscious , th e lesbia n desir e operatin g i n these texts would appea r t o constitut e th e socioculturally represse d erotic conten t o f th e writing . Th e stylisti c idiosyncrasie s ar e (self- ) conscious deviations , representativ e o f a negativit y tha t i s bot h ideologically disavowe d an d symbolicall y present . Th e textualit y itself speaks a s a psychosexua l othe r o f Wester n culture , tha t ex centric figure hoverin g i n th e "space-off " o f patriarchy , bot h pres ent an d absen t b y virtue of embodyin g a n identity in which norma tive sexuality an d gende r d o not coincide . Such consideration s plac e th e stylisti c idiosyncrasies o f Bowen' s fiction—as muc h a s th e frequenc y wit h whic h critic s hav e foun d fault wit h thes e "mannered " ex-centricities—i n a n entirel y differ ent light. The suggestio n o f a "sapphi c eroti c power" a s the under lying force o f he r fiction i s supported b y the fact tha t alteration s i n the perspectiv e o n gende r relation s an d sexua l identitie s o n th e

From Marginality to Ex-centricity 309 representational leve l o f he r text s ar e reflecte d i n simila r modula tions o n thei r discursiv e level . Whil e al l o f th e novel s displa y t o a considerable degre e th e strategie s o f deviatio n an d disruptio n tha t Benstock discusses , i t i s possible t o trac e a n increas e i n th e promi nence o f he r characteristi c disruptiv e technique s ove r th e cours e o f the author' s career . Place d i n thei r chronologica l order , Bowen' s novels reflec t no t onl y a growin g tendenc y t o "dispens e wit h th e civilized surfac e o f behaviour " i n term s o f plo t an d characteriza tion bu t als o a gradua l expansio n o f textua l dislocation s i n whic h the "danger , despair , an d passio n whic h ha d alway s lai n unde r th e surface" ar e increasingl y discursivel y articulated. 37 A n exceptiona l position is , i n thi s respect , agai n take n u p b y HD. I n considerin g HD's exceptiona l position , i t i s importan t t o bea r i n min d tha t Bowen foun d he r war-tim e nove l extremel y difficul t t o write. Hav ing complete d th e struggle , sh e fel t tha t sh e ha d trie d t o pu t lan guage t o wha t sh e feare d migh t b e a n "impossibl e use " an d ac knowledged a "certai n strain " tha t a numbe r o f critic s ha d als o recognized i n it s writing . Thes e equivocation s acquir e particula r significance whe n on e considers tha t HD wa s the most "narrative " of Bowen' s novels , tha t is , th e on e i n whic h sh e attempte d mos t strictly t o confor m t o th e rule s o f conventiona l narrativ e practice . The author's retrospectiv e unease about the novel's linguistic/stylis tic aspects appear s t o sugges t tha t HD i s exceptional t o he r oeuvr e not onl y i n that i t deals with th e constructio n o f femal e experienc e in primarily heterosexua l term s bu t als o with regar d t o the norma tive desir e articulate d i n it s contorte d an d evasiv e discursiv e surface. Ex-centric Interpellations The operatio n o f a n ex-centri c mod e o f desir e i n Bowen' s text s affects th e processe s o f identity/identificatio n o n severa l interre lated levels . First , ther e i s th e questio n o f address . I n directin g attention t o th e plac e o f enunciation—b y inscribin g i t int o a vari -

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ety o f genres , b y settin g u p a narrato r i n th e positio n o f contro l while a subversiv e desir e i s simultaneousl y allowe d t o spea k through thi s mask, through shift s i n narrative development, th e use of obscurin g imagery , broke n syntacti c structures , doubl e an d tri ple negatives , an d simila r form s o f technica l "deviation"—th e ex centric tex t urge s th e reade r t o resituat e hersel f i n relatio n t o th e enunciation a s such. While equally articulatin g itsel f o n a represen tational leve l in ambivalen t rathe r tha n merel y oppositiona l terms , the text project s a reading position tha t i s thus bot h accessibl e an d unsettling. In othe r words , th e movemen t o f th e tex t invite s th e reader t o identify wit h th e ex-centric position o f doubl e inscriptio n that i t projects , t o assum e bot h "normal " an d "abnormal " sex / textual position s simultaneously . Sinc e sexua l identit y i s a fantas matic formatio n produce d in/b y discourse , th e imaginar y effor t that suc h a positionin g require s force s th e reade r t o inves t he r attention i n th e reassuringl y conventiona l a s wel l a s i n th e discon certingly disruptiv e aspect s of th e text . "Attention," a s Ev a Trou t discovered , an d a s Marily n Fry e confirms, "i s a kin d o f passion." 38 Fry e elaborates : "Whe n one' s attention i s o n something , on e i s present i n a particula r wa y wit h respect t o tha t thing . Thi s presenc e is , amon g othe r things , a n element o f eroti c presence . Th e orientatio n o f one' s attentio n i s also wha t fixes an d direct s th e applicatio n o f one' s physica l an d emotional work." 3 9 Thi s adequatel y account s fo r th e uneas e tha t Bowen's wor k ha s provoke d amon g critics . By problematizing th e unmarked readin g positio n i n th e proces s o f textua l identification , the ex-centri c tex t alert s u s no t onl y t o its unsai d bu t als o t o th e repressed psychosexua l othe r i n ourselve s an d i n th e cultura l tex t generally. Moreover , th e rhetorical-syntacti c strategie s o f ellipsi s and interruptio n poin t t o tha t whic h i s symbolicall y inscribe d a s the sig n o f absence , tha t is , a mod e o f femal e sexualit y tha t defie s the regulation s o f th e heterosexua l matrix . B y encoding th e move ment o f femal e same-se x desir e i n it s discourse , th e ex-centri c tex t

From Marginality to Ex-centricity 311 reveals th e critica l functio n o f th e socioculturall y represse d aspect s in the process o f femal e subjectivity/sexualit y pe r se . Reading i t a s a "structur e o f th e unconscious, " Benstoc k main tains tha t th e "sapphic " i s "no t a language , bu t i t structure s lan guage; i t i s mysteriou s an d shadowy , no t directl y accessible , no t immediately availabl e t o view. " Th e metapho r sh e use s t o desig nate thi s othe r "realm " i s th e imag e Freu d introduce d t o describ e his discover y o f th e libidina l bon d betwee n mothe r an d daughte r during the earliest stages of psychosexual formation : th e "Minoan Mycenaean civilizatio n behin d Greece, " a notio n tha t w e hav e found t o b e o f suc h crucia l relevanc e t o th e mos t ex-centri c o f Bowen's fictions (ET) an d t o he r creatio n o f th e novel' s "larger than-life" eponymou s heroine . Moreover , a recastin g o f Freud' s paradigm suc h a s propose d b y Silverma n allow s fo r a n eve n mor e subversive readin g o f th e "shadowy " powe r structurin g th e "sap phic" tex t tha n Benstoc k proposes . Rathe r tha n figuring a s a pre symbolic o r unconsciou s realm , thi s discursiv e spac e the n repre sents th e negativ e Oedipu s complex , th e socioculturall y represse d stage i n th e developmen t o f femal e sexuality , whos e significanc e lies precisely in its location i n the oedipal situatio n generally . Functioning as , i n Benstock' s terms , a n "ech o chambe r o f simulacr a and phantasms, " thi s textua l real m provide s a spac e t o re-presen t not s o muc h wha t ha s bee n los t wit h th e inscriptio n o f (female ) subjectivity i n th e symboli c orde r a s such , bu t wha t ha s bee n repressed upo n th e girl' s insertio n int o th e positiv e Oedipu s o f compulsory heterosexuality. 40 Instead o f situatin g the "sapphic" in an archai c presymbolic, the ex-centric tex t thu s obliquel y reinscribe s th e represse d psychosex ual othe r o f heterocentri c cultur e i n th e fissures an d knot s o f referential discourse . I n thi s way , suc h text s constitut e configura tions o f a lesbia n sexualit y extrapolate d fro m a mother/daughte r relationship tha t i s bot h oedipa l an d profoundl y othe r tha n th e dominant structure , tha t is , the letha l trac t bindin g fathe r an d son .

3 i 2 From

Marginality to Ex-centricity

As th e sit e o f a negativ e oedipa l textuality , th e ex-centri c tex t allows u s t o conceptualiz e a genuinel y "feminin e symbolic " a s a doubly inscribe d discours e that , whil e radicall y transgressin g th e bounds o f phallogocentri c epistemology , i s yet firml y roote d i n th e realm o f th e signifier . Signaling th e eroti c aspect s o f same-se x relation s i n th e proces s of femal e subjectivity , th e inscription o f the desire pertinent to suc h a negativ e real m i n Bowen' s text s make s i t possibl e t o giv e he r a central plac e i n a n ex-centri c traditio n rathe r tha n a margina l place i n a dominan t one . I f th e self-define d exile-autho r belong s anywhere, i t woul d see m t o b e amon g th e "sapphi c modernists " who "positio n themselve s structurally i n th e interstices , gaps , an d overlaps inheren t i n literar y orders." 41 Insofa r a s Bowen' s wor k reflects a preoccupatio n wit h a "breakdow n o f language " (Lee) , it is the crisis inherent in a subjectivity tha t ca n only speak itsel f fro m a positio n o f doubl e inscription , bot h withi n an d withou t struc tural form s an d sexua l norms . O n a representationa l a s muc h as o n a discursiv e level , Bowen' s novel s testif y t o a thoroughl y ambivalent "uniqu e susceptibility " t o sel f an d world . Th e concep t of identit y tha t eventuall y emerge s fro m he r fiction i s i n th e final instance recognizabl e a s th e graduall y unravelin g "indissolubl e knot" o f "gendere d sexuality. " Th e contradictor y qualitie s o f he r work, i n term s o f plot , characterization , narrativ e development , and th e idiosyncrasy o f th e discourse itself, attest t o the fundamen tal disjunction underlyin g the "dark continent " o f female sexuality . Bowen's genuin e ex-centricit y consist s i n he r textua l enactmen t o f precisely thi s irreducibility .

Notes

j . Introduction i. Patrici a Craig' s mor e recen t Elizabeth Bowen (1986 ) i s a shor t an d altogether superficia l book . 2. Glendinnin g 11 , 15. 3. Elizabet h Bowen , Seven Winters (1942 ; 1984) , 8 . 4. Ibid. , 9 . 5. Elizabet h Bowen , Bowen 9s Court (1942 ; 1984) , 451. 6. Elizabet h Bowen , "Picture s an d Conversations, " 23 . 7. Ibid. , 27 . 8. Elizabet h Bowen , "Th e Mulberr y Tree, " 188 , 186 . 9. Ibid. , 188 , 189 . 10. Glendinnin g 3 5. 11. Ibid. , 44 . 12. Elizabet h Bowen , Prefac e t o Early Stories (1951) , ctd. i n Glendinnin g 5413. Elizabet h Bowen , English Novelists (1945) , 2 5 14. Jocely n Brooke , Elizabeth Bowen (1 9 51). 15. Mar y McCarthy , On the Contrary, 275-76 . Ctd . i n Rosalin d Miles , The Female Form: Women Writers and the Conquest of the Novel (1987), 18 . 16. Mile s 18-19 . 17. Dougla s Hewitt , English Fiction of the Early Modern Period, 1890—1940 (1988) , 196-97 . 18. Hermion e Lee, Elizabeth Bowen: An Estimation (1981) . 19. Willia m Heath , Elizabeth Bowen: An Introduction to Her Novels (1961).

20. Harrie t Blodgett , Patterns of Reality: Elizabeth Bowen's Novels (i975)' 313

314 Notes

to Chapter One

21. Phylli s Lassner, Elizabeth Bowen (1990) . 22. Elizabet h Bowen , "Th e Achievemen t o f Virginia Woolf," 81.

2. Technologies of Female Adolescence 1. I n he r essa y "Ou t o f a Book, " Bowe n use s th e phras e "so-calle d rea l life" (264) , whereas th e narrato r i n he r las t novel , Eva Trout, a t on e point assert s that "ther e i s no 'rea l life' " (195) . 2. Elizabet h Bowen , preface t o Encounters, 85 . 3. Ibid. , 85 , 84. 4. Ibid. , 86 . 5. I am usin g th e ter m "(the ) Other/s " t o compris e (in)animat e "signifi cant others" as well a s the ideological structure s an d semioti c system s that preexis t th e individua l subject , an d i n relatio n t o whic h whom / which s/h e i s compelled t o defin e her/himself . 6. Ibid. , 87 . 7. Elizabet h Bowen, preface to Stories by Elizabeth Bowen, 77. 8. Ibid . Bowe n invariabl y refer s t o "th e writer " wit h th e mal e persona l pronoun; I will come bac k t o this . 9. Prefac e to Stories by Elizabeth Bowen, 77. 10. Ibid. , 78 . Italics mine. 11. Thi s phras e i s a derivatio n fro m wha t Miche l Foucaul t i n hi s essa y "What I s a n Author? " define s a s th e "author-function. " Thi s ter m elucidates th e fac t tha t certai n discourse s i n ou r cultur e ar e endowe d with a measur e o f authorit y an d significanc e tha t i s denie d t o othe r discourses. Sinc e th e author' s nam e operate s a s a "certai n mod e o f being i n discourse, " th e "author-function " i s "characteristi c o f th e mode o f existence , circulation , an d functionin g o f certai n discourse s in society" (148 , 149) . 12. I n m y discussio n o f Bakhtin' s ethic s o f experienc e i n everyda y life , I am largel y drawin g o n a serie s o f text s entitle d The Architectonics of Answerability (1918-1924) . Fo r detaile d bibliographica l informatio n on an d documentatio n o f the Russian linguist/philosopher' s publishe d and unpublishe d works , se e Katerin a Clar k an d Michae l Holquist , Mikhail Bakhtin (1984) , esp. 146-70 , 352-58 . 13. Th e ter m "timespace " (o r "chronotope" ) i n th e subheadin g fo r thi s section i s used b y Mikhai l Bakhti n t o designat e a "formall y constitu tive category o f literature, " an d serve s to highlight th e "inseparabilit y

Notes to Chapter Two 3 1 j of spac e an d time. " See "Forms o f Time an d o f th e Chronotope i n th e Novel: Notes towar d a Historical Poetics, " 84 . 14. I t is surprising tha t Bakhtin , whose wor k i n fac t constitute s a celebra tion o f difference , doe s not includ e sexua l difference s i n his "architec tonics" of subjectivity . Th e s/h e distinctio n therefor e i s mine. 15. Clar k an d Holquis t 64 . 16. Bakhti n thu s prefigure s Emil e Benveniste' s concep t o f "discourse, " that is , languag e a s a syste m o f differentia l relation s an d therefor e other b y definition , i n whic h th e subjec t assume s a positio n i n orde r to identif y her/himself . Se e th e latter' s influentia l stud y Problems in General Linguistics (1971) . For a n illuminatin g discussio n o f Benven iste, see Kaja Silverman , The Subject of Semiotics (1983) , 4 3 - 5 3 . 17. I n "Th e Bounde d Text, " i n Desire in Language 3 6 - 6 3 , Julia Kristev a takes th e (Bakhtinian ) utteranc e t o b e th e smalles t "ideologeme " o f the text . Define d a s th e "intertextua l functio n rea d a s * materialized' at the different structura l level s of eac h text," i t is the ideologeme tha t gives th e tex t "it s historica l an d socia l coordinates " (37) . The notio n implies tha t al l text s ar e b y definitio n intertexts , whos e meaning s derive fro m th e availabl e discursiv e structure s i n whic h the y wer e produced an d fro m th e discursiv e structure s accessibl e t o th e reade r in/by whom it s meaning(s) ar e (re)produced . 18. Loui s Althusser, "Ideolog y an d Ideologica l Stat e Apparatuses," 36 . 19. Ibid. , 56 . 20. Miche l Foucault , The Order of Things: An Archeology of the Human Sciences (1966 ; 1973) . 21. Se e Miche l Foucault , The Archeology of Knowledge and the Discourse on Language (1969 ; 1972) . 22. I n "Explanatio n an d Culture : Marginalia, " 103-17 , Gayatr i Chakra vorty Spiva k use s th e ter m "masculism " t o designat e "old-fashione d humanism, whic h consider s th e stud y o f woma n t o b e a special inter est and define s woma n i n terms of man " (107 , 283 n . 9). 23. Teres a d e Lauretis , "Th e Technolog y o f Gender, " 1—30 . D e Laureti s adopts th e ter m i n "technology " analog y t o Foucault' s notio n o f th e "technology o f sex," a notion h e developed to theorize the nineteenth century "invention " o f sexuality . Sh e advances a concept o f gende r a s the "produc t o f variou s socia l technologies , suc h a s cinema , an d o f institutionalized discourses , epistemologies , an d critica l practices , a s well a s practices o f dail y life " (2) . I am usin g the term i n this sense. 24. I n her more recen t article "Th e Essenc e of th e Triangle or , Takin g th e

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Risk o f Essentialis m Seriously, " d e Laureti s review s he r earlie r posi tion o n th e notio n o f sexua l difference , an d argue s instea d fo r main taining i t o n th e ground s o f it s "constitutiv e rol e . . . i n feminis t thought" (3) . 25. Th e ter m wa s originall y use d b y Gayl e Rubi n i n "Th e Traffi c i n Women: Note s towar d a Political Economy o f Sex," 157-210 . 26. Se e Althusser 4 4 - 5 1 . 27. Miche l Foucault , The History of Sexuality. Vol . I , An Introduction (1976; 1990) , 127 . 28. Fo r instance , a s describe d b y Michel e Barret t an d Ann e Phillip s i n their introductio n t o Destabilizing Theory: Contemporary Feminist Theory (1992) , 4. 29. Butle r effectivel y contest s th e "immutabl e characte r o f sex " i n a chapter o f he r boo k Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (1990 ) entitled "Subject s o f Sex/Gender/Desire." She posits that thi s "construc t calle d 'sex ' " wa s "alway s alread y gender , wit h the consequence tha t th e distinction betwee n sex and gende r turns ou t to b e no distinctio n a t all " (7) . 30. Butler , Gender Trouble, xi . 31. Moniqu e Wittig , "O n th e Socia l Contract, " 40 . 32. Ibid. , 4 0 - 4 1 . 33. Jan e Gallop , Around 1981: Academic Feminist Literary Theory (1992), 188 , 199 . Introduce d b y Gayatr i Spiva k ("Frenc h Feminis m in a n Internationa l Frame, " 149) , the practice o f "symptomati c read ing," Gallo p explains , ca n b e se t of f agains t "ne w critica l clos e read ing," whic h "embrace s th e tex t i n orde r t o mor e full y an d deepl y understand it s excellences. " Comin g ou t o f "psychoanalyti c metho d by way o f deconstructio n . . . 'symptomatic reading ' squeeze s the tex t tight t o forc e i t t o revea l it s perversities. " Demystifyin g an d henc e diminishing th e powe r o f authoritativ e texts , a "symptomatic " read ing practic e ca n a t onc e b e "respectful , becaus e closely attentive , and aggressive , becaus e i t wrest s secret s th e autho r migh t prefe r t o keep" (7) . 34. Cor a Kaplan , "Pandora' s Box : Subjectivity , Class , an d Sexualit y i n Socialist Feminist Criticism, " 148 . Ctd. in Gallop, Around 1981, 196 . 35. Th e "suggestive " ter m "implant " wa s originall y use d b y Foucaul t i n his History of Sexuality. Ctd . i n d e Lauretis , "Th e Technolog y o f Gender," 12 . 36. D e Lauretis, "The Technology o f Gender, " 18-19 .

