All Writing is Drawing: The Spatial Development of the Manuscript

Author(s): Serge Tisseron

Reviewed work(s):
Source: Yale French Studies, No. 84, Boundaries: Writing & Drawing (1994), pp. 29-42
Published by: Yale University Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2930178 .
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 SERGE TISSERON

All WritingIs Drawing:The Spatial

Developmentofthe Manuscript

An author'smanuscripts arerecognizedthesamewaywriting is recog-

nized,thatis, throughits stylistichallmarks:strickenwords,scholia
writtenin themargins,scribblings, and quick memoslike "mustget
some milk." Such annotations,which are in manywayssimilarto
those studdingthe earlydraftof a comic strip,have done much to
disabuseus oftheillusionofa textimmediatelycastin itsfinalmate-
rialform.Anotherobstacle,however, has arisen:whatsortofcriteria
are thereto evaluatethe workof the manuscript?Indeed,to what
extentis themanuscript guidedbytheworkin progress(inwhichcase
thecompletedworkwouldthenbe thecriterium bywhichsuccessive
draftsoughtto be measured)?Or to what extentis the manuscript
guidedbyotherforcesat work?Ifwe admitthatthewritingprocessis
not only the transpositionof a textwhich existedoriginallyin the
writer'smind,thenthe role ofthe inscriptivegesturein the writing
processhas beengenerally andmarkedly underestimated,particularly
bylinguisticsand semiology. I wouldliketo developsuchan approach
here.The genesisofthetext,as ofanywrittenmark(particularly that
of drawing),must be consideredfromthe viewpointof the original
spatialplaywhichthehandstages.Neithertheparadigmoftheeyenor
that of language allows us to grasp the meaningof "firstdraft"
dynamics-the momentwhenits enunciationis bornin distinction
fromwhatit enunciates.The paradigmofthehand,however, achieves
such an understanding.Originallywhatis at stakein thehandis the
verynatureofthepsychicinvestments whichareboundup in it.
The importancegivento hand gesturesdoes not excludethe in-
creasinglylargeshareoftextualcreationwhichis performed by ma-

& Drawing,ed.M. Reid,? 1994byYaleUniversity.

YFS 84,Boundaries:Writing

29
30 Yale FrenchStudies
chines,startingwiththehome computer.In fact,thecurrenttechno-
logical evolution is drawingnoticeablycloser to the conditions
presidingoverthemanualcreationofa manuscript. The computerhas
gone beyondthe limitationsof the typewriter, which excludesthe
possibilityof manyoperationsquicklyand easilyperformed by the
hand,suchas freeusageofthefullpageanda varietyofgraphicmarks.
The computerallowsforwordsand sentencesto be movedwitha few
briefcommands,forfragments tobe stored,formultipletypographical
fontsto be used,and evenforgraphicsto be introduced.Whereasthe
earliesttypewritertechnologyestrangedtheuserfromtheprocessof
marking, thecurrent developmentstendtowardsa reconciliation
with
it.