Notes to Chapter Two 317 37. Al l page references t o Bowen's novels discussed in this and th e follow ing chapters wil l appea r i n parentheses i n the main text . 38. Fo r a revealin g accoun t o f th e interrelation s betwee n thes e tw o text s and th e historica l contex t o f th e Anglo-Iris h Ascendency , a s wel l a s for a n alternativ e readin g o f th e novel , se e Lee' s chapte r "Onl y Chil dren: Bowen's Court (1942 ) an d The Last September (1929) " i n Estimation, 13-56 . Fo r furthe r reading s o f LS, se e Heath , Introduction, 3 2 - 4 6 ; and Austin 3 7 - 4 1 . 39. Lee , Estimation, 4 8 - 4 9 . 40. Ibid. , 45. 41. Heath , Introduction, 36 . 42. I n "Th e Bi g House, " 195-200 , Bowe n analyze s th e phenomeno n o f the Anglo-Iris h Bi g House . I shal l mak e furthe r referenc e t o thi s essay below . 43. I n Female Adolescence: Psychoanalytic Reflections on Literature (1986), Katherin e Dalsime r note s tha t th e locatio n o f th e actua l mo ment a t whic h adolescenc e becam e recognize d a s a "distinc t phas e o f life" ha s led to considerabl e disagreemen t amon g historians. She gives several example s o f scholar s wh o dismis s th e ide a tha t th e ter m originates i n th e lat e nineteent h centur y o n accoun t o f evidenc e de rived fro m document s datin g fro m th e sixteenth , seventeenth , an d eighteenth centurie s (4) . 44. Teres a d e Lauretis , "Feminis t Studies/Critica l Studies : Issues , Terms , Contexts," 8 . 45. Fo r a n overvie w o f publication s o n th e issu e se e Dalsimer 1-12 . He r footnotes provid e usefu l bibliographica l references . 46. Thes e ar e "Fragmen t o f a n Analyi s o f a Cas e o f Hysteria " (1905) , also an d bette r know n a s th e "Dora-case, " an d "Th e Psychogenesi s of a Case of Homosexualit y i n a Woman" (1920) . 47. Gallop , Around 1981, 186 . 48. Dalsime r 2 . Fo r furthe r appreciation s o f th e femal e adolescen t i n literary texts , see Barbara A . White, Growing Up Female: Adolescent Girlhood in American Fiction (1985) ; an d Pamel a Pattynama , Passages: Vrouwelijke Adolescentie als Verhaal en Vertoog (1992) . 49. Eri k H . Erikson , Identity: Youth and Crisis (1968) , 128 . 50. Althoug h Erikson' s wor k i s noteworthy a s one of th e first psychologi cal studie s t o tak e th e socioideologica l aspect s o f identit y seriousl y into account , hi s decidedl y masculis t (an d racist ) bia s i s particularl y disturbing. Confine d t o the penultimate chapte r o f his book—preced -

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ing hi s final sectio n o n "Rac e an d th e Wider Identity " (295-320 ) — the adult horizon for female adolescents is described as "Womanhoo d and th e Inne r Space. " Appearin g a s th e privilege d sit e o f reproduc tion, girls are to become women "by dint of the fact that their somatic design harbor s a n 'inne r space ' destine d t o bea r th e offsprin g o f chosen men " (266) . Th e reductivenes s o f Erikson' s argumen t i s especially conspicuous when, maintaining that it is the "ideological poten tial of a society which speak s most clearly to the adolescent who i s so eager to b e affirme d b y peers, to b e confirmed b y teachers, an d to b e inspired b y worth-whil e 'way s o f life,' " h e locate s th e destinatio n o f the adolescent' s nee d fo r "trus t i n onesel f an d others " exclusively i n "men an d idea s t o hav e faith in, " conveniently glossin g ove r the fac t that al l suc h categories ("peers, " "teachers, " " 'ways o f life, ' " "men," an d "ideas" ) wil l invit e ver y differen t kind s o f investmen t from mal e an d femal e adolescents , respectivel y (130 , 128-29) . Wha t is mos t objectionable , however , i s th e heterosexis m informin g Erik son's analysi s o f adolescence , whic h evolve s into glaring homophobi a when he (faithfully followin g Freud ) defines homosexuality a s a "state not uncommo n i n a milde r an d transien t for m i n al l adolescence, " and then proceeds b y unabashedly denouncin g it as a pathology fro m which som e hi s patient s "suffe r mor e lastingl y an d malignantly " when the y fal l "victi m t o th e pressure emanatin g fro m . . . homosex ual cliques " (186) . I n a gesture know n a s declarin g guil t b y associa tion, Erikson a t a certain point in fact counts amon g "negativ e grou p identities" al l spontaneou s "cliques, " includin g "neighbourhoo d gangs, dope rings, homosexual circles , and criminal gangs" (196). 51. Erikso n 105 . I discuss th e crucial rol e of th e "symboli c mother"—a s opposed t o th e presymboli c o r preoedipa l materna l figure—in rela tion t o th e constructio n o f femal e subjectivity/sexualit y i n chapter s 6 and 7 . Se e als o Cor a Kaplan , "Languag e an d Gender, " 69-93 ; a n d Kaja Silverman , The Acoustic Mirror: The Female Voice in Psychoanalysis and Cinema (1988) , 72-100 . 52. Lassne r rightl y identifie s Danielstow n a s th e "novel' s focus. " Sh e continues b y reading the house as a "symbol o f maternal omniscienc e and omnipotence. " Laura' s stor y clearl y undermine s suc h a reading . What i s more , th e passag e Lassne r quote s i n thi s connectio n als o confuses th e functio n o f th e Bi g Hous e i n th e novel' s sociopolitica l context. B y conflatin g th e "lovel y unlovin g country " upo n whos e "unwilling bosom . . . [Danielstown] i s set" (66) with the house itself, she not only misse s the crux of th e Irish/Anglo-Irish politica l conflict ,

Notes to Chapter Two 319 but equall y fail s t o discer n tha t i t i s th e (patriarchal ) Ascendency , b y imposing itsel f o n th e Iris h countr y an d henc e assumin g th e positio n of omnipotenc e symbolize d b y th e Bi g House , tha t operate s a s a n oppressive an d eventuall y (self-)annihilatin g forc e (28-2.9) . Th e sig nificance o f thes e issues for Lois' s story will gradually becom e clear . 5 3. Heath , Introduction, 71-102 . 54. Elizabet h Bowen , "Ou t o f a Book," 264-69 . 55. Contemporar y psychoanalyti c theor y perpetuate s th e traditiona l ra tionality/irrationality oppositio n predicate d upo n th e male/female op position b y definin g th e tw o psychi c disposition s upo n whic h subjec tivity rests in similarly oppositiona l terms . Julia Kristeva , fo r instance , designates th e real m o f th e La w o f th e Fathe r (Lacan ) th e "sym bolic" a s agains t th e unarticulate d presymboli c impulse s o r choric psychic material o f th e "semiotic " order associate d wit h th e materna l body. 56. Th e phras e "historica l present " derive s fro m Marx ; Judit h Butle r inserts i t into th e "genealogica l project " o f he r boo k Gender Trouble to indicat e tha t an y critica l analysi s i s by neccessity situated insid e th e field o f politica l an d discursiv e structure s constitutin g the "contempo rary fiel d o f power " (5) . 57. Interview , Elizabet h Bowe n an d Jocelyn e Brooke , "Broadcas t tran scribed fro m a telediphon e recordin g 3r d Ocobe r 1950, " M S (Harr y Ransom Humanitie s Researc h Center , Universit y o f Texa s a t Austin) . 58. Elizabet h Bowen , "Th e Bi g House," 27 . 59. Prefac e t o LS, 99 . 60. Judit h Butler , "Imitatio n an d Gende r Insubordination, " 13-14 . 61. Ibid. , 15 . 62. Ibid . 63. He r contradictor y emotion s an d ambivalen t perceptio n o f lov e even tually caus e Loi s to renounc e Gerald . Le e reads thi s a s the "failur e o f love i n Lois, " which sh e consider s t o represen t th e "mos t spectacula r image o f impotenc e an d isolation " i n LS (Estimation, 48) . I woul d suggest tha t i t i s not "love " a s suc h bu t th e constrainin g effect s o f it s sociocultural meaning s tha t Loi s ultimately canno t bu t reject . 64. Teres a d e Lauretis , "Pervers e Desire : Th e Lur e o f th e Mannis h Les bian," 15 . 65. Butler , "Imitation, " 18 . 66. Wittig , "Socia l Contract, " 41. 6j. Butler , "Imitation, " 21. 68. Ibid .

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69. Th e explicitnes s wit h whic h Gerald' s reactionar y view s ar e con demned her e a s well a s elsewher e i n th e tex t render s Lee' s evaluatio n of hi s characte r decidedl y puzzling . Describing Geral d a s the "perfec t ideal of th e English boy, " sh e posits tha t h e is the novel' s "on e purel y romantic figure" (Estimation, 47) . Quit e apar t fro m it s obviou s un warrantability, suc h a readin g obscure s th e sociopolitica l issue s ex plored throug h th e character , an d thu s implicitly downplay s th e ideological critiqu e presented b y the novel a s a whole. 70. Th e passage provides furthe r evidenc e against Lassner's interpretatio n of Danielstow n a s a symbo l o f th e voraciou s mother . I t i s clearl y a s the sea t o f patriarcha l powe r tha t th e Bi g House , imposin g itsel f o n her "unwillin g bosom, " keep s Irelan d politically i n thrall . 3. Authoring Sexual

Identities

1. "Picture s an d Conversations, " 34 . 2. I n th e contex t o f he r discussio n o f tim e an d plac e i n Bowen' s work , Lee aptl y draw s attentio n t o The Shelbourne Hotel (1951 ) an d Bowen's Court, i n whic h th e autho r make s a "grea t poin t . . . o f th e relationship betwee n architectur e an d behaviour. " Le e correctl y points ou t tha t th e "symboli c value " o f th e Bi g Hous e i n Irelan d i s linked t o Bowen' s join t obsessio n wit h th e "ide a o f style " an d th e "idea o f power." Th e tragedy o f th e Anglo-Irish, sh e suggests, evolves from thei r "lac k o f insigh t int o th e ambiguit y an d isolatio n o f thei r position." Thi s i s reflecte d i n th e ultimat e fat e o f Danielstown : Le e interprets th e violen t destructio n o f th e hous e a t th e en d o f th e nove l as th e expressio n o f th e "relativ e ineffectualit y o f th e Anglo-Iris h gentry i n th e 20t h century " (Estimation, 27-39) . Althoug h I agre e with he r evaluatio n o f th e Bi g House i n sociohistorica l terms , I rejec t Lee's concludin g inferenc e tha t th e inadequac y o f "Danielstown " t o deal wit h th e situatio n o f wa r parallel s Lois' s emotiona l inadequac y to dea l wit h th e "occasion " o f love . I f no t ye t sufficientl y explaine d by my alternativ e readin g o f th e protagonist's predicamen t s o far, m y reasons for disagreein g with thi s statement will shortly be further clar ified. 3. Teres a d e Lauretis, "Semiotic s an d Experience, " 159 . 4. I n vie w o f th e scene' s functio n a s th e momen t o f "awakening " o r "revelation" i n th e traditiona l adolescen t quest , i t i s amazin g t o find Lee absolutel y silen t o n th e passage . Heath , i n contrast , doe s defin e

Notes to Chapter Three 321 the scene' s dramati c meanin g a s a coming-into-consciousnes s o f th e protagonist. H e stresse s th e "ambivalence " of Lois' s "revelator y mo ment," which h e correctl y identifie s a s "involvin g bot h sexualit y an d death." Bu t sinc e h e read s Lois' s sudde n discover y o f Hugo' s illici t desire fo r Mard a a s th e decisiv e moment , a s a discover y tha t draw s her int o a "conspirac y o f adulthoo d an d adultery, " h e arrive s a t th e conclusion tha t Loi s no w "know[s ] somethin g o f th e thinnes s o f th e wall separatin g life an d death, Marda an d Hugo" (Introduction, 40) . Heath's exclusiv e focu s o n th e dichotom y betwee n th e life an d deat h principles, cas t i n familiarl y phallocentri c terms , allow s hi m bot h t o ignore the "ambivalence" of sexualit y a s such—the deat h drive being intrinsic t o it—an d t o obscur e th e ver y palpabl e sexua l desir e be tween the two femal e character s operating throughout the scene. 5. Muc h feminis t wor k i n the fields of psychoanalysi s an d film has been devoted to the significance o f the gendered look o r gaze. Cf. Teres a de Lauretis's Technologies of Gender (1987) ; Mary Ann Doane, Patrici a Mollencamp, an d Linda Williams, eds. , Re-vision: Essays in Feminist Film Criticism (1984) ; Judit h Mayne , The Woman at the Keyhole: Feminism and Women's Cinema (1990) ; and Silverman's The Acoustic Mirror. 6. Butler , "Imitation," 20. 7. Sigmun d Freud , "Som e Psychica l Consequence s o f th e Anatomica l Distinction between the Sexes" (1925), 337 . 8. Th e image of the "home" as the foundation o f constricting patriarchal power i s her e explicitl y linke d u p wit h th e Law(e ) o f compulsor y heterosexuality. Thi s support s m y readin g o f th e symboli c valu e o f the Big House/Danielstown a s opposed t o Lassner' s perception o f th e "home" as the voracious, smothering mother . 9. Dominan t discourses such as religion, education, the media, medicine, and la w eve n toda y defin e "adult " lesbia n sexualit y largel y i n term s of deviatio n o r perversity . Tha t suc h definition s serv e t o ensur e th e stability o f th e dominan t cultura l orde r i s clea r fro m th e fac t tha t a film like Pau l Verhoeven' s Basic Instinct (1992) , appealin g a s it doe s to deep-seate d cultura l anxietie s surroundin g lesbia n sexuality , ha s become a n instant box-offic e succes s o n bot h side s o f th e Atlantic. A perhaps eve n mor e disturbin g exampl e o f lesbophobi a i s provided b y a recent ac t issued by the Dutch governmen t denyin g official parenta l rights to the nonbiological paren t in a lesbian couple. 10. I go into these issues in more detail in chapters 6 and 7.

322 Notes

to Chapter Three

i i . I n he r readin g o f thi s sequence , Lassne r attribute s significanc e t o Lois's encounte r wit h Daventr y mainl y becaus e i t set s u p a contras t between hi m an d th e heroine's young "lover, " Gerald . He r heterocen tric perspectiv e lead s he r t o th e conclusio n tha t th e "sexua l impe tus"—which sh e quite unaccountabl y ascribe s to the latter—is los t i n the encounte r wit h th e senio r subaltern' s "impotence " (49) . 12. "Th e Bi g House," 197 . 13. Elizabet h Bowen , To the North (1932) , 99. 14. Ibid . 15. Bowen' s las t novel , Eva Trout (1969 ) form s a n exceptio n t o thi s pattern. I discuss th e possibl e reason s fo r thi s deviatio n i n chapter s 6 and 7 . 16. "Picture s an d Conversations, " 36 . 17. Ibid. , 4 1 - 4 2 . 18. Gayatr i Chakravort y Spivak , "Feminis m an d Critica l Theory, " 85 . 19. Catherin e Belsey , Critical Practice (1980 ; 1988) , 65. 20. Th e ter m "extradiegetic " originall y derive s fro m Gerar d Genette , Narrative Discourse (1972 ; 1986) . I n Recent Theories of Narrative (1986), Wallac e Marti n explain s th e term s "diegetic " an d "extradie getic" unde r tw o differen t headings . H e describe s "diegesis " a s a n "element o f narration, " comparabl e t o "summary " o r "telling " an d applicable whe n a "narrato r describe s wha t happene d i n his/he r ow n words (o r recount s wha t character s thin k an d feel , withou t quota tion)." In this scheme the "extradiegetic" level falls under the categor y of "authoria l narration, " indicatin g whethe r a narrator i s her/himsel f "inside" o r "outside " th e stor y s/h e narrate s (124 , 135) . In Narrative Fiction: Contemporary Poetics (1983 ; 1986) , Shlomit h Rimmon Kenan define s "diegesis " a s th e narrativ e "event s themselves, " while th e "extra-diegetic " refer s t o th e "highes t level " withi n the hierarch y o f narrative s withi n narrative s characteristi c o f novel istic discourse , tha t is , th e "on e immediatel y superio r t o th e firs t narrative an d concerne d wit h it s narration " (91) . I wil l b e usin g th e term i n th e latte r sense . I n he r boo k The Narrative Act: Point of View in Prose Fiction (1981) , Susa n Sniade r Lanse r offer s th e (less precise ) ter m "extranationa l voice " t o designat e th e author ial instance , who/which , thoug h "absent " fro m th e narrativ e text , is alway s presen t a s th e "mos t direc t counterpar t fo r th e historica l author" (123) . 21. Prefac e t o LS, 100 . The threa t o f destructio n i n itself wa s nonetheles s of lastin g impact . Thi s i s clea r fro m th e wa y Bowe n describe s he r

Notes to Chapter Three 32 3 reaction t o he r father' s lette r preparin g he r fo r suc h a n eventuality . Staying in Italy , sh e read hi s letter "besid e Lak e Cuomo, and , lookin g at th e blu e wate r taugh t mysel f t o imagin e Bowen' s Cour t i n flames . Perhaps tha t momen t disinfecte d th e future : realitie s o f wa r I hav e seen sinc e hav e bee n frightful ; non e o f the m hav e take n m e b y sur prise" (Bowen's Court, 440) . Eventually , w e recall , he r famil y hom e was demolished . Thi s "clea n end"—unquestionabl y on e o f th e au thor's most traumatic experiences—did no t take place, however, unti l very muc h later . Fo r a n accoun t o f th e los s o f he r famil y hom e an d what it s destructio n mean t t o her , se e th e afterwor d (1963 ) t o Bowen's Court, 448-59 . 22. Th e tempora l distanc e separatin g th e narrativ e event s o f LS fro m th e time o f th e novel' s writin g ha s le d t o divergen t appreciation s b y Bowen's critics , non e o f whic h i s particularl y satisfactor y sinc e the y all leav e th e relation s betwee n gende r an d writin g ou t o f account . I n line with he r genera l focu s o n th e declin e o f th e Ascendency , Lee , fo r instance, read s th e tempora l distanc e a s a stipulatio n o f th e fac t tha t the narrativ e i s a descriptio n o f a n er a "firml y place d i n th e past, " i n which th e atmospher e o f "melanchol y autumna l transience " serve s t o make "socia l lif e . . . fee l lik e a perio d piece " (Estimation, 44) . I n Elizabeth Bowen (1971) , A . E . Austi n disregard s th e politico-histori cal aspec t altogethe r an d explain s th e novel' s tempora l settin g b y maintaining tha t th e "stor y seek s t o pinpoin t th e tim e whe n Loi s begins t o hav e a lif e o f he r own. " Thi s entail s tha t a "sens e o f completion i s necessary, " sinc e "onl y i n retrospec t ca n w e possibl y presume t o identif y turnin g points o r locat e significanc e where , at th e time, non e wa s recognizable " (37) . Austin's vie w come s neare r t o m y own i n tha t i t locate s th e significanc e o f th e distanc e i n tim e squarel y within Lois' s story , i n additio n t o establishin g th e lin k betwee n th e novel's autobiographica l aspect s an d th e author' s nee d t o exer t he r control ove r narrativ e events . The secon d hal f o f hi s comment , how ever, surel y hold s tru e fo r an y tex t an d thu s fail s t o addres s th e issu e at han d i n its specificity. Heath , o n th e other hand , draw s attentio n t o the effec t o f "timelessness " occasione d b y th e novel' s historica l set ting. Readin g i t a s a n expressio n o f th e isolatio n o f th e Anglo-Irish , he simultaneousl y stresse s th e "reader' s position, " which , h e claim s "must b e comple x enoug h s o tha t h e [sic] ca n se e a n immediat e action withi n a historica l context " (Introduction, 35) . Heat h furthe r approaches th e questio n fro m a thematic angle , offering severa l valu able insight s whos e relevanc e wil l appea r i n th e cours e o f m y subse -

324 Notes

to Chapter Three

quent discussion . Lassne r disregard s th e issu e of th e novel' s tempora l complexities. 23. "Picture s an d Conversations, " 53 , 52. 24. Ibid. , 47 , 9. 25. Ibid. , 48. 26. Glendinnin g 23 . 27. "Picture s an d Conversations, " 47 , 53 , 51. 28. Ibid. , 19 , 9, 53 . 29. Prefac e t o LS, 96 . 30. Elizabet h Bowen , "Wh y D o I Write?" 222 . 31. Ibid . 32. Ibid. , 222-23. 33. Th e lette r form s par t o f a published correspondenc e betwee n Bowen , V. S . Pritchett , an d Graha m Greene , i n whic h the y explor e thei r respective motives fo r becomin g professional writers . 34. Ibid. , 224 . 35. Ibid. , 224-25 . 36. Heat h unfortunatel y fail s t o tak e int o accoun t th e gendere d implica tions of such notions a s "authority" an d "control " {Introduction, 42) . 37. Ibid. , 41. 38. Juli a Kristeva , "Th e Adolescen t Novel, " 8-23 . Consistentl y pursuin g a practic e tha t ha s alread y evoke d muc h commen t fro m feminis t critics, Kristev a concentrate s exclusivel y o n male-authore d texts . Al though regrettable , thi s doe s littl e t o detrac t fro m th e valuabl e point s she brings to bea r upo n th e issues at hand . 39. Th e sole occurrence of the female adolescen t at this point in Kristeva' s argument doe s not invalidat e m y previous comments o n her masculis t bias: sh e specifically an d exclusivel y refer s t o Nabokov's Lolita . . . 40. Th e term s i n whic h Kristev a cast s he r "metaphor " underlin e th e close link s betwee n sexualit y an d deat h whil e als o foregroundin g th e central plac e o f th e femal e (body ) i n both . Th e scen e o f "revelation " in LS testifie s t o th e validity o f thes e points in the context o f (writing ) adolescence. Still, although I support Kristeva's (implied ) emphasi s o n the critical functio n o f th e female bod y i n the intertwined processe s of subjectivity/sexuality, I do no t follo w he r i n confinin g it s significanc e to th e realm s o f th e presymboli c o r (Lacanian ) Imaginary . Se e als o chapters 6 and 7 . 41. Fo r convincin g analyse s o f th e contradiction s i n Kristeva' s wor k o n the materna l figure i n relatio n t o femal e homosexuality , se e Sil -

Notes to Chapter Four 325 verman, "Th e Fantas y o f th e Materna l Voice, " i n The Acoustic Mirror, 101-26 ; Jane Gallop , "Th e Phalli c Mother: Fraudia n Analysis, " in Feminism and Psychoanalysis: The Daughter's Seduction (1982) , 1 1 3 - 3 1 ; an d Butler , "Th e Bod y Politics," in Gender Trouble, 7 9 - 9 2 . 42. Le e repeatedl y mention s a s a recurren t them e i n Bowen' s novel s th e strong attractio n betwee n th e characte r o f th e "olde r woman " an d the author' s youn g heroines . Sh e neve r attempt s t o examin e thi s conspicuous motif , however . Nor , fo r tha t matter , doe s sh e commen t on th e fac t tha t al l o f th e novel s featur e a t leas t on e majo r o r mino r explicitly lesbia n character . 4. Histories of

Narrative Desire

1. Thes e were Seven Winters (1942) , Bowen's Court (1942) , and English Novelists (1945) , respectively . 2. Elizabet h Bowen , preface t o DL, 52 . 3. New Statesman, 2 3 May 1942 . Ctd. in Robert Hewison , Under Siege: Literary Life in London, 1939-1945 (1977) , 88 . Italics mine. 4. Prefac e t o DL, 47 . 5. Elizabet h Bowen , "Source s o f Influence, " 208 ; prefac e t o Stories by Elizabeth Bowen, 77 . 6. Prefac e t o DL, 47 . 7. "Autobiographica l Note , sent to Curti s Brown 11/10/46, " MS (Harr y Ransom Humanitie s Researc h Center , Universit y o f Texa s a t Austin). 8. Elizabet h Bowen , "Pin k May, " Collected Stories, 713 . 9. "Picture s an d Conversations, " 3 6 - 3 7 ; preface t o DL, 47 . 10. Elizabet h Bowen , afterwor d t o Bowen's Court, 453 . n . "Wh y D o I Write?" 223. 12. Prefac e t o DL, 47 , 48. 13. "Ou t o f a Book," 264-69 . 14. Prefac e t o DL, 48 . 15. W e recal l tha t Bowe n ha d bee n uproote d fro m he r nativ e soi l a t th e age o f seve n a s a consequenc e o f he r father' s menta l collapse . Th e following fiv e years she spent living an itinerant existenc e on th e coas t of Englan d i n th e compan y o f he r mother , a perio d tha t ende d wit h the shatterin g even t o f th e latter' s death . Sh e subsequently live d wit h a numbe r o f differen t relative s an d a t boardin g school s i n England , only t o retur n t o Irelan d i n th e ambiguou s positio n o f th e Anglo-Iris h landowner. Cf . Glendinnin g 18-73 .