A. MANUAL PLEASURES
Althoughthenecessarybeginnings ofthetext,as wellas theintention
of writingit, admittedlyare initiatedin the psychicsystem,the in-
scriptionprocessinvolvesfirstandforemost thehand.The initialmo-
mentof writing,as of any marking,is when "something"(forwhat
does one call an originalnotion,an idea,an intuition,an inspiration?)
which has neitherextensionnor durationis givenboth-a spatial
existence(itsmarking)and a temporalexistence(thetimeit takesfor
the eye to run across it). While this momentmay entailnumerous
inscriptive instruments, rangingfroma merepencilto a computer, its
actualrealizationis impossiblewithoutinvolvingthehand.Thisman-
ual process has been overlookedby linguisticstudiesparticularly
whichare systematically interestedin the end productofthemanu-
script.Yet the manuscripthas its own requirements. Forinstance,
insofaras it takes farmoretime to inscribewritingthanit does to
conceiveitmentally, writingis oftenforcedto createthewholeproject
andeachofitscomponentsat thesametime.Thus,an erasurecanhave
meaningwithrespectto the wordor the sentenceit eliminates,but
also as an elementinscribedin a largerinvisiblenetwork, thebreathing
ofthetextas itwere.Similarly, thefactthatsomesentencesorpartsof
sentencesremain unfinisheddoes not necessarilymean that the
thoughtunderlying theirinscriptionwas lostat thesametime.Indeed
nothingprovesthatthoughttravelsalongin completesignifying units.
A pieceofa sentenceprovisionally leftunfinished can actas witnessto
thequestionproposedbythesuspendedending,a questionthatunder-
lies theparagraph in whichit appears,eventhetextas a whole.Lastly,
 SERGE TISSERON 31
thehandimposesthelogicproperto theparticular investments stand-
ingat its origin.
The Freudiantheoryofpleasureis basedon thedistinction between
"pleasureoffunction"and "pleasureoforgan."The former is said to
involvethesatisfaction offulfilling
a vitalfunction,
suchas quenching
one's thirst,satiatingone's hunger,and actingon sexual tension.On
theotherhand,thelatteris said to derivefromtheautoeroticsatisfac-
tion ofa partialimpulse:the excitationofone erogenouszone finds
fulfillment in theverysame spotwhereit occurs,withno directrela-
tion to the fulfillmentofa particularbodilyfunction,evenifit sup-
portsit.
Moreover, in Freud'sperspective,theexternalworldis perceivedas
a projectionofone's own body.Consequently, accordingto him,the
pleasureof manual activitycan only be consideredin referenceto
impulsessublimatedaftertheyhave been investedin thebodyitself
and bound to erogenouszones. In thisperspective, manual pleasure
adheresto the economicrule by which a suddenrelease of energy
followsan accumulationphase experiencedas painful.This release
allowsfortheexcitationto settlebackdownto itspriorlevel.Manual
pleasureis, undersuch conditions,relatedto variouspleasurecenters
successivelyattachedto variouserogenouszones,oral,anal,andgeni-
tal. Indeed,the hand can communicatepleasureto all of themby
substitutingforthe primitiveobject of the impulse,such as when
fingersenterthe mouth to replacethe breastor enterthe anus to
replacethetubularturd,orwhentheybecomea penisforthevagina,or
whenthehandbecomesa vaginaforthepenis.Autoeroticsatisfaction
derivesfromthe abilityofhand to do onto oneselfwhatthe mother
initiallydid forthe infant.The varioushand-related activitiesmay
thenbe said to derivefromthevariousinstancesofsublimatingtheir
originalimpulses.
Some authors,however, questionthestatusofthepleasureprinci-
ple as theessentialparadigmofpsychoanalysis. Theyarguefora recog-
nitionof the "bindingimpulse"whichparallelsthe sexual impulse
and yet is independentfromit. AlthoughEnglishpsychoanalyst
Bowlby(1978)givesthemostcogentdefenseofthisnotion,it is Irme
Hermann(1943)who shouldbe creditedforlayingthefoundations of
the argument.Accordingto him, along with the genito-sexualim-
pulse, thereexistsa bindingimpulse(whichIrmeHermanncalls an
"instinct")characterized bythedesiretoclingon tothemother'sbody.
Unlikemonkeyswho can fulfillthisinstinctthanksto theirpowerful
32 Yale FrenchStudies
gripping lowerlimbsandthemother'sthickfur,similarefforts tofulfill
thesame instinctremainfrustrated amonghumanbabies.According
to IrmeHermann,a sizable numberofhumanachievementsare in-
tendedto signifythis essentialfrustration forwhichtheysubstitute
compensatory achievements. Suchan approachno longerpresentsthe
worldas a projectionofthebodyitselfbutas a projectionofthemater-
nal bodyfromwhicheveryhumanbeingis originallyseparated.
This lost dual unitythenfindsgenitaland nongenitalsubstitutes.
In theformer, thechild'shandreplacessomepartsofthematernalbody
or hand and suppliesthepleasurewhichthemotherinitiallygaveto
the child. Those partsare soughtthroughcontactswith the world,
nature,groups,andinstitutions. According to thisview,thehandis no
longerregarded inrelationtoautoeroticpleasuresbutinrelationtothe
specialroleit playsin attempting to reconstruct symbolically thelost
dual entity.At times,its actionscan be relatedto theepistemophilic
impulse(thehand is thenused to servethe desireforknowledge);at
othertimes,it is used forthe sexual impulse(in whichit acts as an
instrument ofautoeroticfulfillment). However,it can be drivenbyits
ownneeds,namelythoseconcerning theend ofthedual unitywhich
has beenirretrievably lost.Gesturing,as a motionalforcedistinctfrom
theoriginalstageofimpulses,is a criticalmeansofbreaking awayfrom
maternalsymbiosis.Gestureplaysjustsucha rolein theyoungchild's
development includingthemodelofprocesseswhichchildhoodimple-
ments,as wellas in anycreativeactivitywhichcallsforit,particularly
writing,althoughthisis independent ofthe signifying constraintsof
grammaticaland syntacticalrules.