326 Notes

to Chapter Four

16. Glendinnin g 131 . 17. Prefac e t o DL, 49 . 18. Ibid. , 50 . 19. Ibid . 20. "Wh y D o I Write?" 228 , 224 . 21. Prefac e t o DL, 49 , 50 ; 51. 22. Ibid . 23. Fro m a lette r writte n i n Marc h 194 5 t o Charle s Ritchie . Ctd . i n Glendinning 149 . 24. Elizabet h Bowen , "Th e Ben d Back" (1951) , 54-60 . 25. Ibid. , 54 , 56 . 26. Hayde n White , Tropics of Discourse: Essays in Cultural Criticism (1978), 50 . 27. Ibid. , 106 , 112 .

28. "Th e Ben d Back," 57 , 58 . 29. Foucault , The Archeology of Knowledge, 215-37 . 30. I n Under Siege, Hewison submit s that on e of th e difficulties facin g th e writer caugh t u p in the turbulence o f World Wa r I I was an "inhibitin g awareness tha t thi s wa s a 'period * wit h a beginnin g an d a n expecte d end, cu t of f fro m pas t an d futur e alike, " whil e th e presen t wa s "to o close an d to o unpleasant " t o serv e a s writing materia l (87) . He note s a remarkable increas e in the publication o f autobiographies an d child hood reminiscence s durin g th e wa r years . Althoug h h e consider s thi s phenomenon t o hav e sprun g partl y fro m th e intractabilit y o f a too immediate present , h e als o see s thi s "outpourin g o f memory " a s a search fo r th e cause s of th e curren t crisis , usually resultin g i n a "part nostalgical, part-critical" retur n t o th e period precedin g World War I . Coupling Bowen' s nam e wit h th e author' s contemporary , Rosamun d Lehmann, Hewiso n attribute s t o th e latter' s war-tim e storie s a n "at mosphere o f retrea t an d deca y i n th e genteel-middle-classes , ou t o f place sinc e Edwardia n times " (91) . Significantly , i n groupin g Bowe n with Lehmann , an d a t a late r poin t als o wit h Iv y Compton-Burnett , Hewison suggest s tha t al l thre e femal e author s retreate d int o th e safety o f "domesti c dramas, " wherea s thei r mal e counterpart s (e.g. , Joyce Car y an d Evely n Waugh ) practice d nostalgi a o n a suitabl y larger scale : the y produce d work s tha t represen t a n "examinatio n o f the liberal-Protestant " an d o f th e "conservative-Catholi c . .. Eng lish tradition, " respectivel y (91-92) . Th e poin t ma y appea r t o b e a minor one , bu t i t i s precisel y thi s kin d o f gendere d hierarchizatio n within traditiona l literar y history—s o familia r tha t w e barel y notic e

Notes to Chapter Four 32 7 it—that continue s t o obscur e th e significanc e o f th e wor k o f fe male authors . As any reade r wil l b e able to testify , suc h a disparagin g assessment o f Bowen' s wor k i s widel y of f th e mark , especiall y i n view o f th e question s he r war-tim e fictions explore . Bowen' s outspoken notion s concernin g historiograph y an d sociocultura l power relation s rende r Hewison' s superficia l judgment s markedl y absurd. 31. I n Tradition and Dream (1964) , Walter Allen , fo r instance , describe s HD a s "th e mos t completel y detaile d evocatio n o f [th e atmosphere o f the plac e an d time ] tha t w e hav e i n fiction" (195) . Althoug h som e contemporary critic s expresse d thei r reservation s abou t particula r as pects of th e novel, the archive s o f th e Harry Ranso m Researc h Cente r in Texa s contai n letter s fro m Bowen' s friend s tha t sho w tha t the y al l more o r les s share d Allen' s enthusiasm . Glendinnin g quote s fro m a letter b y Rosamun d Lehman , whos e eulogisti c prais e sh e regard s a s actually "to o emotional , mos t o f it , t o b e expose d t o col d print " (153). For furthe r comment s o n th e critical receptio n o f th e novel , see Lee, Estimation, 205 , 235-37 . 32. Althoug h Le e acknowledges th e novel's importance a s "in man y way s the culmination o f her work," sh e considers HD t o be "not altogethe r characteristic . . . nor [Bowen's ] bes t novel" (Estimation, 164). Heat h is rathe r circumspec t an d doe s no t pas s an y final judgmen t o n th e novel's "quality, " bu t th e appreciativ e ton e i n whic h h e cast s hi s analysis—subtle an d noteworth y comment s wit h whic h I nonetheles s often disagree—eventuall y speak s fo r itsel f (Introduction, 106—24) . Since he r projec t i s biograph y rathe r tha n criticism , Glendinning' s comments, though i n the mai n quit e pertinent, ar e necessarily genera l in characte r an d somewha t superficial . Lassne r merel y acknowledge s past critics ' difficultie s wit h HD bu t doe s no t examin e thei r natur e and/or possible causes (120-40) . 33. Fro m th e letter to Charle s Ritchi e referred t o in note 2 3 above (ctd . in Glendinning 150) . 34. Placin g i t i n th e sociopolitica l historica l contex t i n whic h i t wa s produced, Le e pay s a grea t dea l o f attentio n t o th e sp y stor y an d it s significance (Estimation, 175—77). 3 5. Lee , Estimation, 165 . 36. "Elizabet h Bowe n & Jocelyn e Brook e [broadcast] , Octobe r 1950. " MS (Harr y Ranso m Humanitie s Researc h Center , University o f Texa s at Austin). The ungrammaticalities ar e original an d ste m fro m th e fac t that th e interview wa s transcribe d fro m a "telediphone" recording .

328 Notes

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37. Thi s i s born e ou t b y th e fac t that , despit e thei r reservations , mos t critics in the en d appea r t o agre e that Bowen' s stylisti c "mannerisms " are ultimatel y highl y effectiv e an d eminentl y suite d t o HD' s control ling themes . Cf . Lee' s comment s t o thi s effect , Estimation, 165 ; an d also Glendinnin g 153 . Th e forme r furthe r mention s a "funn y 195 2 New Yorke r parod y o f Elizabet h Bowen " b y Pete r d e Vrie s t o illus trate th e exten t t o whic h th e repute d mannerism s gav e ris e t o irrita tion an d ridicul e (Estimation, i87n.) . 38. Glendinnin g 152 . 39. Fo r reference , se e note 3 6 above . 40. Teres a d e Lauretis, "Desire i n Narrative," 103-57 . 41. Fo r th e way s i n whic h thi s nineteenth-century , predominantl y mal e genre has , i n th e twentiet h century , i n it s tur n bee n transforme d int o specifically femal e itinerarie s o f self-discover y o r quest s fo r identity , see Elizabet h Abel , Mariann e Hirsch , an d Elizabet h Langland , eds. , The Voyage In: Fictions of Female Development (1983) . 42. Jonatha n Culler , Structuralist Poetics: Structuralism, Linguistics, and the Study of Literature (1975) , 2 I ° 43. Belse y 70 . 44. Ibid . 45. Se e Luce Irigaray, "Commoditie s amon g Themselves," 192 . 46. Th e ter m "complification " derive s fro m Maaik e Meijer , De Lust tot Lezen: Nederlandse Dichteressen en het Liter aireSysteem (1988) . 47. Le e locate s th e origin s o f th e "impoverishmen t o f th e relationship " between mothe r an d so n i n th e "impoverishmen t o f th e times, " with out exploratin g th e natur e an d cause s o f suc h a Zeitgeist {^Estimation, 185). I t woul d appear , a s I a m tryin g t o argu e here , tha t i t i s th e operation o f dominan t ideolog y itself , posin g it s restriction s o n th e forms tha t relationship s ar e allowe d t o take , tha t lie s a t th e hear t o f the ruinou s "impoverishment " o n th e inte r subjective leve l a s wel l a s on tha t o f socia l interaction . 48. Fo r th e significanc e o f thi s ter m i n th e contex t o f postmodernism , and especiall y it s horrifyin g implications , se e Jean Baudrillard , "Th e Procession o f Simulacra " (1984) , 2 5 3 - 8 1 . 49. D e Lauretis, "Desir e i n Narrative," 119 . 50. Sigmun d Freud , "Th e Uncanny," 335-76 . 51. Patrici a White , "Femal e Spectator , Lesbia n Specter : The Haunting," 149. 52. Her e a s elsewhere, Bowen's choic e of name s fo r house s is particularl y

Notes to Chapter Five 32 9 felicitous, a s wil l shortl y becom e clear . Suffic e i t t o sa y a t thi s poin t that "holm " denote s a n islan d i n a rive r o r lake , wherea s "dene " refers bot h t o a woode d an d narro w valle y an d t o a sand y stretc h o f land near th e sea . 53. White , "Female Spectator , Lesbia n Specter, " 149 . 54. Sigmun d Freud , "Som e Neuroti c Mechanism s i n Jealousy , Paranoia , and Homosexuality, " 201 . 55. Ibid. , 206 , 205 .

56. I n The Language of Psycho-Analysis (1988) , Jea n LaPlanch e an d Jean-Bertrand Pontali s defin e "reaction-formation " a s th e "psycho logical attitud e o r habitu s diametricall y oppose d t o a represse d wish , and constitute d a s a reaction agains t it . . . . Reaction-formations ma y be highl y localised , manifestin g themselve s i n specifi c behaviour , o r they ma y b e generalised t o th e point o f formin g character-trait s mor e or less integrated int o the overall personality" (376-77) . 57. Lassne r base s he r (alternative ) readin g o f th e Holm e Den e episod e a s a critiqu e o f patriarch y entirel y o n th e figure o f th e archai c mothe r (141-63).

5 8. Afterwor d t o Bowen 's Court, 455 . 59. Se e Lassner o n th e Powerfu l Mothe r i n Bowen . Sh e traces th e origin s of th e figure straightforwardl y t o Bowen' s biograph y i n a wa y tha t I do no t alway s conside r quit e warranted . He r conclusion s abou t th e function o f thi s characte r en d u p bein g somewha t contradictory , al though a numbe r o f he r observation s ar e illuminating . A s mentione d before, Le e frequentl y note s bu t neve r satisfactoril y explore s th e re current figure o f th e "frightful " elderl y woma n i n Bowen's work . 60. Sigmun d Freud , "Th e Sexua l Aberrations," 85-86 . 5. The Discourse of

Suspension

1. Le e leaves the connection betwee n Harriso n an d Rober t largel y undis cussed. Sh e mention s th e fac t tha t th e me n shar e thei r Christia n names; sh e implicitl y group s th e tw o mal e character s togethe r i n relation t o th e secre t activitie s fro m whic h the y jointl y exclud e Stella , positing tha t th e nove l present s " a woman' s vie w o f th e mal e worl d of 'Intelligence ' " ; an d sh e i s particularly disturbe d b y wha t sh e con siders t o b e "on e o f th e plot' s weaknesses, " namely , tha t Stell a "should war m t o Harriso n i n an y degree " (Estimation, 175) . This i s left withou t an y furthe r comment . Lassner , o n th e othe r hand , offer s

330 Notes

to Chapter Five

a numbe r o f interestin g observation s o n th e sp y plo t fro m a gende r perspective. Sh e focuse s o n th e "elusiveness " o f Stella' s characte r a s the reaso n wh y "eac h ma n bring[s ] hi s plo t t o [her ] fo r interpreta tion." Representin g "woman " a s th e suspecte d "harbour " o f "secre t meaning," suc h gender-define d elusivenes s i s conceive d o f a s Stella' s "protection fro m th e spy-plo t which , i f sh e becam e involved , woul d cast he r i n it s presume d mora l dichotomies " (125) . Thi s putativ e feminist readin g woul d see m t o reinforc e rathe r tha n criticiz e tradi tional gende r assumptions : settin g u p Stella' s ignorance , he r limite d access to power/knowledge—th e "muted " femal e positio n tha t patri archal ideolog y assimilate s b y means o f compensatio n (woma n a s th e source o f "secre t meaning, " th e keepe r o r eve n th e embodimen t o f "enigma")—as a positive quality, eve n an asset , Lassner reassert s an d validates women' s exclusio n fro m power/knowledge . 2. Sigmun d Freud , " A Cas e of Paranoia Runnin g Counte r t o the Psychoanalytic Theory o f th e Disease," 149 . 3. Miche l Foucault , Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison (1979), 2 7 - 2 8 . 4. Teres a d e Lauretis , "Sexua l Indifferenc e an d Lesbia n Representa tion," 156 . 5. Freud , "Som e Neurotic Mechanisms," 197 . 6. Ibid. , 199 . 7. Virgini a Woolf , A Room of One's Own (1929 ; 1977) , 35. 8. I thank Teres a Brenna n fo r discussin g these issues with me . 9. Silverman , The Acoustic Mirror, 155 . 10. Se e Lee, Estimation, 173; Heath , Introduction, 123 ; Lassner 113 . 11. Gillia n Spraggs , "Hel l an d th e Mirror : A Readin g o f Desert of the Heart," 118 . 12. Ibid. , 121 . 13. Ibid. , 118 . 14. Ibid. , 123 .

15. Thi s passag e confirm s m y readin g o f Loi s Farquar's/th e narrator' s moment o f "apprehension " i n LS. Se e the section "Th e Lur e of Disin tegration" i n chapte r 3 . 16. Belse y 70 . 17. Le e finds faul t wit h thi s mino r stor y o n accoun t o f th e proble m o f scope i t pose s t o th e nove l a s a whole . Sh e furthermor e object s t o the character s o f Loui e an d he r frien d Connie , denouncin g the m a s "simplified caricature s o f lower-middle-clas s types " whos e functio n as "innocen t witnesses] " fails , becaus e Bowe n "i s tryin g t o d o to o

Notes to Chapter Five 331 much" wit h thei r "half-conscious , half-comica l language " {Estimation, 184) . M y readin g o f Louie' s characte r render s suc h a criticis m not particularly relevant . 18. Fo r fairly accessibl e discussions of the Lacanian notion o f the subject' s developmental stages , se e Belse y 60—61 ; an d Tori l Moi , Sexual/Textual Politics (1985) , 100 , 162 . Fo r mor e extensiv e feminis t explora tions o f Lacania n theory , se e Jan e Gallop , Reading Lacan (1985) ; and Elizabet h Grosz , Jacques Lacan: A Feminist Introduction (1990). Helpful als o ar e the relevant section s i n Jacqueline Rose , Sexuality in the Field of Vision (1986) ; an d Silverman , The Acoustic Mirror. 19. Th e concep t o f a so-calle d thir d sex , th e "invert " o r th e "mannis h lesbian," wa s develope d b y earl y twentieth-centur y sexologist s suc h as Krafft-Ebin g an d Haveloc k Ellis . The mos t obviou s literar y exam ple o f th e "invert " is , of course , Radclyff e Hall' s creatio n o f Stephe n Gordon i n The Well of Loneliness (192.8) . Fo r a n assessmen t o f th e influence an d effect s o f th e sexologists ' wor k o n literar y texts , se e Lilian Faderman , Surpassing the Love of Men (1981 ; 1985) , 239-53 . For a thoroug h discussio n o f th e characte r a s type , se e Esthe r New ton's semina l essa y "Th e Mythi c Mannis h Lesbian : Radclyff e Hal l and th e Ne w Woman, " 557-76 . Fo r a furthe r (psychoanalyticall y oriented) exploratio n o f th e type , se e d e Lauretis , "Pervers e Desire, " 15-26. I t i s interestin g t o not e tha t th e figur e o f th e AR P warde n performs th e sam e dutie s i n th e wa r effor t a s Bowe n herself—i t would see m tha t "tough , cross , kind " Connie , wh o admit s t o a "bossy" nature , havin g bee n "prey , sinc e childhood , t o a represse d wish t o issu e orders , blo w whistles , direc t traffic, " represents , a t however "man y removes, " he r creator' s wis h t o asser t hersel f wit h symbolic authorit y (149) . Sinc e thi s sexuall y ambivalen t creatur e i s situated i n a class position decidedl y beneat h Bowen' s own , sh e is put at a reassuringly saf e distanc e s o a s to prevent an y furthe r (biographi cal) speculation i n this respect . 20. Lee , Estimation, 184 . 21. Heath , Introduction, 119 . 22. Lee' s view i s not i n fac t a s unqualified a s m y commen t her e seem s t o suggest. He r criticis m o f th e Loui e subplo t is , however , no t directe d at its presumed functio n withi n the framework o f the novel as a whol e but a t th e way s i n whic h i t fail s t o rin g tru e i n it s depictio n o f th e lower classes . Sh e eventuall y prefer s t o discer n a n "alternativ e t o despair i n th e ide a o f inheritanc e an d i n th e solid , likeable , literal -

3$2 Notes

to Chapter Five

minded characte r o f Roderick " (Estimation, 185) . Suc h a readin g strikes me as overly optimistic in light of th e severe critique of patriar chal ideology th e novel presents on it s various levels . 6. Subtexts of

Psychosexuality

1. Thes e were , i n th e orde r liste d here , Collected Impressions (1950) ; Afterthought (1962) ; The Shelbourne Hotel (1951) ; A World of Love (1955); The Little Girls (1964) ; A Time in Rome (.i960) ; The Good Tiger (1965) ; A Day in the Dark and Other Stories (1965) . 2. Elizabet h B o wen, "Note s o n Writing a Novel," 170-71 . 3. Ibid. , 176 . 4. Se e Kristeva, "Adolescen t Novel, " 8 ; an d th e sectio n "Interpretation , Transference, an d Authoria l Control " i n chapte r 4 . 5. "Famil y romance " i s a centra l concep t i n psychoanalyti c theory . Be fore h e publishe d hi s essa y o f th e sam e titl e i n 190 9 ("Famil y Ro mances," 217-26) , Freu d ha d alread y use d th e ter m "famil y ro mances" on severa l occasions . As Laplanche an d Pontali s explain , th e notion refer s t o "phantasie s o f a particula r type , b y mean s o f whic h the subjec t invent s a ne w famil y fo r himsel f an d i n s o doin g work s out a sor t o f romance. " Thes e fantasie s ar e "relate d t o th e Oedipa l situation"; they , i n fact , "originat e fro m th e pressur e exerte d b y th e Oedipus complex " (The Language of Psychoanalysis, 160) . 6. Lee , Estimation, 205—6 . 7. Crai g 135 . 8. Le e dul y remark s o n th e biblica l reference s i n ET. Sh e define s a s th e novel's underlyin g them e th e "interpla y betwee n goo d an d evil, " a central preoccupation o f Bowen's that, in this last novel, is "no longe r suppressed beneat h a realistic level. " Quit e unaccountably , i n light of these an d he r earlie r consideration s o n th e failur e o f Bowen' s realis t mode, sh e conclude s tha t ET "unabashedl y present s itsel f a s a fair y tale" (Estimation, 209) . Th e reason s wh y I d o no t shar e thes e puzz ling views will soon becom e clear . 9. Bowe n ha s frequentl y bee n classifie d a s eithe r a socia l realis t o r a s a writer o f "sensibility"— a qualificatio n t o whic h sh e hersel f strongl y objected. I rejec t bot h thes e label s a s reductiv e characterization s o f her work . Eve n i f mos t o f he r novels , especiall y th e earlie r ones , ar e clearly inscribe d i n th e traditio n o f classi c realism , th e distinc t "gothic" elements i n her wor k (als o conspicuous i n her shor t stories) ,

Notes to Chapter Six 333 and th e wide r philosophical/ethica l framework s i n whic h th e narra tives are cast render suc h classification s unwarranted . 10. Glendinnin g 227 . Heath' s Introduction t o Bowen' s novel s wa s com pleted i n 1961 . Hi s comment s therefor e d o no t exten d beyon d a discussion o f wha t wa s a t tha t momen t Bowen' s las t published novel , A World of Love (1955) . Lassner' s analysi s o f Bowen' s stylize d dis course or, a s she puts it, her "attenuated " narratives , is much mor e t o the point tha n eithe r Lee' s or Craig's : "Bowen's languag e represents a struggle fo r autonom y i n self-expression , an d wher e he r character s express thei r inabilit y t o find a languag e o f self-expression , Bowen' s imagery, he r ow n deploymen t o f language , expresses thei r dilemmas " (162). Although i n the final instance conducive to a basically sociolog ical feminis t critica l interpretation—whic h I conside r reductiv e i n light o f textua l theory—thi s appreciatio n o f th e critica l rol e o f lan guage i n Bowen' s (gender - an d ideology-conscious ) text s allow s fo r a clearer understandin g o f he r novels ' large r politico-ethica l frame works. 11. Crai g quote s a passag e fro m th e nove l i n whic h Bowe n ha s on e character commen t o n another' s styl e o f writing : " Thi s mannere d manner . .. wa s no t quit e th e thing , no. ' " Readin g i t a s a n instanc e where th e autho r i s "surely pokin g fu n a t herself, bearin g i n min d th e standard criticis m o f he r sometime s elaborat e effects, " sh e disregard s the wide r implication s o f suc h a strateg y o f self-parod y (135) . Th e passage clearly ought to b e linked up with wha t Le e calls the "concep t of a breakdown o f language " figuring i n Bowen's late r texts. As such , it place s th e autho r squarel y withi n th e contex t o f postmodernism , in whic h self-parod y an d self-reflexivit y for m constitutiv e part s o f essentially ethical and aestheti c objectives. Names generally associate d with th e debat e o n postmodernis m i n th e Unite d State s ar e Fredri c Jameson, Iha b Hassan , Edwar d Said , Ha l Foster , an d Andrea s Huys sen, amon g others , whos e appreciatio n o f th e postmoder n largel y draws o n th e wor k o f Frenc h theorist s suc h a s Jean Baudrillar d an d Jean-Francois Lyotard . Mal e critic s addressin g th e issu e o f feminis m in relatio n t o th e postmoder n ar e a s yet fe w an d fa r between . Excep tional example s ar e Crai g Owens , "Th e Discours e o f Others : Femi nists and Postmodernism, " 57-82 ; an d Rober t Stam , "Mikhail Bakh tin an d Lef t Cultura l Critique, " 16—45 . F ° r example s o f feminis t intervention i n th e debat e o n postmodernism , se e Linda Hutcheon , A Poetics of Postmodernism: History, Theory, Fiction (1988) ; E . An n

334 Notes

to Chapter Six

Kaplan, ed. , Postmodernism and Its Discontents: Theories, Practices (1988); an d m y "Contradiction s Hel d i n Suspense : Postmodernis m and Feminis t Critique " (1990) . Furthe r instance s ca n b e foun d i n Feminism/Postmodernism (1990) , edite d b y Lind a J . Nicholson ; par ticularly interestin g i n th e contex t o f lesbia n theor y i s Judith Butler' s "Gender Trouble , Feminis t Theory , an d Psychoanalyti c Discourse, " 324-40. Se e als o Meagha n Morris , The Pirate's Fiancee: Feminism, Reading, Postmodernism (1988) ; and Jane Flax, Thinking Fragments: Psychoanalysis, Feminism, and Postmodernism in the Contemporary West (1990) . A n appreciatio n o f postmodernis m i n th e contex t of lesbia n writin g i s Sall y Munt' s "Somewhere over the Rainbow • • • , " 3 3 - 5 0. 12. Spence r Curti s Brown , forewor d t o Pictures and Conversations, xxxviii-xxxix. Glendinning , too , point s ou t tha t Bowe n remaine d uncertain abou t th e succes s o f he r ne w approac h i n The Little Girls, while bein g "satisfied " wit h th e nove l i n whic h sh e succeede d i n bringing he r ne w technique s t o a highe r leve l o f perfection . T o indi cate th e measur e o f Bowen' s success , sh e mention s tha t ET wo n th e James Tait Black Prize (218-20) . 13. Lee , Estimation, 204 . 14. Lennar d J. Davis, Resisting Novels: Ideology and Fiction (1986) , 112 . 15. Ibid. , 137 . 16. Glendinnin g 123 . 17. Lee , Estimation, 207 . 18. Se e Davis 141 ; Sniader Lanse r 142-43 . 19. "Picture s an d Conversations, " 59 . 20. Curti s Brow n xxxix . Glendinnin g echoe s hi m almos t literally , claim ing tha t "instea d o f respondin g an d reactin g t o situations , a s mos t o f Elizabeth's heroine s do , Eva creates the situations herself" (226) . 21. Lee , Estimation, 206 . 22. A s discusse d i n a differen t context , afte r he r mother' s death , Bowe n "could no t remembe r her , thin k o f her , spea k o f he r o r suffe r t o hea r her spoke n of " ("Picture s an d Conversations, " 48) . 23. Ctd . in Glendinning 222 . The biographer i n fact read s Bowen's retur n to Hyth e ver y muc h a s a return t o origins , as is reflected i n the title of the chapte r coverin g thi s las t perio d o f he r subject' s life , "Comin g Home," 222—40. 24. Lee , Estimation, 206 . 25. Ctd . i n Craig 137 .

Notes to Chapter Six 335 26. Fo r a different approac h t o the novel's twofold structure , see my essay "De Gren s Tussen Spreke n e n Zwijgen," 4 3 - 5 7 . 27. "Picture s an d Conversations " 36 . 28. Th e term derive s from Hutcheo n 57—73 . 29. Non e o f th e critic s mentione d s o fa r tak e not e o f th e brea k i n what the y presen t a s a sustaine d narrativ e method . Thu s the y fai l to tak e int o accoun t th e gender-inflecte d operation s o f language , which ar e problematize d o n th e intra - a s wel l a s th e extradie getic level s o f th e text . Lassne r briefl y discusse s th e interrelation s between gende r an d symboli c articulac y i n ET, bu t doe s no t men tion th e centra l plac e o f th e mother/daughte r relationshi p withi n them (162—63) .

30. Se e Ferdinan d d e Saussure , Course in General Linguistics (1966) ; Claude Levi-Strauss , Structural Anthropology (1967) , The Elementary Structures of Kinship (1969) . 31. Man y feminis t theorist s hav e pointed ou t an d explored th e distinctio n between Woma n o r "th e feminine " a s abstrac t categorie s i n mal e conceptual scheme s an d th e material-historica l being s calle d "women," whos e existenc e i s consistentl y marginalize d o r ignore d within suc h theorizations . D e Lauretis , fo r instance , declares : "B y 'woman' I mea n a fictional construct , a distillat e fro m divers e bu t congruent discourse s dominan t i n Wester n culture s . . . which work s both a s thei r vanishin g poin t an d thei r specifi c conditio n o f exis tence. . .. B y women o n th e other hand , I will mean th e real historica l beings who canno t a s yet be defined outsid e of these discursive forma tions, bu t whos e materia l existenc e i s nonetheless certain " (introduc tion t o Alice Doesn't, 5) . Se e als o Alic e Jardine , "Th e Woman-in Effect," Gynesis: Configurations of Woman and Modernity (1985) , 31-49. Judit h Butler' s problematizatio n o f th e "categorie s o f sex " does not s o much undermin e a s actually underscor e suc h distinctions . I will com e bac k t o this . 3 2. Fo r a n analysi s o f woma n a s th e sit e o f negativity , se e Julia Kristeva , "Negativity: Rejection, " 109-47 . 33. Se e Julia Kristeva , Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection (1980 ; 1982), 65 .

34. Freu d naturall y acknowledge d this , bu t hi s oedipa l plo t i s in th e first and th e las t instanc e th e boy' s story ; i n spit e o f hi s (later ) attempt s t o analyze femal e sexuality , woma n ultimatel y remaine d a n "enigma " i n psychoanalytic theory .

336 Notes

to Chapter Six

35. Madelo n Sprengnether , "(M)othe r Eve : Some Revision s o f th e Fal l i n Fiction b y Contemporar y Wome n Writers " (1989) , 299 . 36. Ibid. , 299-300 . 37. Sigmun d Freud , "Femininity, " 145-69 . Thi s lectur e wa s base d o n two earlie r papers : "Som e Psychica l Consequence s o f th e Anatomica l Distinction betwee n th e Sexes" (1925) , 323-44 , an d "Femal e Sexual ity" (1931) , 367-92 . 38. Laplanch e an d Pontali s defin e bisexualit y a s a "notio n introduce d into psycho-analysi s b y Freud , unde r th e influenc e o f Wilhel m Fliess , according t o whic h ever y huma n bein g i s endowe d constitutionall y with bot h masculin e an d feminin e sexua l dispositions ; thes e ca n b e identified i n th e conflict s whic h th e subjec t experience s i n assumin g his ow n sex. " The y ad d tha t Freu d "neve r thoroughl y define d hi s position wit h respec t t o th e proble m o f bisexuality " an d tha t "hi s thinking abou t th e proble m include s a numbe r o f reservation s an d doubts" {The Language of Psychoanalysis, 52-53) . 39. Se e Sigmun d Freud , "Th e Dissolutio n o f th e Oedipu s Complex, " 313-22. 40. Laplanch e an d Pontalis , The Language of Psychoanalysis, 283 . 41. Fo r th e shiftin g plac e o f th e notio n o f castratio n i n Freud , se e Julie t Mitchell's chapte r "O n Freu d an d the Distinction betwee n the Sexes," in Women: The Longest Revolution (1984) , 221-33 . 42. Freud , "Femininity, " 151 . 43. Freud , "Femal e Sexuality, " 371. 44. Freud , "Femininity," 151-52 . 45. I her e o f cours e refe r t o Freud' s reestablishmen t withi n th e feminis t theoretical aren a wit h th e publicatio n o f Julie t Mitchell' s Psychoanalysis and Feminism (1974) . 46. Freud , "Femininity, " 160 . 47. Laplanch e an d Pontali s defin e th e negativ e Oedipu s comple x a s fol lows: "Lov e fo r th e paren t o f th e sam e sex an d jealou s hatred fo r th e parent of th e opposite sex " {The Language of Psychoanalysis, 283) . 48. Freud , "Femal e Sexuality," 371-72 , 377 . 49. Kristeva , "Adolescen t Novel, " 8 . 50. Laplanch e an d Pontali s sho w tha t psychoanalyti c theor y i s somewha t ambivalent abou t th e concep t o f narcissism . Especiall y i n "Mournin g and Melancholia, " however , Freu d present s th e phenomeno n i n a manner consisten t wit h Lacan' s mirror stage, tha t is , a s th e child' s "amorous captivation " wit h it s ow n image . Becaus e th e eg o take s

Notes to Chapter Six 337 form b y identifyin g wit h a n object , th e subject/objec t relationshi p i s not on e o f intersubjectivit y bu t i s rathe r th e "internalisatio n o f a relationship" (The Language of Psychoanalysis, 256) . 51. See , inter alia , Juliet Mitchel l an d Jacquelin e Rose , Feminine Sexuality: Jacques Lacan and the ecole freudienne (1982) ; an d subsequen t elaborations i n Rose , "Feminin e Sexuality, " i n Sexuality in the Field of Vision (1986) , 4 9 - 8 2 ; an d Mitchell , "Freu d an d Lacan, " i n Women, 248-77 . A s mentione d before , helpfu l an d simpl e introduc tions t o Lacan' s though t ar e th e relevan t section s i n Moi' s Sexual/ Textual Politics; an d Belsey. 52. Fredri c Jameson, "Imaginar y an d Symboli c i n Lacan : Marxism , Psy choanalytic Criticism , an d th e Proble m o f th e Subject " (1977 ; 1982) , 338-9553. Ibid. , 353 , 354-55. 54. Jacque s Lacan , Le Seminaire, 1 , 98 , ctd . i n Jameson , "Imaginary, " 35555. Jameson , "Imaginary, " 355 , 356. 56. Se e Jacques Lacan , "Th e Mirro r Stage, " in Ecrits, 1-7 . 57. "Disavowal, " o r Verleugnung, i s use d b y Freu d i n th e specifi c sens e of a "mod e o f defenc e whic h consist s i n th e subject' s refusin g t o recognise th e realit y o f a traumati c perception " (Laplanch e an d Pon talis, The Language of Psychoanalysis, 118) . 58. Cf . Luc e Irigaray , This Sex Which Is Not One (1977 ; 1985) ; Juli a Kristeva, Polylogue {1977), Desire in Language (1980) ; an d Helen e Cixous an d Christin e Clement , The Newly Born Woman (1986) . 59. Julie t Mitchell , "Psychoanalysis : Chil d Developmen t an d Feminin ity," in Women, 249-78 . 60. Ibid. , 264-65 , 263. 61. Ibid. , 273 . 62. The Acoustic Mirror, 122 . Th e meanin g o f "castration " i n Sil verman's framewor k (predicate d o n Lacan ) i s thu s threefold : i t firs t of al l pertain s t o th e subject/objec t separation ; secondly , i t denote s the subject's entr y into the symbolic order that , preexisting and antici pating the subject, enforce s meaning s an d desire s upon it ; an d thirdly , the ter m refer s t o th e spli t betwee n th e subjec t o f enunciatio n an d th e enunciating subject . 63. Ibid . 64. Tori l Moi , "Patriarcha l Though t an d th e Driv e fo r Knowledge " (1989), 199 . Mo i discusse s Freud' s notion s o f "epistemophilia " an d

338 Notes

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sublimation i n th e contex t o f th e feminis t debat e o n th e rationality / emotionality o r mind/bod y distinction , a dualit y b y whic h al l forms o f intellectua l pursui t en d u p bein g define d a s masculine . Suc h a poin t o f view , Mo i maintains , i s not onl y harmfu l i n tha t i t unjust ifiably render s women' s pursui t o f knowledg e "suspect, " bu t i t als o occludes Freud' s insistenc e o n th e inscriptio n o f th e bodil y drive s (or "instincts " i n th e Standard Edition) i n creative/speculative / intellectual processe s (189-205) . Anothe r illuminatin g feminis t read ing o f th e Freudia n tex t o n creativit y and/o r sublimatio n i s Rose' s chapter "Sexualit y i n th e Fiel d o f Vision " i n he r boo k o f th e sam e title, 225—34 .

65. Silverman , The Acoustic Mirror, 44 . 66. Ibid . 67. Ibid. , 122 . 68. Ibid. , 124 .

7. Sexual/Transgressions 1. A s both Le e and Glendinnin g remark , ET i s the only novel of Bowen' s to b e partly se t in America. Th e latte r inform s u s that Bowe n enjoye d her frequen t stay s i n th e United State s immensel y an d tha t sh e "love d the 'convenience ' o f America n home s an d all-America n gadgetry : tea machines, matchin g towels , America n cocktai l apparatus , crushproo f everything, were features of . . . Carbery—the pola r extreme fro m th e doubtful plumbing , ancient kitchen an d temperamental generato r tha t had underpinne d Bowen' s Court " (230) . 2. Silverman , The Acoustic Mirror, 122 . 3. Helen e Deutsch, The Psychology of Women (1944) , 116 . 4. Mariann e Hirsch, The Mother/Daughter Plot: Narrative, Psychoanalysis, Feminism (1989) . 5. Adrienn e Rich , "Compulsory Heterosexualit y an d Lesbian Existence " (1980; 1984) , 2 1 2 - 4 1 .

6. Th e proble m her e a s elswher e i n thi s otherwis e illuminatin g wor k is tha t Hirsc h discusse s "compulsor y heterosexuality " i n exclusivel y metaphorical terms , tha t is , o n th e leve l o f discours e only , withou t extrapolating fro m th e mother/daughte r bon d th e materia l lesbia n desire that inform s Rich' s iconoclastic—an d controversial—essay . 7. Th e passag e echoe s Virgini a Wool f 's (fictionalized ) experienc e o f fe male exclusio n fro m th e mal e real m o f knowledg e an d learning — called Oxbridge—i n th e first sectio n o f A Room of One's Own, 5-2.5-

Notes to Chapter Seven 339 8. Luc e Irigaray' s analysi s o f th e concep t o f "mimicry " o r "mimesis " primarily concern s th e loss o f femininit y o n accoun t o f th e ver y unrepresentability o f female sexuality within symbolic language: "The masculine ca n partl y loo k a t itself , speculat e abou t itself , represen t itself an d describ e itsel f fo r wha t i t is , whils t th e feminin e ca n tr y t o speak itsel f throug h a ne w language , bu t canno t describ e itsel f fro m outside or in formal terms , except by identifying itsel f with the masculine, thu s b y losing itself " ("Women' s Exile, " 65). Thi s is a n entirel y different lin e o f analysi s fro m th e on e I a m pursuin g here . Fo r a concise discussion o f Irigaray' s notion of "mimicry, " see Moi, Sexual/ Textual Politics, 140-42 . Se e also Gayatri Chakravort y Spivak, "Displacement an d the Discourse o f Woman, " 169-95 , f° r a n interestin g view o n womanliness-as-masquerade . Tani a Modlesk i discusse s th e discursive productio n o f "femininity " i n th e contex t o f mas s cultur e in he r chapte r "Femininit y a s Mas(s)querade, " i n Feminism without Women: Culture and Criticism in a "Fostfeminist" Age (1991) , 2-3-349. Joa n Riviere, "Womanliness a s a Masquerade," 35-49 . 10. Mar y Ann Doane, "Fil m and the Masquerade" (1982), 81-82 . 11. Butler , "Imitation," 18 .

12. Ibid. , 20 .

13. Ibid. , 21 . Butle r rathe r loosel y paraphase s Esthe r Newton' s lin e o f argument in Mother's Camp: Female Impersonators in America (Chi cago: University of Chicag o Press , 1972) . 14. I n "Boy s Wil l B e Girls : Th e Politic s o f Ga y Drag, " 32-70 , Carole Anne Tyler subjects the contempory valorizatio n of putatively "transgressive" forms o f gende r impersonation suc h a s "camp" and "drag" to a highl y pertinen t critique . Sh e correctl y point s t o th e danger s implied b y a "ga y essentialism " tha t issue s fro m th e invocatio n o f a "gay sensibility " t o "kee p straigh t th e differenc e betwee n ga y an d heterosexual gende r impersonation" (54) . 15. Butler , "Imitation," 18 . 16. Freud , "Female Sexuality," 372 . 17. Glendinnin g 218 , 225 . 18. Kristeva , "Adolescent Novel," 21. 19. Hirsch , Mother IDaughter Plot, 1 2 20. Ibid. , 14 , 50 . 21. I a m her e o f cours e primaril y referrin g t o Rolan d Barthes' s semina l essay "Th e Deat h o f th e Author," in which h e replaces o f th e notio n of th e Author-God b y tha t of th e highl y eroticize d textua l body ; an d

340 Notes

to Chapter Seven

to Foucault' s conceptualizatio n o f th e authoria l figure a s a textua l function, somewher e i n betwee n descriptio n an d designation , i n "What I s an Author?" 141-60 . 22. Notabl e exception s are , inte r alia , Nanc y Miller' s "Changin g th e Subject," 102-20 ; Chery l Walker , "Feminis t Literar y Criticis m an d the Author, " 5 5 1 - 7 1 ; an d Judit h Mayne' s sectio n o n "Femal e Au thorship" in The Woman at the Keyhole, 89-154 . Specificall y lesbia n perspectives o n th e issu e ar e provide d b y Mayne' s recen t essa y " A Parallax Vie w o f Lesbia n Authorship, " 173-84 ; an d Rein a Lewis , "The Deat h o f th e Author an d th e Resurrection o f th e Dyke," 1 7 - 3 1 . 23. Silverma n give s a critica l overvie w o f th e auteu r debat e i n cinemati c theory i n he r chapte r "Th e Femal e Authorial Voice, " in The Acoustic Mirror, 187-21 2 an d notes on 2 4 9 - 5 1 . 24. Ibid. , 202 .

25. Sniade r Lanse r 151 . 26. Sigmun d Freud, Beyond the Pleasure Principle, 244 . 27. Pete r Brooks , "Freud' s Masterplot : Question s o f Narrative, " 280-300. 28. Ibid. , 282 .

29. Fo r a n astut e critique of th e male bias in Brooks's and other dominan t theories of narratology, se e Hirsch, Mother I Daughter-Plot 52-54 . 30. Kristeva , "Adolescen t Novel, " 14 , 9. 31. Ibid. , 2 1 . 32. "Wh y D o I Write?" 222 .

33. Hirsch , Mother I'Daughter Plot, 57 . 34. D e Lauretis , "Th e Technolog y o f Gender, " 26 . 8. From Marginality to

Ex-centricity

1. Althoug h wome n speakin g fro m othe r tha n so-calle d mainstrea m (white, middle-class , heterosexual ) cultura l position s hav e rightl y warned feminist s agains t fallin g victi m t o ou r ow n ideologica l blin d spots i n orde r t o preven t ou r theor y fro m becomin g ye t anothe r teleological discourse , th e invaluabl e politica l an d theoretica l benefit s of suc h intervention s shoul d not , a s Susa n Bord o aptl y remind s us , cause us to lose sight of the fact tha t "feminis t theory—eve n th e wor k of white , upper-clas s women—i s no t locate d a t th e center o f cultura l power" ("Feminism , Postmodernism , an d Gender-Scepticism, " 141) . 2. I borro w thi s phras e fro m Susa n Bord o who , i n he r turn , adopt s i t

Notes to Chapter Eight 341 from Thoma s Nagel . Bord o insert s th e phras e int o a discussio n o f current "gende r scepticism " withi n feminis t theory . Sh e argue s tha t feminism canno t affor d t o abando n th e notio n o f gende r o n th e grounds o f a n "increasingl y paralyzin g anxiet y ove r fallin g . . . int o ethnocentrism o r 'essentialism,' " suggestin g that suc h presumed theo retical rigo r ma y i n fac t b e anothe r masculis t rus e t o perpetuat e it s policies of exclusio n an d neutralization . Se e Bordo 133-56 . 3. Fo r the implications o f the quite literal "situatedness" of the (feminist ) body i n plac e an d time , se e Bidd y Marti n an d Chandr a Tapald e Mohanty, "What' s Hom e Go t t o Do with It? " 191-212 . 4. D e Lauretis, "Feminism, Semiotics , Cinema," 7 . 5. Bord o 145 , 144 . 6. I adop t th e phras e "axi s o f exclusion " fro m Evely n Fox-Keller , wh o used it in connection wit h rac e during a lecture given a t the Universit y of Amsterda m i n January 1993 . 7. Se e Sall y Munt' s introductio n (xi-xxi ) t o New Lesbian Criticism: Literary and Cultural Readings (1992) , o n th e necessit y t o retai n th e category o f a (contextualized ) lesbia n identity . 8. Spivak , "Feminis m an d Critica l Theory, " 85 . 9. D e Lauretis , "Feminis t Studies/Critica l Studies : Issues , Terms , an d Contexts," 9 . 10. Ibid. , 14 . 11. Example s o f feminis t engagemen t wit h psychoanalysi s abound . I n addition t o titles cited earlier, see, for example , Shoshana Felman , ed. , Literature and Psychoanalysis (1980) ; Teres a Brennan , ed. , Between Feminism and Psychoanalysis (1989) ; Richar d Feldstei n an d Judit h Roof, eds., Feminism and Psychoanalysis (1989) ; Patricia Elliot, From Mastery to Analysis: Theories of Gender in Psychoanalytic Criticism (1991). Fo r recen t lesbia n feminis t intervention s i n th e debat e o n psychoanalysis, see , inte r alia , Dian e Hamer , "Significan t Others : Lesbians an d Psychoanalyti c Theory, " 1 3 4 - 5 1 ; D e Lauretis , "Per verse Desire" ; Judith Roof , A Lure of Knowledge: Lesbian Sexuality and Theory (1991) ; contributions to The Phallus Issue of Differences: A Journal of Feminist Critical Studies 4 (1992) ; an d m y "Fallisch e Perversie" (1993) . 12. E . Ann Kaplan , "I s the Gaze Male?" 321 , 322, 324 . 13. Th e Woolfs ' Hogart h Pres s wa s th e first t o publis h Freud' s work s i n English translation . Glendinning , whil e maintaining tha t he r "genera tion wa s fa r les s cliquey " tha n th e intellectua l an d literar y societ y i n

34* Notes

to Chapter Eight

which Virgini a Wool f too k u p a prominen t position , claim s tha t Bowen wa s "heir , i n literar y an d aestheti c terms , t o Bloomsbury " (75, 77)14. Willia m James , Principles of Psychology (1890) , ctd . i n Malcol m Bradbury an d James McFarlane, "Movements , Magazines, and Mani festos: Th e Successio n fro m Naturalism, " 197 . 15. Ibid. , 196 . 16. Malcol m Bradbur y an d James McFarlane , "Th e Nam e an d Natur e o f Modernism," 25 . 17. Significantly , i t i s i n thi s novel , markin g th e midpoin t o f Bowen' s career, tha t th e interrelate d operation s o f history , narrativity , an d identity ar e explicitl y articulate d i n term s o f a n oppositiona l hetero sexual difference . Mor e abou t thi s in a moment . 18. Se e Le e o n th e influenc e o f Prous t o n Bowen' s fiction , criticism , an d her idea s abou t writing , esp . chapter s 1 an d 7 (Estimation, 13-56 ; 189-212). Se e also Bowen's lon g essay on Proust' s novelis t character , "The Art of Bergotte," 79-109 . 19. Joh n Fletche r an d Malcol m Bradbury , "Th e Introverte d Novel, " 404 . 20. Richar d Sheppard , "Th e Crisi s in Language," 323-36 . 21. To the North, 136 . 22. A . S. Byatt, Introduction t o The House in Paris, 7—16. 23. D e Lauretis, "Sexua l Indifference, " 155 . 24. Criti c and biographe r appea r equall y anxiou s to point out that Bowe n was no t a lesbia n herself . Althoug h i t i s b y n o mean s m y intentio n either t o contest or t o establish th e author's "real-life " sexua l identity , the lesbophobi a inspirin g suc h negation s o f wha t clearl y canno t b e altogether ignore d i n th e author' s biograph y inevitabl y result s i n a similar downplayin g o f "unwanted " aspect s o f he r texts , an d thu s i n serious critical oversights . 25. Jan e Rule , "Elizabeth Bowen, " 115-25 . The fac t tha t Rule , herself a n out lesbia n novelis t an d shor t stor y writer , is , a s fa r a s I know , th e only criti c to approac h Bowen' s novel s a s lesbian text s would see m t o confirm m y suspicion s regardin g th e heterocentri c an d lesbophobi c assumptions o f bot h "mainstream " feminis t an d othe r literar y critica l practice. 26. Fo r analyse s o f th e "unequa l couple " a s on e o f th e topo i o f lesbia n textuality, se e Elain e Marks , "Lesbia n Intertextuality, " 325-78 ; an d Pamela Pattynama , "D e Herinnerin g aa n het Oud e Verhaal," 88-92 . 27. Se e Glendinning' s chapter s "Noon " an d "Afte r Noon " o n th e devel opment an d significanc e o f thi s long-standing affai r (128-66) .