B. THE HAND, BLIND NET

The signused in ancientChinesecivilizationto designatethegesture
ofmarkingshowsa handtracingoutthefourcornersofa square.Itthus
harksbackto thegesturewhichinitiallypartitionedofftheunbound
surfaceoftheearth,establishingagricultural
property andthebirthof
agrarianculture.Yettheoriginofthisgesturein a collectivehistoryis
paralleledbyan individualpsychichistory
whichbelongstoeachofus.
This historyplaces the gestureof markinginto a doubleprocessof
appropriatingspace: thatofthephysical,as well as psychic,distance
separatingtheinfantfromthemotherafterbirth,and thatofthesur-
faceofthebodyitself.In myopinionthisdoubleprocessmayaccount
forthe processesof workingthe manuscript,namely,the way it is
 SERGE TISSERON 33
treatedbyitscreator, whetherhe orsheis a writerora graphicdesigner.
Those processesfindan origin,as wellas theirmostdelineatedexpres-
sion,in thefirstlineswhicha childdrawson paperoranyothermark-
ingsurface,aroundthesecondyearofhis orherlife.Thus thegesture
itself,not themarksorthegaze,is whatmattersmost.
A child's graphicactivitygoes throughseveral phases which
sharplydistinguishit fromtheadult'sgraphicactivity(Lurcat,1964).
When the child firstbeginsto scribble,betweenthe age of six and
twelvemonths,he has notyetacquiredvisualcontroloverhisgestures,
let alone the abilityto draw.Visual controlbeginsaroundthe age of
eighteenmonths:in such a case, it is controlafter-the-fact, since the
eye followsthe hand withoutyet guidingit. Only afterthe age of
twenty-four monthsdoesthepossibility ofvisualcontrolovermarking
and gestureappear:the eyeno longerfollowsthehandbut guidesit.
Thus the earliestdrawingsare not guidedby a visual explorationof
spacebutbyan exploration ofmovement.Atitsorigin,graphicexpres-
sion is blind.It is guidedbymuscular,tonic,and plasticsensations.
The earliestgestureswhich pertainto inscribing,however,are
movementsdrawingawayfromthe axis ofthebody,thatis withthe
righthand extendingawayfromthe bodilyaxis,fromthe leftto the
right,and thelefthandextending fromtherightto theleft.These are
the verygesturesby whichthe babyis separatedfromthe mother's
bodyorfromanyotheradultwhosecontacthe mayhavesought.They
areconsequentlya wayforthechildto stagethemother'scomingand
going-really her frequentabsences-so as to tame and masterthe
experiencein theimaginary, as an earlyformofkinesicsymbolization.
The earliestmarkings, theinscriptions ofthosegestures, area formof
kineticsymbolization whichguaranteesthetransfer fromthekinetic
realm,the realm of visual representation. The new graphicforms
whichthe childproducesclearlydemonstrate thepossibilitiesofre-
centneuromusculargrowth.In the act oftracing,however, the child
actsoutmorethanitsgrowing neuromuscular possibilities.The child
createsa gameand thepracticeofthisgameproducesmeaning.More-
over,the appearanceof the child'sfirstmarkingscoincideswiththe
developmentofnewlyacquiredskills:walking(thesimultaneousap-
pearanceofthefirststepsand thefirstmarkingshas beenpointedout
by Prudhommeas earlyas 1947),sphincteralcontrol,and language
development. All thoseskillshave somethingin common:theydem-
onstrate activecontroloverseparationanxietyandopenthewayto
an