Notes to Chapter Eight 343 28. Glendinnin g make s ligh t of Bowen' s affair s wit h women , bu t her ow n book support s man y indication s o f thei r occurrenc e throughou t th e author's life . Prevailing regulatory regime s of sexual convention surel y account fo r bot h Bowen' s ow n an d he r biographer' s reticenc e o n th e subject. Still , th e author' s persona l correspondenc e an d a n essa y b y May Sarton , on e o f a numbe r o f adorin g youn g wome n wit h who m Bowen momentarily share d instant intimacy , testify t o at least a bisexual disposition . Se e Ma y Sarton , "Elizabet h Bowen, " 191—214 . Th e sketch form s par t o f a collectio n o f essay s with , a s Glendinnin g observes, a "startlingl y Bowenesque " titl e (104) : A World of LightPortraits and Celebrations (1976) . 29. D e Lauretis, "Sexua l Indifference, " 155 . 30. Ibid. , 157 , 159 . 31. "Picture s an d Conversations, " 41. 32. A t thi s poin t I mus t briefl y elaborat e o n wha t I conside r a flaw i n Silverman's argument , tha t is , he r failur e t o problematiz e th e notio n of identificatio n itself . Silverman rightl y take s issu e with th e Freudia n notion o f lesbia n sexualit y a s involving the so-called masculinit y com plex, a s th e (perverse ) resul t o f th e castrate d girl' s identificatio n wit h the father . He r ow n unquestionin g assumptio n o f a "conjunctio n o f identification an d eroticism, " however , equall y fail s t o d o justic e t o the complexit y o f th e identificator y proces s i n th e constructio n o f a sexed subjectivit y (Acoustic Mirror, 151) . Th e centra l plac e o f th e operation o f desir e i n th e proces s o f identit y formatio n hinge s o n th e subject-object distinction . As a consequence, Silverman's conflatio n o f the girl' s identificatio n wit h th e subjectiv e positio n of th e mothe r would i n effec t preclud e a desir e for he r a s a n objec t o f eroti c invest ment. I n orde r t o maintai n th e indisputabl e valu e o f Silverman' s theory o f a femal e same-se x objec t choic e an d a t th e sam e tim e t o overcome th e limitation s impose d b y a strictl y binar y subject-objec t distinction, i t i s necessary t o reconside r th e way s i n whic h identifica tory processe s obtain . A possibility fo r suc h a rethinkin g wil l shortl y emerge in the main text . 33. Se e Jea n Laplanch e an d Jean-Bertran d Pontalis , "Fantas y an d th e Origins of Sexuality : Retrospec t 1986, " 5-28 . 34. Fo r a convincin g argumen t alon g thes e lines , se e Butler' s chapte r o n "Prohibition, Psychoanalysis , an d th e Productio n o f th e Heterosexua l Matrix," i n Gender Trouble, 3 5 - 7 8 . 35. Shar i Benstock , "Expatriat e Sapphi c Modernism : Enterin g Literar y History," 183—203 .

344 Notes

to Chapter Eight

36. Althoug h i n fac t sh e cast s he r theoretical ne t mor e widel y tha n I can outline here , I wil l addres s onl y thos e aspect s o f Benstock' s essa y directly relevan t t o m y argument . Referrin g t o variou s feminis t theo rists who hav e rea d th e work s o f femal e modernist s suc h a s Virgini a Woolf, Djuna Barnes, and Gertrude Stein as "fueled b y Sapphic erotic power," Benstoc k i n fac t posit s tha t a theory o f Sapphi c modernis m "could profoundl y chang e no t onl y ou r notion s abou t modernis t art , but als o redefin e th e eroti c i n relatio n t o th e creativ e source s fo r al l art" (183). 37. Glendinnin g 218 . 38* Iseult' s attention , w e remember , "coul d see m t o b e love " t o Ev a (ET, 17) . 39. Marily n Frye , "To Be and Be Seen: The Politics of Reality, " 172 . 40. Benstock , "Expatriate, " 193 , 195 . 41. Ibid. , 197 .

Bibliography

Chronological List of Selected Works by Elizabeth Bowen Encounters. London : Sidgwic k an d Jackson, 1923 . Ann Lee's and Other Stories. London : Sidgwic k an d Jackson, 1926 . The Hotel. 1927 . Harmondsworth: Penguin , 1984 . The Last September. 1929 . Harmondsworth: Penguin , 1987 . joining Charles. London : Constable , 1929 . Friends and Relations. 1931 . Harmondsworth: Penguin , 1982 . To the North. 1932 . Harmondsworth: Penguin , 1984 . The Cat Jumps. London : Gollancz , 1934 . The House in Paris. 1935 . Harmondsworth: Penguin , 1983 . The Death of the Heart. 1938 . Harmondsworth: Penguin , 1984 . Look at All Those Roses. London : Gollancz , 1941 . Bowen *s Court and Seven Winters. 1942 . Intr . Hermion e Lee . London : Virago, 1984 . English Novelists. London : Collins , 1945 . The Demon Lover. London : Jonathan Cape , 1945 . The Heat of the Day. 1949 . Harmondsworth: Penguin , 1983 . Collected Impressions. London : Longmans , 1950 . The Shelbourne Hotel. Ne w York : Alfre d A . Knopf, 1951 . A World of Love. 1955 . Harmondsworth: Penguin , 1983 . A Time in Rome. London : Longmans , 1960 . Afterthought. London : Longmans , 1962 . The Little Girls. 1964 . Harmondsworth: Penguin , 1982 . The Good Tiger. 1965 . London: Jonathan Cape , 1970 . A Day in the Dark and Other Stories. London : Jonathan Cape , 1965 . Eva Trout or Changing Scenes. 1969 . Harmondsworth: Penguin , 1982 . Pictures and Conversations. Ed . an d intr . Spence r Curti s Brown . London : Allen Lane , 1975 . 345

346 Bibliography Collected Stories. 1980 . Intr . Angu s Wilson . Ne w York : Rando m House , 1982. The Mulberry Tree. 1986 . Ed . an d intr . Hermion e Lee . Ne w York : Har court Brac e Jovanovich, 1987 . Select Alphabetical List of Prefaces and Essays by Elizabeth Bowen "The Achievemen t o f Virgini a Woolf. " 1949 . I n Collected Impressions. 78-82. "The Ar t o f Bergotte. " 1975 . I n Pictures and Conversations. 77111. "The Ben d Back. " 1951 . In Mulberry Tree. 5 4 - 6 0 . "The Bi g House." 1940 . I n Mulberry Tree. 2 5 - 2 9 . Bowen s Court. Afterword . 1963 . I n JSowen's Court and Seven Winters. 448-59. The Demon Lover. Prefac e t o America n edition . 1946 . I n Collected Impressions. 47-52. Encounters. Preface . 1949 . In Afterthought. 82-88 . The Last September. Prefac e t o 2 d America n edition . 1952 . I n Afterthought. 95-100 . "The Mulberr y Tree. " 1935 . In Collected Impressions. 185-94 . "Notes o n Writin g a Novel. " 1945 . I n Pictures and Conversations. 167-93. "Out o f a Book." 1946 . I n Collected Impressions. 265-69 . "Pictures an d Conversations. " I n Pictures and Conversations. 1-64 . "Sources o f Influence. " I n Afterthought. 205-10 . Stories by Elizabeth Bowen. Preface . 1959 . In Afterthought. 7 5 - 8 1 . "Why D o I Write?" 1948 . In Mulberry Tree. 221-30 . Alphabetical List

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Abel, Elizabeth , Mariann e Hirsch , an d Elizabet h Langland , eds . The Voyage In: Fictions of Female Development. Hanove r an d London : Univer sity Pres s of Ne w England , 1983 . Allen, Walter. Tradition and Dream. London : Phoeni x House , 1964 . Althusser, Louis . "Ideolog y an d Ideologica l Stat e Apparatuse s (Note s to wards a n Investigation). " 1970 . I n Essays on Ideology. Londo n an d New York : Verso , 1984 .

Bibliography T>47 Austin, A. E. Elizabeth Bowen. Ne w York: Twayne , 1971 . Bakhtin, M . M. "Forms o f Time an d of the Chronotope i n the Novel." In Michael Holquist , ed. , The Dialogic Imagination: Four Essays. Trans . Caryl Emerso n an d Michae l Holquist . Austin : Universit y o f Texa s Press, 1981.84-258 . Barrett, Michele , and Anne Phillips , eds. Destabilizing Theory: Contemporary Feminist Theory. Cambridge : Polity , 1992. Barthes, Roland . "Th e Deat h o f th e Author. " 1968 . In The Rustle of Language. Trans . Richar d Howard . Berkele y an d Los Angeles: Univer sity of California Press , 1989 . 4 9 - 5 5. Baudrillard, Jean. "Th e Processio n o f Simulacra." I n Brian Wallis, ed., Art after Modernism: Rethinking Representation. Boston : Godine , 1984. 253-81. Belsey, Catherine . Critical Practice. 1980 . Londo n an d Ne w York : Routledge, 1988 . Benstock, Shari . "Expatriat e Sapphi c Modernism : Enterin g Literar y His tory." I n Karl a Ja y an d Joann e Glasgow , eds. , Lesbian Texts and Contexts: Radical Revisions. Ne w York an d London: Ne w York Uni versity Press , 1991 . 183-203. Benveniste, Emile. Problems in General Linguistics. Trans . Mary Elizabet h Meek. Cora l Gables : University o f Miami Press , 1971. Blodgett, Harriet . Patterns of Reality: Elizabeth Bowen's Novels. Th e Hague: Mouton , 1975. Bordo, Susan . "Feminism , Postmodernism , an d Gender-Scepticism. " I n Nicholson, ed. , Feminism/Postmodernism. 133-56 . Bradbury, Malcolm , an d James McFarlane , eds. "Movements, Magazines , and Manifestos : Th e Succession fro m Naturalism. " I n Bradbur y an d MacFarlane, eds. , Modernism. 192-205 . . "Th e Name an d Nature o f Modernism. " I n Bradbury an d MacFarlane, eds. , Modernism. 19-56 . . Modernism 1890-1930. Harmondsworth : Penguin , 1976 . Brennan, Teresa , ed . Between Feminism and Psychoanalysis. Londo n and New York : Routledge , 1989. Brooke, Jocelyne . Elizabeth Bowen. Supplemen t t o British Book News, no. 28. London: Longmans , 1951 . Brooks, Peter . "Freud' s Masterplot : Question s o f Narrative." I n Felman , ed., Literature and Psychoanalysis. 280-300 . Burgin, Victor , Jame s Donald , an d Cora Kaplan , eds . Formations of Fantasy. 1986 . London an d New York: Routledge , 1989.

348 Bibliography Butler, Judith. Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. New Yor k an d London : Routledge , 1990 . . "Gende r Trouble , Feminis t Theory , an d Psychoanalyti c Dis course." In Nicholson, ed. , Feminism/Psychoanalysis. 301-24 . . "Imitatio n an d Gende r Subordination. " I n Fuss , ed. , Inside/Out. 13-31. Byatt, A . S . Introduction. The House in Paris. 1935 . By Elizabeth Bowen . Harmondsworth: Penguin , 1976 . 7-16 . Cixous, Helene , an d Catherin e Clement , eds . The Newly Born Woman. Trans . Bets y Wing . Minneapolis : Universit y o f Minnesot a Press , 1986. Clark, Katerina , an d Michael Holquist . Mikhail Bakhtin. Cambridge , MA , and London : Belkna p Pres s of Harvar d Universit y Press , 1984 . Craig, Patricia. Elizabeth Bowen. Harmond s worth: Penguin , 1986 . Culler, Jonathan. Structuralist Poetics: Structuralism, Linguistics, and the Study of Literature. London : Routledg e an d Kega n Paul , 1975 . Curtis Brown , Spencer . Foreword . Pictures and Conversations. B y Eliza beth Bowen . London : Alle n Lane , 1974 . vii-xlii . Dalsimer, Katherine . Female Adolescence: Psychoanalytic Reflections on Literature. Ne w Have n an d London : Yal e University Press , 1986 . Davis, Lennar d J. Resisting Novels: Ideology and Fiction. Ne w Yor k an d London: Methuen , 1986 . de Lauretis, Teresa. Alice Doesn't: Feminism, Semiotics, Cinema. London : Macmillan, 1984 . . "Desir e i n Narrative." I n Alice Doesn't. 103-57 . . "Th e Essenc e o f th e Triangl e or , Takin g th e Ris k o f Essentialis m Seriously: Feminis t Theor y i n Italy , th e U.S. , and Britain. " Differences 2 (1989) : 3 - 3 7 . . "Feminism , Semiotics , Cinema : A n Introduction. " I n Alice Doesn't. 1-11 . . "Feminis t Studies/Critica l Studies : Issues , Terms , an d Contexts. " In d e Lauretis , ed. , Feminist Studies. 1—19 . . "Pervers e Desire : Th e Lur e o f th e Mannis h Lesbian. " Australian Feminist Studies 1 3 (1991): 15-26 . . "Semiotic s an d Experience. " I n Alice Doesn't. 158-86 . . "Sexua l Indifferenc e an d Lesbia n Representation. " Theatre Journal 5 (19'88) : 155-77 . . Technologies of Gender: Essays on Theory, Film, and Fiction. Bloomington an d Indianapolis : Indian a Universit y Press , 1987 . . "Th e Technolog y o f Gender. " I n Technologies. 1-30 .

Bibliography 349 de Lauretis , ed . Feminist Studies/Critical Studies. Bloomington : Indian a University Press , 1986 . de Saussure , Ferdinand . Course in General Linguistics. Trans . Wad e Baskin. New York : McGraw-Hill , 1966 . Deutsch, Helene . The Psychology of Women. Vol . 1 . Ne w York : Grun e and Stratton , 1944 . Differences: A Journal of Feminist Cultural Studies. The Phallus Issue 4 (1992) . Doane, Mar y Ann . "Fil m an d th e Masquerade : Theorisin g th e Femal e Spectator." Screen 23 (1982) : 7 4 - 8 7 . Doane, Mar y Ann , Patrici a Mollencamp , an d Lind a Williams , eds . Revision: Essays in Feminist Film Criticism. Frederic k MD : Universit y Publications o f Americ a an d America n Fil m Institute , 1984 . Elliot, Patricia . From Mastery to Analysis: Theories of Gender in Psychoanalytic Criticism. Ithac a an d London : Cornel l Universit y Press , 1991. Ellis, Havelock. Studies in the Psychology of Sex: Sexual Inversions. 1897 . Philadelphia: Davis , 1911. Erikson, Eri k H . Identity: Youth and Crisis. London : Fabe r an d Faber , 1968. Faderman, Lilian . Surpassing the Love of Men: Romantic Friendship and Love between Women from the Renaissance to the Present. 1981 . London: Women' s Press , 1985 . Feldstein, Richard , an d Judit h Roof , eds . Feminism and Psychoanalysis. Ithaca an d London : Cornel l Universit y Press , 1989 . Felman, Shoshana , ed . Literature and Psychoanalysis: The Question of Reading: Otherwise. 1977 . Baltimor e MD : John s Hopkin s Universit y Press, 1982 . Flax, Jane. Thinking Fragments: Psychoanalysis, Feminism, and Postmodernism in the Contemporary West. Berkeley , Lo s Angeles, and Oxford : University o f Californi a Press , 1990 . Fletcher, John, an d Malcol m Bradbury . "Th e Introverte d Novel. " I n Brad bury an d McFarlane , eds. , Modernism. 394-415 . Foster, Hal . "Postmodernism : A Preface. " I n Foster , ed. , The Anti-Aesthetic, ix-xvi . Foster, Hal , ed . The Anti-Aesthetic: Essays on Postmodern Culture. Por t Townsend, WA : Ba y Press, 1983 . Foucault, Michel . The Archeology of Knowledge and the Discourse on Language. 1969 . Trans . A . M . Sherida n Smith . Ne w York : Pantheon , 1972.

3$o Bibliography . Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. Trans . Ala n Sheridan. New York : Vintage , 1979 . . The History of Sexuality. Vol . 1 , An Introduction. 1976 . Ne w York: Vintag e Books/Random House , 1990 . . The Order of Things: An Archeology of the Human Sciences. 1966. New York : Vintage , 1973 . . "Wha t I s a n Author? " I n Josu e Harari , ed. , Textual Strategies: Perspectives in Post-Structuralist Criticism. Ithaca : Cornel l Universit y Press, 1979.141-60 . Freud, Sigmund . Beyond the Pleasure Principle. 1920 . Essentials 218-68. . " A Cas e o f Paranoi a Runnin g Counte r t o th e Psychoanalyti c Theory o f th e Disease. " 1915 . In On Psychopathology. 129-58 . . "Th e Dissolutio n o f th e Oedipu s Complex. " 1924 . In On Sexuality. 313-32 . . The Essentials of Psychoanalysis: The Definitive Collection of Freud's Writing. Trans . Jame s Strachey . Ed . Ann a Freud . Harmonds worth: Penguin , 1986 . . "Femal e Sexuality. " 1931 . In On Sexuality. 367-92 . . "Femininity. " 1932 . I n New Introductory Lectures. 145-69 . . "Famil y Romances. " 1909 . In On Sexuality. 217-26 . . "Fragmen t o f a n Analysi s o f a Cas e o f Hysteria. " 1905 . I n Case Histories I: "Dora" and "Little Hans." Trans , an d ed . James Strachey . Pelican Freud Library, vol . 8 . Ed . Angel a Richards . Harmondsworth : Penguin, 1977 . . "Mournin g an d Melancholia. " 1917 . I n Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, vol . 14 . London , 1953-73.239-55. . New Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis. Trans , an d ed . James Strachey . Pelican Freud Library, vol . 2 . Ed . Angel a Richards . Harmondsworth: Penguin , 1973 . Rpt. 1988 . . "Th e Psychogenesi s o f a Cas e o f Homosexualit y i n a Woman. " 1920. In Case Histories II: "Rat Man," Schreber, "Wolf Man," Female Homosexuality. Trans , an d ed . James Strachey . Pelican Freud Library, vol. 9 . Ed . Angel a Richards . Harmondsworth : Penguin , 1979 . Rpt . 1987.367-400. . On Psychopathology: Inhibitions, Symptoms, and Anxiety. Trans . and ed . Jame s Strachey . Pelican Freud Library, vol . 10 . Ed . Angel a Richards. Harmondsworth: Penguin , 1979 . Rpt. 1987 . . "Th e Sexua l Aberrations. " 1905 . In On Sexuality. 4 5 - 8 7 .

Bibliography 351 . On Sexuality: Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality. Trans . and ed . Jame s Strachey . Pelican Freud Library, vol . 7 . Ed . Angel a Richards. Harmondsworth: Penguin , 1953 . Rpt. 1977 . . "Som e Neuroti c Mechanism s i n Jealousy , Paranoia , an d Homo sexuality." 1921 . In On Psych op athology. 195-208 . . "Som e Psychica l Consequence s o f th e Anatomica l Distinctio n between th e Sexes. " 1925 . In On Sexuality. 323-44 . . "Th e Uncanny. " 1919 . In Albert Dickson, ed., Art and Literature. Harmondsworth: Penguin , 1985 . 335-76 . Frye, Marilyn . "T o B e an d B e Seen : Th e Politic s o f Reality. " I n The Politics of Reality: Essays in Feminist Theory. Trumansburg , NY : Crossing Press, 1983. 151-74 . Fuss, Diana , ed . Inside/Out: Lesbian Theories, Gay Theories. Ne w Yor k and London : Routledge , 1991 . Gallop, Jane. Around 1981: Academic Feminist Literary Theory. Londo n and Ne w York : Routledge , 1992 . . Reading Lacan. Ithaca : Cornel l University Press , 1985 . . Feminism and Psychoanalysis: The Daughter's Seduction. Ithac a and London : Cornel l Universit y Pres s an d Macmillan , 1982 . Genette, Gerard . Narrative Discourse. 1972 . Trans. Jane Lewin . Oxford : Blackwell, 1986 . Glendinning, Victoria . Elizabeth Bowen: Portrait of a Writer. 1977 . Har mondsworth: Penguin , 1985 . Grosz, Elizabeth . Jacques Lacan: A Feminist Introduction. Londo n an d New York : Routledge , 1990 . Hall, Radclyffe . The Well of Loneliness. 1928 . London: Virago , 1982 . Hamer, Diane . "Significan t Others : Lesbian s an d Psychoanalyti c Theory. " Feminist Review 3 4 (1990) : 134-51 . Heath, William . Elizabeth Bowen: An Introduction to Her Novels. Madi son: University o f Wisconsi n Press , 1961. Hewison, Robert . Under Siege: Literary Life in London, 1939—1945. London: Weidenfel d an d Nicolson , 1977 . Hewitt, Douglas. English Fiction of the Early Modern Period, 1890—1940. London an d Ne w York : Longmans , 1988 . Hirsch, Marianne . The Mother/Daughter Plot: Narrative, Psychoanalysis, Feminism. Bloomingto n an d Indianapolis : Indian a Universit y Press , 1989. Hoogland, Rene e C . "Contradiction s Hel d i n Suspense : Postmodernis m and Feminis t Critique. " Dutch Quarterly Review of Anglo-American Letters 4 (1990) : 277-86 .

3J2 Bibliography . "D e Gren s Tusse n Spreke n e n Zwijgen : Elizabet h Bowen' s Eva Trout." In Rosa Knorringa, Anke Burger, and Johanna Bossinade, eds., Uitgesproken maar niet Uitgepraat: Lezingenbundel Vrouwenstudies Letter enUvA. Amsterdam: FAG-Vrouwenstudies Lettere n UvA, 1987. 43-57. . "Fallisch e Perversie. " I n Miek e Bal , Wies va n Moorsel , Pamel a Pattynama, Mieke van Schermbeek, eds. Allure: Psychoanalyse en Feminisme. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 1993. 13—26 . Hutcheon, Linda. A Poetics of Postmodernism: History, Theory, Fiction. New York and London: Routledge, 1988. Irigaray, Luce. "Commodities among Themselves." In This Sex. 192-97. . This Sex Which Is Not One. 1977 . Trans. Catherine Porter with Carolyn Burke. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1985. . "Women' s Exile : Intervie w wit h Luc e Irigaray. " Trans . Couz e Venn. Ideology and Consciousness 1 (1977): 62—76. Jameson, Frederic . Foreword. The Postmodern Condition. By Jean-Frangois Lyotard . Minneapolis : Universit y o f Minnesot a Press , 1989 . vii-xxi. . "Imaginar y an d Symboli c i n Lacan : Marxism , Psychoanalyti c Criticism, an d th e Problem o f th e Subject." I n Felman, ed., Literature and Psychoanalysis. 338—95 . . "Postmodernis m an d Consume r Society. " Kaplan , ed. Postmodernism 13-29. Jardine, Alice A. Gynesis: Configurations of Woman and Modernity. Ith aca and London: Cornell University Press, 1985. Kaplan, Cora. "Language and Gender." In Sea Changes. 69—93 . . "Pandora' s Box : Subjectivity , Class , an d Sexualit y i n Socialis t Feminist Criticism." In Sea Changes. 147-76 . . Sea Changes: Culture and Feminism. London: Verso, 1986. Kaplan, E . Ann . "I s th e Gaz e Male? " I n Snitow , e t al. , eds. , Desire. 321-38. Kaplan, E. Ann, ed. Postmodernism and Its Discontents: Theories, Practices. Londo n and New York: Verso, 1988. Krafft-Ebing, Richar d von. Psychopathia Sexualis. 1882. New York: Surgeons Books, 1925. Kristeva, Julia . "Th e Adolescen t Novel. " I n Joh n Fletche r an d Andre w Benjamin, eds., Abjection, Melancholia, and Love: The Work of Julia Kristeva. London and New York: Routledge, 1990. 8-23. . Desire in Language: A Semiotic Approach to Literature and Art.

Bibliography ^53 Trans. Alic e Jardine, Thomas Gora , an d Leo n Roudiez . Ed . Leon Rou diez. Oxford: Blackwell , 1980 . . "Negativity : Rejection. " I n Revolution. 109-47 . . Polylogue. Paris : Editions d u Seuil , 1977 . . Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection. 1980 . Trans . Leo n Roudiez. New York : Columbi a Universit y Press , 1982 . . Revolution in Poetic Language. 1974 . Trans . Margare t Waller . New York : Columbi a Universit y Press , 1984 . Lacan, Jacques . "Th e Mirro r Stage. " I n Ecrits: A Selection. Trans . Ala n Sheridan. New York : Norton , 1977 . 1-7 . Laplanche, Jean, an d Jean-Bertrand Pontalis . "Fantas y an d th e Origin s o f Sexuality: Retrospec t 1986. " I n Burgin , e t al. , eds. , Formations of Fantasy. 5-28 . . The Language of Psycho-Analysis. Intr . Danie l Lagache . Trans . Donald Nicholson-Smith . London : Karna c Book s an d th e Institut e o f Psycho-Analysis, 1988 . Lassner, Phyllis . Elizabeth Bowen. London : Macmilla n Education , 1990 . Lee, Hermione . Elizabeth Bowen: An Estimation. Londo n an d Totowa , NJ: Vision an d Barne s an d Noble , 1981. Lee, Hermione, ed . The Mulberry Tree: Writings of Elizabeth Bowen. Sa n Diego, New York , an d London : Harcour t Brac e Jovanovich, 1986 . Levi-Strauss, Claude . The Elementary Structures of Kinship. Boston : Bea con, 1969 . . Structural Anthropology. Trans . C . Jacobson an d B . G. Schoepf . Garden City , NY: Doubleday , 1967 . Lewis, Reina . "Th e Deat h o f th e Autho r an d th e Resurrectio n o f th e Dyke." I n Munt , ed. , New Lesbian Criticism. 17—32 . Lyotard, Jean-Francois. The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge. Trans . Geof f Benningto n an d Bria n Massumi . Minneapolis : Uni versity o f Minnesot a Press , 1989 . Marks, Elaine . "Lesbia n Intertextuality. " I n Georg e Stambolia n an d Elaine Marks , eds. , Homosexualities and French Literature: Cultural Contexts!Critical Texts. Ithac a an d London : Cornel l Universit y Press , 1979.353-78. Martin, Biddy, and Chandr a Tapald e Mohanty. "Feminis t Politics : What' s Home Go t t o D o wit h It ? I n d e Lauretis , ed. , Feminist Studies. 191-212. Martin, Wallace . Recent Theories of Narrative. Ithac a an d London : Cor nell University Press , 1986 .

354 Bibliography Mayne, Judith . " A Paralla x Vie w o f Lesbia n Authorship. " I n Fuss , ed. , Inside/Out 173-84 . . The Woman at the Keyhole: Feminism and Women *s Cinema. Bloomington an d Indianapolis : Indian a Universit y Press , 1990 . Meijer, Maaike . De Lust tot Lezen: Nederlandse Dichteressen en het Liter aire Systeem. Amsterdam : Sara/va n Gennep , 1988 . Miles, Rosalind . 1987 . The Female Form: Women Writers and the Conquest of the Novel. London : Routledge , 1990 . Miller, Nanc y K . "Changin g th e Subject : Authorship , Writing , an d th e Reader." I n d e Lauretis , ed. , Feminist Studies. 102-20 . Mitchell, Juliet . Psychoanalysis and Feminism. Ne w Yor k an d London : Pantheon, 1974 . . Women: The Longest Revolution: Essays in Feminism, Literature, and Psychoanalysis. London : Virago , 1984 . Mitchell, Juliet , an d Jacquelin e Rose , eds . Feminine Sexuality: Jacques Lacan and the ecole freudienne. London : Macmillan , 1982 . Modleski, Tania . Feminism without Women: Culture and Criticism in a "Postfeminist" Age. Ne w Yor k an d London : Routledge , 1991 . Moi, Toril. "Patriarcha l Though t an d th e Driv e fo r Knowledge. " I n Bren nan, ed. , Feminism and Psychoanalysis. 189-205 . . Sexual/Textual Politics: Feminist Literary Theory. Londo n an d New York : Methuen , 1985 . Morris, Meaghan . The Pirate's Fiancee: Feminism, Reading, Postmodernism. Londo n an d Ne w York : Verso , 1988 . Munt, Sally . '"Somewhere over the rainbow . . . ': Postmodernis m an d th e Fiction o f Sara h Schulman. " I n Munt , ed. , New Lesbian Criticism. 33-50. Munt, Sally , ed . New Lesbian Criticism: Literary and Cultural Readings. Hemel Hempstead : Harveste r Wheatsheaf , 1992 . Newton, Esther . "Th e Mythi c Mannis h Lesbian : Radclyff e Hal l an d th e New Woman." Signs: Lesbian Issue 4 (1984) : 557-76. Nicholson, Lind a J. , ed . Feminism/Postmodernism. Ne w Yor k an d Lon don: Routledge , 1990 . Owens, Craig. "Th e Discours e o f Others : Feminist s an d Postmodernism. " In Foster , ed. , The Anti-Aesthetic. 5 7 - 8 2 . Pattynama, Pamela . "D e Herinnerin g aa n he t Oud e Verhaal. " Lover 2 (1989): 88-92 . . Passages: Vrouwelijke Adolescentie als Verhaal en Vertoog. Kam pen: Ko k Agora , 1992 .

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Rimmon-Kenan, Shlomith . Narrative Fiction: Contemporary Poetics. 1983. London: Methuen , 1986 . Rich, Adrienne . "Compulsor y Heterosexualit y an d Lesbia n Existence. " 1980. Reprinte d i n Snitow , e t al. , eds., Desire. 2 1 2 - 4 1 . Riviere, Joan . "Womanlines s a s a Masquerade. " 1929 . I n Burgin , e t al. , eds., Formations of Fantasy. 3 5 - 4 9 . Roof, Judith. A Lure of Knowledge: Lesbian Sexuality and Theory. Ne w York an d Oxford : Columbi a Universit y Press , 1991. Rose, Jacqueline. Sexuality in the Field of Vision. London : Verso, 1986 . Rubin, Gayle . "Th e Traffic i n Women: Note s towar d a Political Econom y of Sex. " I n Rein a Rayter , ed. , Toward an Anthropology of Women. New York : Monthl y Revie w Press , 1975 . 157-210 . Rule, Jane . "Elizabet h Bowen. " I n Lesbian Images. Trumansburg , NY : Crossing Press, 1975. 115-24 . Sarton, May . "Elizabet h Bowen. " A World of Light: Portraits and Celebrations. Ne w York : Norton , 1976 . 191-214 . Sellery, J'nan. Elizabeth Bowen: A Descriptive Bibliography. Austin : Uni versity o f Texa s Press , 1977 . Sheppard, Richard . "Th e Crisi s i n Language. " I n Bradbur y an d McFar lane, eds. , Modernism. 3 1 3 - 2 3 . Silverman, Kaja . The Acoustic Mirror: The Female Voice in Psychoanalysis and Cinema. Bloomingto n an d Indianapolis : Indian a Universit y Press, 1988 . . The Subject of Semiotics. Ne w Yor k an d Oxford : Oxfor d Univer sity Press, 1983. Sniader Lanser , Susan . The Narrative Act: Point of View in Prose Fiction. Princeton: Princeto n Universit y Press , 1981. Snitow, Ann , Christin e Stansell , an d Sharo n Thompson , eds . Desire: The Politics of Sexuality. 1983 . London: Virago , 1984 . Spivak, Gayatr i Chakravorty . "Displacemen t an d th e Discours e o f Woman." I n Mar k Krupnick , ed. , Displacement: Derrida and After. Bloomington: Indian a Universit y Press, 1983 . 169-95 . . "Explanatio n an d Culture : Marginalia. " I n In Other Worlds. 103-17. . "Feminis m an d Critica l Theory. " I n In Other Worlds. 7 7 - 9 2 . . "Frenc h Feminis m i n a n Internationa l Frame. " I n In Other Worlds. 134-53 . . In Other Worlds: Essays in Cultural Politics. Ne w Yor k an d London: Routledge , 1988 .

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Index

Abject (the) , 21 8 Adolescence (female) , 9 , 22, 24, 39, 4 1 - 4 4 , 50 , 52, 54, 5 7 - 6 0, 62 , 73, 82, 84-86 , 9 0 - 9 3 , 96, 97, 99, 101-7, 134 , 208, 219, 226, 257, 2 7 9 - 8 1 , 283 , 285, 286, 304, 317 n . 43, 32 0 n . 4, 324 n . 4 0 Agency, 22, 35, 54, 87 , 124 , 132 , 145 , 147, 1 5 2 , 1 6 0 , 1 8 6 - 8 8 , 1 9 0 , 1 9 2 , 196, 199 , 204, 245, 261, 265 , 273, 283, 284 , 286-88, 299, 335 n . 2 9 Allen, Walter, 32 7 n. 3 1 Althusser, Louis , 3 1 - 3 5, 4 5 Androgyny, 75 , 279 (Anglo)-Ireland, 3 , 4, 5, 11 , 39, 50, 52, 53, 59 , 72, 86 , 88, 94, 167 , 301 , 317 n. 38 , 318 n . 2, 323 n . 22 , 325 n . 1 5 Answerability, 2 8 - 3 1 , 49 , 58, 68, 91, 92, 114 , 123 , 166. See also Bakhtin , Mikhail Ascendancy, 4 , 40, 50, 58, 94, 319 n . 52 Austen, Jane, 10 , 1 9 Austin, A. E., 323 n . 2 2 Auteur theory , 280 , 281, 340 n . 2 2 Author-effect (author-function) , 27 , 30, 280-82, 284 , 285, 287, 299, 304, 314 n . 11 , 32 2 n . 20, 339 n . 2 1, 340 n . 2 1 Authorship (authority) , 22, 2 8 - 3 1, 72 ,

96, 98-102 , 104 , 110 , 116 , 145 , 169,190,194, 2 1 1 - 1 3 , 216, 221, 242, 245 , 251, 260 , 261, 271 , 278 , 280, 281, 2 8 3 - 8 5, 287, 288, 299, 304, 32 2 n . 2 0 Autobiography, 1 , 2, 24, 27, 92, 93, 96, 101 , 30 2 Bakhtin, Mikhail , 2 8 - 3 1 , 33 , 37, 45, 49, 62 , 71, 104, 109 , 111 , 31 4 n . 13 , 315 n . 14 , 315 n . 16 , 315 n . 1 7 Barthes, Roland , 124 , 281, 300, 339 n . 21 Belsey, Catherine, 124 , 19 2 Benstock, Shari , 3 0 6 - 9, 311 , 344 n . 3 6 Benveniste, Emile, 315 n . 1 6 Bildungsroman (nove l o f development) , 22, 39 , 103 , 209, 328 n . 4 1. See also Novel o f awakenin g Binary opposition s (thought) , 78 , 84, 95, 99 , 109 , 118 , 124 , 125,127-29 , 138-40, 147 , 162 , 168 , 172 , 174 , 175, 181 , 194,195, 200, 217, 218, 228, 232 , 237, 242, 243, 246, 265, 266, 268 , 270, 277, 278, 280, 285, 296-99, 301 , 304, 308, 319 n . 55, 343 n . 3 2 Bisexuality, 170 , 220, 343 n . 2 8 Blodgett, Harriet , 1 8 Bloomsbury, 296 , 301, 342 n . 1 3

357

358 Body, the (physicality) , 36, 37, 42, 4 7 - 4 9 , 54 , 60, 68, 69, 80,105,145 , 183, 195 , 196 , 204, 218, 228, 232, 237, 238 , 240, 242, 246, 281, 282 , 289, 293 , 324 n . 40, 339 n . 2 1 Bordo, Susan, 292, 293, 340 n . 1 , 341 n . 2 Bowen, Elizabeth : affair s of , 12 , 302, 303, 34 2 n . 24 , 342 n . 27, 343 n . 28; an d Anglo-Ireland , 6 , 11 , 16, 19 , 40,96,117,118,212,213,301, 318 n . 52 , 320 n . 2, 323 n . 22 , 325 n . 15 ; and (auto)biography , 1 , 2, 24, 27 , 92, 93, 9 6 - 1 0 1, 154 , 206, 213, 217 , 280, 288, 3 0 2 - 4, 32 5 n . 42, 32 9 n . 59 , 342 n . 24; Big Hous e in, 41 , 58 , 73, 74, 91 , 94 , 95, 133, 161, 31 8 n . 52, 319 n . 52, 320 n . 70 , 320 n . 2, 321 n . 8 ; an d Bowen' s Court, 3 , 7, 8 , 10 , 11 , 13, 95, 212, 323 n . 2 1, 338 n . 1 ; childhood of , 2 , 5 - 7 , 49 , 96, 97 , 111 , 213 , 325 n . 15 ; and class , 5, 14-16 , 19 , 55, 63, 88, 146, 330 n . 17 , 331 n . 19 ; classifica tion of , 1 4 - 1 6 , 1 8 - 2 0 , 1 1 8 , 209 , 210, 32 2 n . 9 , 33 3 n . 9 ; critical ap preciations of , 2 , 1 4 , 1 6 - 1 8 , 20 , 21, 28, 39 , 40, 119 , 120 , 182 , 203, 209, 210, 214 , 301 , 302 , 308, 310, 320 n . 4, 32 3 n . 22 , 327 n . 31 , 32 7 n. 32 , 328 n . 37 , 329 n . 1 , 330 n . 1 , 330 n . 17, 333 n . 10 , 335 n . 29, 342 n . 24 ; critical an d occasiona l writing s of , 1 , 2 , 8 , 9 , 11 , 1 3 , 2 1 , 2 4 , 4 9 , 5 8 , 7 2 , 73, 9 1 - 9 3 , 97, 9 9 - 1 0 1 , 1 1 0 , 111 , 113-16, 154 , 206, 207, 217, 249, 288, 297 ; death of , 14 , 206; educa tion of , 7 ; and England , 5 - 8 , 10 , 12 , 19, 142 , 212, 213; and exile , 5, 10 , 13,111,112,212,213,301,306; family background , 3 , 11 , 212; fam ily influences on , 5, 117 , 323 n . 2 1; and he r father , 3 , 5, 7 , 8 , 212; an d feminism, 20 , 2 1; financial problems ,

Index 10, 11 , 13; friends of , 9 , 1 1 - 1 3 ; gothic aspect s in , 332 n . 9 ; heredity , 6, 11 , 19, 213, 301, 32 3 n . 21 ; o n history, 6 , 7, 22, 114-18 ; on history / historiography, 111 ; innocence an d experience in , 48, 49, 84 , 87, 196 , 203, 241 , 250; an d isolation , 3 , 5, 58, 100 , 323 n . 22; later year s of , 13 , 204, 212 , 213, 283; in literary his tory, 2 , 14 , 16 , 19 , 20, 23, 118, 210, 296-98, 301 , 312, 326 n . 30, 342 n . 13; i n London, 8 , 10-12 ; majo r themes of , 10-13 , 18 , 4 1, 48, 57, 81, 93,101,107,111,114,117-19, 158, 2 0 6 - 8, 214, 217, 278, 290, 296, 297 , 299, 300, 302, 325 n . 42, 332 n . 8 ; marginalizatio n of , 2 , 14-16, 20 , 2 1, 23, 294, 297, 301, 312, 32 6 n . 30 ; marriage of , 9 , 1 1 - 1 3 , 302 ; and he r mother, 3 - 7 , 9 6 - 9 8 , 213 , 278, 288; narrativ e voice in, 28, 40, 53, 66, 61, 88 , 90, 91, 94 , 9 5 , 1 0 1 , 102,112 , 120,121 , 130, 137 , 138 , 140 , 155 , 162 , 165 , 170, 172,177,190 , 191,194,197 , 199, 200, 202, 208, 212, 215-17 , 225, 236 , 241, 255 , 260, 263, 273, 274, 278, 280, 282, 284-87, 289 , 310, 312 ; oeuvre, 2, 9 - 1 3, 20 , 108 , 109, 114 , 118 , 206, 210, 293, 297, 299, 300 , 309, 332 n . 9 ; i n Oxford , 9, 10 , 98, 296; personality, 3 , 4, 8-10, 12 , 25, 26, 97; on power , 1 , 117, 118 , 146 , 320 n . 2; prefaces by , 9, 2 4 - 2 6, 59 , 95, 96, 98, 109-14 ; reputation, 2 , 11 , 14-17, 19 , 23, 118; shor t storie s of , 9 , 10 , 25, 26, 40, 109 , 110 , 113 , 206, 332 n . 9 ; and stammer , 6 , 7; stylisti c feature s of, 7,10 , 1 3 , 1 4 , 1 6 , 1 7 , 1 9 - 2 1 , 23, 40,81,101,119,206-10,212, 214-16, 280 , 284, 285, 287, 289, 2 9 8 - 3 0 1 , 305 , 307-10, 312, 328 n . 37, 33 3 n . 10 , 333 n . 11 , 33 5 n . 29 ;

Index

359

and war , 8 , 12 , 107-18 , 120 , 214; on writing , 1 , 2, 6 , 9, 22, 24, 26, 39, 49,72,96,98-100,108-11, 113-16, 120 , 207, 212, 249, 283, 288, 297 , 304, 309, 314 n . 8 , 323 n . 22 Bowen, Florence , 3 , 5, 7 , 96, 21 3 Bowen, Henry , 3 , 5, 1 0 Bowen's Court, 2 , 5, 40, 117 , 320 n . 2 , 323 n . 2 1 Bradbury, Malcolm , "Movements , Magazines, an d Manifestos : Th e Succession fro m Naturalism, " 297 ; "Th e Name an d Natur e o f Modernism, " 297 Brooke, Jocelyn, 14 , 57, 11 9 Brooks, Peter , 282, 340 n . 2 9 Butler, Judith, 3 6 - 3 8 , 60 , 61, 64, 265-67, 269 , 316 n . 29, 319 n . 56; Gender Trouble, 36 ; "Imitatio n an d Gender Insubordination, " 60 , 61, 64 Byatt, A . S., 30 0