thechild'sindependence. Thus,marking, preciselybecauseit emerges
34 Yale FrenchStudies
at thistime,has a privileged
relationwiththepsychicprocessinvolved
in the firstseparation,the separationof any humanbeingfromthe
motheror surrogate adult.
Consideredin thecontextofseparationprocesses,bothactivelyor
passivelyexperienced bythechild,theearliestmarkings
areexplained
by Freud'sfamous"fort-dagame" which he observedhis grandson
Ernstplaying.The parallelbetweenthetwoturnsouttobe particularly
significant.
The childtraceshis firstmarkingswitha gesturehe does notyet
control,andit is onlylaterthathe visuallydiscoversitsp-oduction.In
otherwords,withthefort-dagame,thetimeofvisualreunionfollows
a muscularaction,whetherit is throwingthe spindleor drawinga
mark.In bothcases,thegreaterpleasureis boundto thesecondphase:
theone whichcorresponds to thereturnofthespindlein one case and
thediscovery ofa graphicconcentration following theactofscribbling.
Whatare,then,thepsychicprocessesinvolvedin thosedistinctmo-
ments?
In the time when he carriesout the markinggesture,the child
identifieshimselfwith the departingmother;later,consideringthe
outcomeofhis gesture,thechildidentifieswiththetracewhichthis
movementleavesbehind.Simultaneously, however, thechildis freeto
be the one who also rejectsthe mother,as the tracewhichhe sees
becomesthemotherseparatedfromhim.In thistransaction, it is clear
thatwhatis at stakeis thestructural relationshipratherthananyofits
representations, a structure
whichis organizedaroundseparation.The
drawnmarkis thefirstmode ofimageproductionin theindividual's
history,actuallythefirstin thehistoryofhumanity. It stagesthesym-
metricalseparationprocessfrombeginning to end:thechildpassively
separatedfromthemotherwhopusheshimawayfromher,butalso the
childcomingawayfromherbypushingheraway.This wholesceneis
paralleledbythe corresponding mentalseparation,evenifverballan-
guagecannotyetexpressit.
However,the role of tracingin creatingthe separationdoes not
pertainonlyto theorigination ofthemarkbutalso to thediscovery of
thetrace.Everygapin drawingis also a bridgeand vice versa.A trace
simultaneouslyseparatesand bindsthe pieces of space whichit de-
limits,much like the leaden line which separatesand binds the
stained-glasspieceson a latticedwindow.The traceis thereifiedsym-
bol of separation.Hence, the choice of drawingoverotherformsof
expressionis particularlysuitedto thevisual and mentalexploration
 SERGE TISSERON 35
ofthespacewhichsimultaneously separatesand bindsthemotherto
the child.Moreover,the possibilityoftransforming a separatinggap
(acrossthree-dimensional space)intoa bridging space(acrossthetwo-
dimensionalpage)is a property characteristicofdrawing. Tracingis the
privileged wayofturning thepluridimensional experienceofmuscular
and tactileactivityinto a two-dimensional experiencecontrolledby
the eye; only in this way is the separationgraduallyacceptedand
symbolized.Repeatingthe gesturereinforces the psychicpostureof
thedepressiveposition(MelanieKlein,1968)whichhas alreadybeen
inscribedthroughthedynamicrelationwiththeworldfromtheageof
six and a halfmonths.Althoughgraphicactivitygivesgreater strength
andstabilitytotheintrojections at workin therelationsto themother