Closure, 124 , 125 , 188 , 192 , 193 , 276 Complicity, 61 , 85, 127 , 154 , 165 , 166,180,277 Compulsory heterosexuality , 36 , 64 , 65, 71 , 77, 79, 85 , 108 , 146 , 156 , 179, 194 , 199 , 203, 254, 257, 266, 293, 304 , 311 , 321 n . 8,33 8 n . 6 Consciousness, 25 , 30, 32, 34, 35, 39, 41, 45 , 50, 68, 70, 74-76, 82 , 90, 111, 132 , 142 , 169 , 172 , 174 , 183 , 189, 196 , 216, 238, 241, 274 , 278, 297 Craig, Patricia , 209 , 210, 313 n . 1 Crisis, 40, 4 1, 44, 50, 58, 84, 93-96 , 101, 102 , 104 , 107 , 108 , 131 , 136, 188, 189 , 194 , 207, 208, 213, 232, 257, 262 , 270, 278, 284, 286, 299, 312 Culler, Jonathan, 12 4 Cultural (un)conscious , 149 , 160 , 177 , 182 Curtis Brown , Spencer , 210 , 21 2

Cameron, Alan , 9 , 13 , 302 Carnal knowledge . See Knowledg e Case history, 208 , 209, 225, 263, 264, 288, 294 , 295, 29 8 Castration (complex) , 144 , 145 , 222, 2 3 1 - 3 3 , 242 , 247, 256, 268, 336 n . 41, 33 7 n . 62 ; castrated woman , 83 , 160, 222, 227, 232, 233, 238, 242, 244, 265 , 343 n . 32; castratin g woman/mother, 144 , 146-49 , 153 , 156, 159 , 173 , 174, 194 , 196 , 218, 277, 32 1 n . 8 ; castratio n anxiety , 145, 148 , 150 , 156 , 173 , 175, 232; threat o f castration , 219 , 221, 222, 231,252,277 Christianity, 18 , 182 , 199 , 218, 248-50, 277 , 28 4 Chronotope. See Timespac e Class, 16 , 19 , 34, 39, 50, 55, 56, 59 , 63, 88 , 90, 141 , 143, 145, 146 , 200, 291

Dadaism, 29 8 Dalsimer, Katherine , 44, 317 n . 4 3 Dante (The Divine Comedy), 18 2 Daughter, 47 , 279, 282, 285, 286, 288, 289,311 Davis, Lennar d J. , 21 1 Death of the Heart, The, 12 , 57, 21 0 Deconstruction, 2 1 , 108, 292, 294, 316 n . 3 3 de Lauretis, Teresa, 3 4 - 3 6 , 39 , 43, 63, 78, 121-23 , 125 , 141 , 148, 163, 290, 292 , 301,303 , 315 n . 23, 316 n . 24; "Desir e i n Narrative, " 121-23, 141 , 148; "Th e Essenc e of the Triangle or , Taking th e Ris k o f Essentialism Seriously : Feminis t The ory i n Italy , the U.S., and Britain, " 315 n . 24 , 316 n . 24; "Feminism , Semiotics, Cinema: A n Introduction, " 292; "Feminis t Studies , Critical Stud ies: Issues , Terms, and Contexts, "

3 6o Index de Lauretis , Teresa (Continued) 294; "Pervers e Desire : The Lur e of the Mannish Lesbian, " 63 ; "Semiot ics and Experience, " 78 ; "Th e Tech nology o f Gender, " 34 , 35, 39, 43, 290, 31 5 n . 23; "Sexua l Indifferenc e and Lesbia n Representation, " 163 , 301,303 Derrida, Jacques, 3 1, 239 Desire, 23, 42, 48, 54, 60, 62, 67, 68, 70, 72 , 80 , 81, 8 4 - 8 8, 90 , 105 , 106 , 116, 121 , 124, 125 , 130 , 146 , 156 , 159, 160,162 , 163 , 173 , 180, 186 , 191, 192 , 195 , 201, 204 , 211, 212 , 218,219,221,222,230-35, 237-39, 2 4 1 - 4 3 , 245, 247, 252, 256-58, 264 , 266, 268, 270, 277-89, 301 , 3 0 3 - 8, 310, 312, 321 n . 4, 343 n . 3 2 Destabilization, 57 , 58, 75, 76, 91, 97, 101,103,107,108,110,207 Deutsch, Helene , 25 7 Development (psychosexual) , 43, 86, 88, 124 , 2 1 9 - 2 1, 223 , 226, 227, 234-36, 238 , 243, 251, 257, 268, 285, 304 , 305 , 307, 311, 312 , 328 n . 41 Deviancy (abnormality) , 83 , 217, 225, 226,253,267,268,308,310 Dialogism (dialogic) , 25, 2 8 - 3 1, 45 , 58, 59 , 62, 68, 71, 79 , 82 , 89, 100 , 109, 111 , 140, 147 , 189 , 217, 255, 260, 269 , 28 0 Diegesis (diegetic) , 102 , 204, 281. See also Extradiegetic ; Intradiegeti c Disavowal (Verleugnung), 230 , 242, 258, 268 , 286, 289, 308, 337 n. 5 7 Disintegration, 88 , 89, 109 , 112 , 113, 123, 131 , 139 Dislocation, 7 , 13 , 50, 5 1, 59, 76, 92 , 107, 127 , 130 , 208, 212, 213, 30 9 Displacement, 108 , 148 , 149 , 159 , 169 , 212, 213 , 249 Doane, Mar y Ann , 2 6

Ellis, Havelock, 33 1 n. 1 7 Epistemophilia, 235 , 236, 337 n . 6 4 Erikson, Erik , 44, 45, 52, 59, 62, 317 n . 50, 318 n . 5 0 Ethnicity, 29 2 Eva Trout, 13 , 23, 206-90, 294 , 298, 311 Ex-centricity, 243 , 244, 254, 268, 278, 279, 291 , 298, 312; Ex-centric, (the) , 23, 217 , 225, 226, 246, 249, 252, 253, 258 , 264, 270, 275, 283, 285-88, 290 , 300, 301, 308-12 f . See also Deviancy ; Sexua l ambiva lence Excess, 23, 50, 122 , 265, 267, 274, 303, 30 7 Experience, 22, 2 5 - 2 8, 39, 4 1, 43, 45, 49, 57, 58 , 68, 70, 72, 7 6 - 7 8, 84 , 86, 91 , 92, 98, 101 , 104, 108-11 , 120, 139 , 140 , 144,149 , 155 , 156 , 168, 190 , 198 , 202, 214, 232, 234, 240, 251 , 261 , 278 , 282, 286, 292, 295, 297 , 302, 303, 306, 30 9 Extradiegetic, 93 , 95, 101 , 102, 105 , 119, 208 , 278, 280, 281, 287 , 304, 322 n . 20 . See also Diegesis ; Intradie getic Family romance , 209, 289, 332 n . 5 Family triangle , 45, 59, 219-22, 226 , 227,242,264,271,277,304 Fantasmatic, 64 , 147 , 153 , 267, 306 , 308,310,311 Fantasy, 3 , 80, 117 , 138 , 142 , 145 , 147, 149 , 150 , 153 , 155 , 266, 30 5 Father, the , 175 , 217, 219, 238, 246, 247, 270, 272, 273, 275, 277-88, 319 n . 5 5 Female homosexuality , 267 , 321 n . 4 , 324 n . 4 1 Female sexuality , 23 , 81, 92, 141 , 142, 156, 160 , 175 , 177 , 179 , 185 , 193, 207, 217 , 220, 222, 2 3 3 - 3 5, 238,

Index 2 4 1 - 4 3 , 247 , 254, 275, 287, 304, 305, 308 , 310-12, 33 5 n . 3 4 Feminine (the) , 83, 89, 149 , 199 , 200, 218, 221 , 222 , 231, 238 , 242, 258, 259, 265 , 267, 290, 312, 335 n . 3 1 Femininity, 42 , 63 , 65, 83 , 84, 87 , 131, 141, 144 , 153 , 161, 187, 218, 222, 2 3 2 - 3 5 , 242 , 243, 246, 254, 264, 265, 267 , 304, 305, 308, 339 n . 8 . See also Womanhood ; Motherhoo d Feminism, 2 1, 35, 233 , 238, 292, 294 , 295, 303 , 333 n . 1 1 Feminist criticism , 37 , 38, 280, 291-94, 301 , 304, 333 n . 1 0 Feminist theory , 22 , 34, 36, 38, 43, 81, 173,222,223,264,265,281, 2 9 1 - 9 5 , 299 , 301, 304, 307, 335 n . 31, 34 0 n . l , 3 4 1 n . 11 , 344 n. 3 6 Fletcher, John (an d Malcol m Bradbury ) "The Introverte d Novel, " 29 8 Focalization, 175 , 236, 28 1 Foucault, Michel , 27, 33, 34, 36, 42, 116, 118 , 158 , 296, 314 n . 11, 315 n . 23, 316 n . 35; The History of Sexuality, 31 6 n . 35; The Archeology of Knowledge and the Discourse on Language, 116 ; Discipline and Punish, 15 8 Freud, Sigmund , 4 1, 44, 83 , 141, 145, 149, 150 , 158 , 170 , 185 , 2 1 8 - 2 3, 227, 230-36 , 243 , 245, 254, 257, 263, 264 , 274, 275, 282, 295, 296, 304, 305 , 307, 311, 33 2 n . 5, 335 n . 34, 33 6 n . 37, 336 n . 4 1, 33 7 n. 64 , 338 n . 64 , 341 n . 13 , 343 n . 32 ; Beyond the Pleasure Principle, 282 ; "A Case of Paranoi a Runnin g Counte r to th e Psychoanalyti c Theory o f th e Disease," 158 ; "Th e Dissolutio n o f the Oedipu s Complex, " 222 ; The Ego and the Id, 231 ; "Family Ro mances," 209 , 335 n . 34 ; "Feminin ity," 220-22 , 231 , 336 n . 37; "Fe male Sexuality, " 221 ; "Fragment o f

361 an Analysi s o f a Case of Hysteria, " 317 n . 46; "Th e Psychogenesi s o f a Case o f Homosexualit y i n a Woman," 31 7 n. 46; "Th e Sexua l Aberrations," 149 , 150 ; "Som e Neu rotic Mechanisms i n Jealousy, Para noia, an d Homosexuality, " 145 , 170; "Som e Psychica l Consequence s of th e Anatomical Distinctio n Be tween th e Sexes," 83 ; "The Un canny," 14 1 Friends and Relations, 1 1 Frye, Marilyn, 31 0 Gallop, Jane, 38 , 316 n . 3 3 Gaze (gendered) , 81 , 82, 173 , 174, 176, 264, 265, 270, 295, 304, 321 n . 5 Gender, 15,16 , 2 0 - 2 2 , 3 4 - 3 9 , 42, 43, 50, 53-56, 58-65, 69 , 70, 72, 73, 75, 7 7 - 7 9 , 82-84 , 86 , 87, 93, 98-100,104,106-8,123-25,128, 129,134,135,145-47,160,162, 163,165,166, 169 , 170,172-74 , 177, 178 , 180 , 184 , 185 , 194-97 , 200, 203, 204, 208, 2 1 8 - 2 1, 226 , 232, 243 , 244, 246, 2 5 3 - 5 5, 257, 259, 2 6 5 - 6 8 , 270, 273, 277, 283, 285-89, 291-97 , 300, 3 0 1 , 3 0 3 - 5 , 308-10, 312 , 315 n . 23, 316 n . 29, 323 n . 22, 324 n . 40, 326 n . 30 , 330 n . 1 , 335 n . 29 , 339 n . 14 , 341 n . 2, 343 n . 32 , 344 n . 3 6 Genette, Gerard , 32 2 n . 2 0 Glendinning, Victoria, 3 - 5 , 10,112 , 120, 210, 278, 302, 309, 327 n . 32 , 334 n . 23 , 338 n . 1 , 341 n . 13 , 343 n . 2 8 Gothic, 141 , 332 n . 9 Greene, Graham, 32 4 n . 3 3 Hall, Radclyffe , 182 , 331 n . 1 9 Heath, William , 17-19 , 4 1, 48, 83,

3^ 2 Heath, Willia m (Continued) 101, 102 , 104 , 182 , 203, 320 n . 4 , 321 n . 4, 323 n . 2 2 Heat of the Day, The, 12 , 22, 92, 107-8, 213 , 214, 297, 302, 30 9 Heterocentrism, 32 , 301, 311, 322 n . 11, 34 2 n . 2 5 Heterosexism, 28 , 10 5 Heterosexual contract , 57 , 61, 72, 89, 108, 125 , 1 3 7 , 1 6 0 , 1 7 1 , 1 7 3 , 176 , 192, 193 , 243. See also Socia l con tract Heterosexual difference , 122 , 124 , 159 , 161, 163 , 169, 186 , 217, 219, 226, 237, 28 9 Heterosexuality, 37 , 38, 4 2 - 4 4, 61 , 63, 64, 65, 72 , 77, 81, 84-86, 90 , 136 , 154, 159 , 178 , 179 , 181 , 183, 185, 192, 193 , 200, 208, 221, 231 , 232 , 243, 253 , 254, 257, 264, 267, 283, 287, 301 , 302, 3 0 4 - 9, 33 9 n . 14 . See also Compulsor y heterosexualit y Heterosexual matrix , 38 , 64, 82 , 85, 134, 159 , 165 , 170, 176 , 180 , 185 , 246, 253 , 264, 266, 270, 285, 289, 305,310 Heterosexual plo t (romanti c plot , het erosexual romance) , 57, 61 , 66, 80 , 271, 287 . See also Myth , o f (hetero sexual) romanc e Hewison, Robert , 32 6 n . 30, 327 n. 3 0 Hewitt, Douglas , 1 6 Hirsch, Marianne , 257 , 258, 279, 282, 338 n . 6 History, 22 , 27, 106 , 108 , 111, 114-17,120,125,127,129,138, 152, 153 , 155, 156 , 161 , 163, 165-68,172, 181,188,194,196 , 207, 208 , 217, 229, 236, 249, 274, 278, 280, 282-84, 291 , 297, 300, 306; historiography , 114 , 116 , 117 , 189; historical present , 139 , 162 , 168, 189 , 253, 319 n . 5 6 Hom(m)osexuality, 125 , 141 , 145,

Index 157-59, 169 , 187 , 191 , 193, 244, 256, 267, 273, 287, 304, 306; hom (m)osexual economy , 125 , 128 , 152 , 193, 254, 266, 287, 30 6 Homoeroticism, 81 , 200, 285, 305, 308, 312 , 321 n . 4 Homophobia, 26 6 Homosexuality, 44 , 64 , 105 , 145, 156, 158, 160 , 170 , 175 , 182 , 183 , 231, 233, 254 , 266, 267, 305, 339 n . 14 . See also Lesbia n sexuality ; Mal e ho mosexuality Hotel, The, 20 6 House in Paris, The, 11 , 291, 300 Identification, 45 , 105 , 153 , 158, 191, 196,211,230,232,234,235, 2 4 3 - 4 5 , 2 7 9 - 8 1 , 283 , 285, 291, 292, 294 , 304, 305, 307-10, 34 3 n . 32 Identity, 26 , 2 8 - 3 0, 32 , 35, 36, 4 2 - 4 5, 50, 5 8 - 6 2, 65, 73 , 83, 87, 91, 98, 99,103,112,131,135,139,143, 144, 147 , 148 , 156 , 159 , 163 , 165, 166, 173 , 174, 178 , 186 , 195 , 199 , 206, 208 , 211, 226 , 227, 234, 241, 253, 260 , 261 , 265 , 273, 283, 288, 291-94, 296 , 299, 301, 3 0 4 - 6, 309 , 312, 32 8 n . 4 1; formation, 42 , 52, 97,104, 211 , 247, 294, 295, 304, 310, 311 , 34 3 n . 3 2 Ideologeme, 31 , 315 n . 1 7 Ideology, 22, 28, 3 1, 32, 34, 35, 38, 39, 42 , 45, 50, 58, 65, 66, 70 , 72, 79, 85 , 86, 95, 111 , 121, 127, 138 , 140, 141,143 , 200, 210, 213, 214, 269, 277 , 281, 292 , 328 n . 47, 330 n . 1 ; ideological apparatu s (structures), 3 1 - 3 3, 35 , 37, 42 , 62, 71, 76, 79 , 93, 107, 132 , 134 , 135 , 151, 165 , 207, 211, 292; ideologica l effect, 33 , 64, 66, 115 , 204, 211, 257, 268 , 269, 292; ideological oper ations, 32, 38, 54 , 59, 66, 77 , 79, 86 ,

Index 90,115,131,138,152,165,198, 200, 211 , 219 , 252, 257, 258, 26 7 Imaginary, 32 , 102 , 103 , 106 , 199 , 226, 227 , 230, 231, 234 , 241, 245 , 250, 251 , 273 , 277, 283, 310, 324 n . 40; i n Lacan , 227-29, 230 , 251, 324 n . 4 0 Impotence (moral/sexual) , 53, 55-57, 68, 95,147 , 24 3 Incest, 137 , 219, 285, 30 6 Indeterminacy, 78 , 86, 105 , 203 Initiation, 229 , 264; sexua l initiation , 82, 86 , 87; symbolic initiation, 239 , 241, 264 , 273; initiation rite , 80 , 229 Inscription, 1 , 23, 35, 43, 44, 58, 69, 71, 91 , 93 , 103, 112 , 115 , 117 , 118 , 120, 123 , 125 , 130 , 138 , 139 , 145 , 164, 165 , 168 , 180 , 181 , 189, 206, 208, 211 , 219 , 233, 248, 253, 261, 264, 273 , 280, 281, 283-86, 288 , 289, 292 , 293, 298, 303, 305-1 2 Instability, 5 1 , 52, 64 , 89 , 92, 102 , 29 9 Intelligibility, 37 , 72, 82, 266, 26 9 Interpellation, 32 , 35, 39, 44, 45, 52, 59, 61 , 73, 85, 101,131 , 132,134 , 135, 143 , 148 , 198 , 200, 269, 30 9 Intertext, 3 , 38, 96, 181 , 295 Intertextuality, 27 , 28, 33, 96, 182 , 201, 280 , 315 n . 1 7 Intradiegetic, 119 , 208, 278, 280, 28 1 Inversion, 226 , 331 n . 19 . See also Ex tradiegetic; Diegesi s Irigaray, Luce , 125 , 339 n . 8 James, William, 29 6 Jameson, Fredric , 22 8 Kaplan, Cora , 3 8 Kaplan, E . Ann, 29 5 Klein, Melanie, 22 8 Knowledge (knowing) , 29, 32, 33, 43, 89, 92 , 124 , 125 , 156 , 157 , 160 , 164, 169 , 173 , 175, 183 , 191, 196,

363 201, 211 , 212 , 235, 237, 294, 337 n . 64, 33 8 n . 65, 33 8 n . 7 ; carna l knowledge, 49 , 84 , 87 , 217, 240; pa triarchal knowledge . See also Power / knowledge Krafft-Ebing, Richar d von , 33 1 n . 1 9 Kristeva, Julia, 102-6 , 279 , 283, 319 n . 55, 32 4 n . 38, 324 n . 4 1; "The Adolescen t Novel, " 102 , 104-6, 208 ; "Th e Bounde d Text, " 315 n . 1 7 Lacan, Jacques, 70 , 196 , 219, 227, 228, 230 , 238, 240, 251, 282 , 3 0 4 - 6 , 33 6 n . 50, 337 n. 6 2 Lack, 57 , 58, 76, 9 2 , 1 3 1 , 159,190 , 195, 197 , 198 , 218, 221, 222 , 232 , 235, 238 , 243, 245, 258, 264, 274 , 277, 304 , 305, 308 Lassner, Phyllis , 2 0 - 2 2, 182 , 318 n . 52, 31 9 n . 52, 320 n . 70 , 324 n . 22 , 327 n . 32 , 329 n . 59, 329 n . 1 , 330 n . 1 Last September, The, 22, 24-107, 132 , 194, 207, 208, 214, 296, 29 8 Law (the) , 37, 50, 76, 78, 79, 82-84 , 102, 129 , 131 , 136, 145 , 146 , 148 , 151, 159 , 167 , 175 , 179 , 180 , 197 , 199, 209, 217, 219, 232, 233, 239, 242-44, 247 , 248, 250-54, 256 , 258, 259 , 266, 267, 269, 271, 273 , 275, 277 , 283, 287, 319 n . 55, 321 n . 8 Lee, Hermione, 16-19, 40, 41,^4, 91, 106, 182, 203, 209-12, 214, 287, 302, 312, 319 n. 63, 320 n. 69, 320 n. 2, 320 n. 4, 325 n. 42, 327 n. 32, 327 n. 34, 329 n. 1, 329 n. 59, 330 n. 17, 331 n. 22, 338 n. 1 Lehmann, Rosamund, 15, 326 n. 30, 327 n . 3 1 Lesbian criticism , 3 1 , 38, 108 , 294, 342 n . 2 6 Lesbian eroticism , 81 , 105, 243, 288,

364 Lesbian eroticis m {Continued) 289, 294 , 302, 321 n . 4. See also Ho moeroticism Lesbianism, 81 , 182, 201, 267, 283, 284, 306 , 307, 325 n . 4 2 Lesbian literature , 182 , 303, 342 n . 2 6 Lesbian sexuality , 2 1 , 44, 64, 72, 81-84, 105 , 106 , 108 , 145 , 160 , 170, 182 , 185 , 197 , 200, 203, 204, 231, 233 , 234, 241, 243 , 254, 266 , 268, 283 , 284, 289, 3 0 1 - 3, 308 , 310, 311 , 321 n . 9 , 325 n . 42, 343 n . 32 Lesbian (feminist ) theory , 2 1 , 28, 32, 293, 294 , 306, 334 n . 1 1 Lesbophobia, 32 1 n . 9 , 342 n . 24 , 342 n . 2 5 Liberal humanism , 45 , 151 , 214 Libidinal, 221 , 223, 228, 230, 234 , 243,273,283,285,300,311 Little Girls, The, 13 , 209, 21 0 Lotman, Jurij, 121 , 122 Love object, 70 , 8 4 - 8 6 , 1 0 3, 105 , 218, 2 2 1 - 2 3 , 227 , 230, 232, 233, 235, 238, 2 4 0 - 4 3 , 247, 256, 257, 263, 268, 274 , 277, 284-86, 288 , 305, 307 Male homosexuality , 44 , 64 , 105 , 145, 156, 158 , 160 , 170 , 175 , 182 , 231, 254, 266 , 26 7 Male sexuality , 83 , 218 Male/female paradigm , 7 8 Manhood, 125 , 250 Marriage (heterosexual) , 53, 54, 56, 61, 63 , 65, 79 , 82 , 89, 133 , 134, 139, 173 , 175, 176 , 193 , 238, 243, 254, 261 , 272 , 30 2 Martin, Wallace , 322 n . 2 0 Masculine, 75 , 83, 99, 123 , 125, 148, 156, 157 , 160 , 161 , 166, 168 , 173, 185, 187 , 192 , 197 , 199 , 200, 204 , 218, 222 , 223, 234, 237, 238, 242,

Index 243, 252 , 258, 265, 268, 273, 274, 277, 283 , 290 Masculinity, 42 , 147 , 148 , 159 , 174 , 176, 193 , 218, 232, 265, 30 5 Masculinity complex , 223 , 243, 331 n . 19, 34 3 n . 3 2 Masculism, 34 , 36, 315 n . 22 , 317 n . 50 Masquerade, 254 , 2 6 4 - 6 8, 272 , 274, 276, 278 , 287, 339 n . 8 , 339 n . 14 . See also Mimicr y Masterplot (maste r discourse) , 217-20 , 225, 238 , 244, 255, 257, 261, 263 , 271, 274 , 275, 277, 282, 289. See also Metanarrativ e Maternal, 70 , 143 , 144, 213, 233, 278, 280, 286 , 287, 324 n . 41 , 32 5 n . 4 1 Matrix/matter (woma n as) , 153 , 169. See also Plot , spac e McCarthy, Mary , 15 , 1 6 McFarlane, James. See Bradbury , Malcolm Melancholia, 179 , 235, 259, 336 n . 5 0 Metanarrative, 209 , 296. See also Mas terplot Metaphysics (Western) , 37, 190 , 214, 217-19,240,308 Miles, Rosalind , 15 , 1 6 Mimesis, 105 , 298, 339 n . 8 Mimicry, 267 , 339 n . 8 . See also Mas querade Mirror stag e (phase) , 196 , 227—30, 245, 251 , 252 , 264, 336 n . 5 0 Mitchell, Juliet, 231 , 232, 336 n . 4 5 Modernism, 296-99 , 301 , 3 0 6 - 8, 312 , 344 n . 3 6 Moi, Toril, 236, 337 n . 6 4 Mother (materna l figure), 47 , 69, 70, 80, 84-86 , 130,131,144,145,166 , 174,184,218,221,222,227, 230-34, 238 , 241, 243, 245, 247, 249, 251 , 257 , 262, 267, 273, 274, 275, 277-79, 281, 282, 284-89 ,

Index 305, 306 , 311, 32 4 n . 41 , 32 9 n . 59 ; castrating mother, 143 , 146-48 , 156, 174 , 194 , 218, 277, 320 n . 70 , 321 n. 8 ; phallic mother, 218 , 222, 233, 238 , 286, 305, 329 n . 59; sym bolic mother, 223 , 233, 235, 238, 242, 245 , 251, 256 , 258, 28 8 Mother/child dyad , 47 , 70 , 219, 230 , 233, 241 , 250 , 251, 263 , 264, 273, 275, 277, 311; Mother/daughter rela tionship, 23, 47, 217, 220, 233, 241, 257, 275 , 278, 282, 286, 288, 289, 311, 33 5 n . 29, 338 n . 6 Motherhood, 246 , 254, 267, 271. See also Femininit y Myth, 4 - 7 , 18 , 34, 83, 99, 102 , 115 , 122, 1 3 2 , 1 4 1 , 1 4 3 - 4 5 , 149,154 , 164, 192 , 210, 215, 217, 218, 246, 249, 274 , 275, 277, 279, 280 , 282-84, 286 , 287, 289, 296; of (het erosexual) romance , 38, 57, 66, 75, 79, 86 , 1 2 3 , 1 3 3 , 1 3 5 , 1 3 7 - 3 9 , 1 5 5 , 156, 164 , 171 , 181, 192, 204, 219 , 262, 264 , 274; of masculinity/femi ninity, 20, 124 , 149 , 177 , 193 , 194 ; mythical time , 121 , 123, 141, 168, 215; mythica l subject , 123 , 125, 141; mythica l hero , 122 ; mythica l plot, 123,124 , 20 4 Narcissism, 83 , 145, 158 , 185 , 227, 230, 277 , 336 n . 5 0 Narrative, 20, 2 1, 40, 63, 8 6 - 8 8, 91, 93, 95 , 101 , 103, 105 , 106 , 108 , 118, 121-25 , 133 , 138, 140, 141, 152, 153 , 163,166,169, 170 , 176 , 188, 191 , 192, 194 , 200, 201, 204 , 205, 210 , 212, 214, 215, 219, 261, 263, 273 , 274, 277, 282, 283, 287, 289, 290 , 294, 296, 298, 299, 309 , 312; narrativizatio n (narration) , 118 , 120, 123 , 216, 280, 284, 285, 287, 322 n . 20; narratology, 15 8

365 Narrator, 28 , 66, 67, 9 1 , 101, 102, 105, 120 , 121 , 130, 137,138,140 , 155, 162 , 165,170 , 172 , 177 , 190 , 194, 197,199 , 200 , 202, 211, 212, 215, 216 , 225, 236, 241, 255 , 260, 263, 274 , 278, 281, 282, 285-87 , 289,310 Negativity, 85, 86, 218 , 233, 268, 307, 308,312 Newton, Esther , 26 7 Novel o f awakening , 123 . See also Bildungsroman Novel o f development . See Bildungsroman Object, 124 , 125 , 132 , 156 , 233, 240, 243, 265 , 280, 2 8 5 - 8 7, 305 ; objec t of exchang e (woma n as) , 125 ; objec t choice, 103 , 158 , 232, 233, 242, 243, 254 , 257, 258, 285, 343 n . 32 . See also Lov e objec t Oedipal, 86 , 103,104 , 209 , 218, 220, 221, 223 , 226, 227, 232, 233, 235, 238, 2 4 2 - 4 5 , 255, 258, 264, 268, 270, 271 , 273 , 274, 277, 286, 289, 304, 311 , 312 , 332 n . 5 , 335 n . 34 ; negative oedipu s complex , 221 , 223, 227, 231 , 2 3 3 - 3 5, 238, 242, 243, 256, 275 , 304, 305, 307, 311, 312 , 336 n . 47 ; Oedipus , 218, 221, 231, 282, 283 , 287; Oedipu s complex , 86 , 170, 2 2 0 - 2 3, 227, 2 3 1 - 3 3, 235, 257, 277; positive oedipus complex , 2 2 1 - 2 3 , 227 , 232, 234, 238, 242-44, 257 , 270, 284, 305, 307, 311. See also Pre-Oedipus , preoe dipal Origin, 151 , 155, 156 , 185 , 207, 213, 217-20, 233 , 257, 274, 277, 278, 281-84, 287 , 288, 298, 301, 334 n . 23 Other/s, the. See Self/(Same) Other/ s Overdetermination (sexual/ideological) ,

366 Overdetermination (Continued) 42, 104 , 201, 275 , 289, 292, 295, 304 Paranoia, 141 , 143, 145, 147, 152 , 153,155,158 Patriarchal culture , 22, 34, 36, 79, 80 , 92, 129 , 130 , 132 , 161 , 165, 167 , 174,181,190, 217-20 , 233 , 246, 248, 249 , 256, 257, 265, 266, 275, 277, 283 , 286, 287, 293, 308, 321 n . 8, 330 n . 1 ; patriarchal knowledge , 20, 21 9 Patriarchal power . See Phallic, power ; Power, discursiv e Patriarchy, 20 , 32, 34, 77, 166 , 175 , 178, 199 , 203, 217, 238, 286, 293, 308 Peirce, C. S., 3 9 Performativity (performance) , 36 , 60 , 64, 66, 73 , 89, 91, 93 , 129 , 134 , 244, 253, 260, 265-72, 274 , 276, 287, 303 , 339 n . 1 4 Perversion (perversity) , 103 , 105 , 170 , 231, 279 , 316 n . 33 , 321 n . 9 , 343 n . 32 Phallic, 156 , 160 , 161 , 222, 233, 244, 273-75, 305 , 308; mother, 234 ; power, 156 , 159 , 175 , 218, 221, 267, 270 , 277, 287, 320 n . 70 ; stag e (phase), 2 2 1 - 2 3, 226, 227, 230, 231, 234 Phallocracy (phallocratic) , 67 , 73, 83, 131, 146,157,159,186 , 218 , 261, 267, 26 9 Phallo(go)centrism, 34 , 36, 61, 64, 65, 69, 77, 82 , 84, 85, 99, 105 , 108, 123, 125,128 , 131,141 , 144-46 , 152,153, 156,160 , 161 , 175, 179 , 193,194,199, 203 , 209, 217-19 , 232, 243 , 246, 250, 254, 257, 266, 273, 287 , 289, 293, 295, 308, 31 2 Phallus, 83 , 199, 218, 233, 277, 305, 308

Index Phantasmatic. See Fantasmati c Pictures and Conversations, 1 , 20 6 Play. See Performativit y Plot, 1 1 9 - 2 5 , 1 3 3 , 1 4 1 , 1 5 3 , 1 5 4 , 1 5 7 , 161,168,169,188,189,191-94, 201, 204 , 207, 215, 218, 257, 261, 262, 268 , 271, 272 , 273, 284, 287, 289, 309 , 335 n . 34; cultural plot , 38, 61 , 66, 82 , 166 , 209; plotting , 119; space , 122 , 160 , 169 ; subplot , 1 0 8 , 1 1 9 , 1 9 1 , 1 9 4 , 1 9 5 , 201 , 302, 331 n. 22 . See also Heterosexua l plo t Postmodern, 115 , 214, 280, 2 9 1 - 9 3, 299, 307 , 333 n . 11 , 33 4 n . 1 1 Poststructuralism, 2 1 , 33, 36, 45, 63, 101, 214 , 280, 291, 29 3 Power, 2 , 2 1, 32, 33, 55, 7 3 - 7 5 , 82 , 90, 93 , 99, 118 , 125,132 , 1 4 2 , 1 4 4 47, 149 , 150 , 156,157 , 159-61 , 163, 173 , 174, 177 , 180 , 186 , 187 , 192, 200, 202, 212, 2 4 2 - 4 5, 247 , 259, 272 , 299, 308, 311; discursive (symbolic) power , 22 , 28, 46, 5 1, 68, 82,91,101,106,110,118,187, 1 8 8 , 1 9 0 , 1 9 2 , 1 9 4 - 9 6 , 1 9 9 , 204 , 212, 217 , 224, 242, 243, 245, 251, 273, 283, 284, 2 8 6 - 8 8, 299, 310 ; power relations , 50, 108 , 160 , 204, 293, 294 , 304 ; power structures , 22 , 34, 35 , 58, 59, 62, 66, 68 , 146 , 204, 293 Power/knowledge, 66, 76, 82 , 9 1, 108, 128,141,146,158-61,165,169, 172,177,182,187,190,192,199, 204, 212 , 216, 217, 240, 254, 259, 266, 268 , 274, 289, 305, 330 n . 1 ; power/knowledge system , 62 , 65, 66, 68, 90 , 116,123,165 , 169 , 177 , 289. See also Phallic , powe r Pre-Oedipus, 223, 231, 275; preoedipal, 200, 227, 233, 245, 250, 308; presymbolic, 49, 196 , 200, 204, 230 , 250, 274 , 290, 311, 31 9 n . 55, 324 n . 4 0

Index 3 Pritchett, V . S., 99, 100 , 324 n . 3 3 Private/public, 95 , 109 , 118 , 127 , 138-40, 162 , 168 , 172 , 181 , 297, 299. See also Binar y opposition s Proust, Marcel , 58, 298, 29 9 Psychoanalysis, 23 , 42, 43, 84, 85, 102 , 104, 112 , 116 , 144 , 145 , 208, 209, 218, 220 , 222, 225, 242, 257, 263, 274, 275, 281, 282, 288, 294-96 , 300, 303 , 304, 306, 319 n . 55, 335 n . 3 4 Psychosexuality, 52 , 59, 63, 145, 158, 170, 174 , 180 , 184 , 199 , 205, 206, 2 2 0 - 2 3 , 226 , 227, 234-36, 247 , 251, 268 , 285, 300, 3 0 4 - 8, 310, 31 1 Puberty, 50 , 84, 221, 257 Quest, 28 , 39, 4 1, 59, 61, 7 1 - 7 3, 80 , 86-88, 91 , 92, 102 , 123-25 , 141, 153, 155 , 157 , 162 , 167 , 169 , 183, 204, 303 , 320 n . 4, 328 n . 4 1 Race, 3 4 , 2 9 1 , 2 9 2, 31 7 n . 5 0 Reaction formation , 232 , 329 n . 5 6 Realism (social , classic), 120 , 124 , 210, 211,215,280,298 Repression, 56, 80 , 103 , 146, 147 , 156 , 164, 184 , 213, 217, 227, 233, 234, 236, 241 , 243 , 268, 279, 284, 286 , 289,307,308,310,311 Rich, Adrienne, 257, 338 n . 6 Rimmon-Kenan, Shlomith , 32 2 n . 2 0 Ritchie, Charles , 12 , 13 , 114, 30 2 Riviere, Joan, 264 , 26 5 Romantic love . See Myth, of (heterosex ual) romanc e Rubin, Gayle , 316 n . 2 5 Rule, Jane, 302 , 342 n . 2 5 Sadomasochism, 23 5 Same-sex, 81 , 82, 84 , 105 , 158, 185 , 193, 200 , 204, 242, 243, 245, 247,

6y

258, 285 , 287, 302, 304, 310, 312 , 343 n . 32 . See also Lesbianism ; Les bian sexuality ; Mal e Homosexualit y Sapphic, 256, 306, 307, 308, 311, 312, 344 n . 3 6 Self (Same)/Other/s , 26 , 27, 2 9 - 3 1, 46 , 52,59,66,71,73,81,83,92,95, 100, 111 , 127, 132 , 147 , 155 , 156 , 1 6 0 , 1 6 8 , 1 7 3 - 7 5 , 1 8 3 , 1 9 3 , 256 , 264, 269 , 270, 273, 287, 314 n . 5 Self/Other distinction , 125 , 228 Seven Winters, 2 , 4 Sex. See Gende r Sex/gender system , 35 , 36, 38, 85, 290, 316 n . 2 5 Sexual ambivalence , 20, 43, 44, 46, 47, 58, 86 , 92, 93, 102, 103 , 105, 106 , 183, 194 , 246, 249, 252, 253, 264, 268, 272 , 2 7 9 - 8 1, 283 , 285, 288, 299, 304 , 312 , 33 I n. 1 9 Sexual difference , 34 , 36, 38, 75, 79, 99, 103 , 118, 122 , 123 , 195, 200, 217, 219 , 220, 222, 226, 231, 232 , 258, 289 , 301, 304, 3 0 6 - 8, 315 n . 14, 316 n . 24 . See also Heterosexua l difference Sexuality, 9 , 11 , 20, 2 1, 36, 38, 39, 4 1, 42, 47 , 53, 54, 61 , 64 , 69, 70, 73, 75,80,81,83,86,87,91,92,98, 102, 141 , 144, 170 , 181 , 183, 193, 195,196,203,217,218,221, 225-27, 2 3 3 - 3 8 , 241, 244, 262, 264, 267-69, 271, 272, 275, 277, 278, 289 , 293, 295, 2 9 8 - 3 0 3, 305, 310—12. See also Bisexuality; Femal e sexuality; Heterosexuality ; Homo sexuality; Lesbia n sexuality ; Mal e homosexuality; Mal e sexualit y Sexual indifference , 163 , 169, 299, 303, 30 8 Sexual orientatio n (sexua l identity , preference), 9 , 10 , 22, 43, 46, 59, 64, 72, 89 , 93, 104, 170,193 , 197 , 199 , 246, 257 , 265, 272, 291, 292 , 295,

368 Sexual orientatio n (Continued) 300, 302 , 303, 305, 308, 310, 341 n . 7, 342 n . 2 4 Sheppard, Richard , 298 , 29 9 Silverman, Kaja , 179 , 2 3 1 - 3 5, 238, 240, 242 , 256, 259, 281 , 282 , 304 , 307, 311 , 34 0 n . 23, 343 n . 3 2 Simulacra, 140,31 1 Sniader Lanser , Susan , 32 2 n . 2 0 Social comed y (satire) , 39, 55, 88, 14 1 Social contract , 37 , 65, 75 , 79, 90, 164 , 175, 179 , 203, 266. See also Hetero sexual contrac t Social order . See Symbolic (order ) Specularity. See Gaz e Spivak, Gayatr i Chakravorty , 93 , 315 n . 22, 316 n . 3 3 Spraggs, Gillian, 182 , 18 5 Sprengnether, Madelon , 219 , 22 0 Subjectivity, 2 1 , 23, 28, 29, 34, 35, 45, 49, 50 , 57, 59, 62, 66, 71 , 73 , 76, 78, 83 , 9 1, 9 2 , 1 0 2 , 1 0 4 , 1 0 7 , 1 0 8 , 110-14,125,126,140,141,152, 153, 168 , 181 , 184, 188 , 196 , 207, 208, 211 , 213, 214, 217-20, 226 , 227, 230 , 231 , 233 , 234, 241, 242 , 245, 247 , 252, 255, 260, 264, 274 , 277, 279 , 286, 291, 292, 294-96 , 300, 303 , 304, 306, 307, 311, 312 , 343 n . 32; subject (a s effect), 3 0 - 3 3 , 3 5 - 3 7 , 42 , 44, 50, 5 1, 58, 61, 63, 65,73,85,91,93,101,115,117, 123, 124 , 126 , 128 , 131 , 134, 147 , 148, 162 , 163 , 166, 204, 209, 217-20, 231 , 232, 235, 253, 256, 257, 259 , 266, 267, 269, 270, 273, 274, 277 , 281, 282 , 284, 286, 287, 291-95, 299 , 304, 305; subject for mation (see Identity, formation) ; sub ject-position, 35 , 38, 43, 83, 86, 169 , 175, 199 , 209, 244, 252, 258, 264, 265, 268, 270, 273, 280, 284-89 , 2 9 1 - 9 3 , 304 , 306, 307, 310; speak -

Index ing (writing ) subject , 22 , 70, 84, 209, 216, 217 , 227, 232, 240, 268, 277, 280, 281, 2 8 3 - 8 8, 292, 293, 308 Subject-object distinction , 175 , 265, 280, 285 , 337 n. 62 , 343 n . 3 2 Subtext, 20 , 1 4 5 , 1 6 4 , 1 8 1 , 1 8 4 , 1 8 5 , 206, 219 , 225, 227, 241, 250 , 262, 263, 28 8 Surrealism, 29 8 Symbolic castration, 232 , 240-42, 251, 255, 256 , 274, 277, 337 n . 6 2 Symbolic (order) , 33, 35, 37, 42, 43, 45, 49 , 70, 71, 76, 84 , 94, 121 , 123, 125, 130,131 , 150,151,161,166 , 175, 1 8 0 , 1 8 1 , 1 9 6 , 1 9 7 , 1 9 9 , 200 , 2 0 7 - 9 , 217 , 219, 227, 228, 231, 233, 2 3 8 - 4 0 , 2 4 3 - 4 5 , 2 4 7 , 2 4 9 - 5 2 , 255, 256 , 258, 262, 267, 269, 270, 277, 278 , 283, 287, 290, 304, 305, 307,308,311,312 Synthetic experience, 25, 49, 68, 111; synthetic language, 25, 26 Technology, 24 , 36, 39, 42, 43, 106 , 131, 147 , 165 , 195 , 204, 226, 296, 315 n . 2 3 Timespace, 24, 29, 38, 97, 98, 108 , 120, 181 , 207 , 215, 290, 311 , 31 4 n . 13, 315 n . 1 3 To the North, 11 , 9 1, 92, 29 9 Transference, 93 , 102 , 105 , 106 , 29 3 Transposed autobiography , 25 , 27, 39, 108, 30 2 Troubles, the Irish , 4, 24, 40, 50, 9 5 Tyler, Carole-Anne , 33 9 n . 1 4 Uncanny, th e (das Unheimliche), 141 , 142,144-46,149,150,174,181 Unconscious, 103 , 149 , 160 , 170 , 177 , 180, 184 , 190 , 219, 222, 227, 233, 234, 241 , 243 , 267, 278, 280, 285, 286,288,306-8,311

Index 3 Violence, 19 , 40, 59, 82-84 , 95 , 108 , 110, 111 , 128, 131,137,175 , 179 , 180,193,225,241,273,307 War (Worl d Wars I and II), 12, 112-15,118,120,121,123,126, 130, 132 , 136 , 138,150 , 162 , 168 , 194, 198,199 , 207 , 213 , 297, 309 , 326 n . 3 0 Welty, Eudora, 13 , 214 White, Hayden, 1 5

69 White, Patricia, 141 , 14 4 Wittig, Monique, 37 , 3 8 Womanhood, 54 , 63 , 65, 69 , 78 , 82-84, 147 , 160 , 165 , 318 n . 50. See also Femininity; Motherhoo d Womb, 70, 71, 80,141, 143 , 144 , 213, 217, 27 8 Woolf, Virginia , 17 , 21, 173 , 174 , 338 n . 7 , 34 1 n . 13 , 342 n . 13 , 344 n. 3 6 World of Love, A, 1 3