orthesurrogate adult,it is notin a positionto replacethoserelations.
Each typeofinvestments at playin graphicactivityrequiresthatthe
corresponding psychicphenomenaalreadybe constituted. Graphicac-
tivityonlyoccursand developsonce therelationbetweenmotherand
child alreadyhas been internalized.Only thencan drawinghelp the
childsettlehisrelationtothemotherintoa psychic,ratherthanphysi-
cal, space and intoa different duration,thatofhis ownhistory.
Finally,whenplayingthedrawinggame,thechildis notalone.Not
onlydoeshe treatthoseearlyinscriptions as thoughtheywerereallive
imprints(he talksto them,names them,etc.)buthe also developsa
deep and originalrelationshipwith the page. Withhis or her every
gesture,the page answersback as his motherwould,and evenbetter
thanshe since it does so in a religiouslyexactmanner(au doigtet a'
l'ceil).The childchangeshishandmovementandthepaperreturns the
changesbackto thechild'seyes,likean "idealmother,"as itwere.Yet
is thepageable to gainthechild'strust(withoutthisinitialcontactof
trusttherewouldbe no "inscriptive game")?It canonlycomefromthe
child itself.Thus the child truststhe page with the internalized
motherwhich inhabitshim. Throughhis or her gesture,the child
secures her echoing answerthat is the processesinvolvedin the
mother'sprimary introjection and theinternalized mother-child rela-
tion.At the same time,such echoingguaranteeshim thathe is held
withinthe maternalpsychicsystem,whichhis own developingpsy-
chic systemcannotforego.
The child'searliestgraphicactivitythusconstitutesa placewhere
the processesof the earlymother-child relationare reproducedand
stabilized.It representsa firstcontainingstructure forthechild,while
movementsservethe processof earlysymbolization.Wordsappear
36 Yale FrenchStudies
laterin gesture.Indeed,justas in thefort-dagame,thechildmayadd
onomatopoeiato themarkshe traces.Actingfirstas a "magicword,"
thiswordbringstogetherthe body,thegesture,and the affectin the
same movement,just like the traceon the paper.Only later,when
thoseconnectionshaverecededsomewhat,or evenare discontinued,
can the act of namingoccur.The child names the contentsof his
drawingafterthefact.This,however, doesnotinvolvetheprocessesof
tracingperse but other,later,formsofsymbolization.

THE WRITER AT GRIPS WITH HIS OR HER TRACES

cl. Tracing,Separationand Attachment:The Dual Space ofWriting

Justas the childdrawsoutward,pullingthetraceawayfromhimself,

theadultdrawsoutwardandpushesawaywhathe writes.In writingas
in drawing,the "thrown-out" gestureconjuresup a trace,a line.This
"line,"whichseemstiedto his movement, is used bytheinscriberto
pull back thethoughtthathas been cast out in theact ofinscription.
Evenbetterthanthespindletiedto a stringin thegamedescribedby
Freud,armand hand assistedby thepencilallow fora movementof
castingand retrieving,ofseparatingand binding.This back-and-forth
motion,this tossingand retrieving, givesnew lifeto the processes
symbolizing theseparationofmotherandchildandcontributes to the
constitutiona mentalframework capableofcontaining thoughts. The
hand's drawinggestureis an essentialmovementby whichthought
learnshow to thinkitselfthrough.At firstit dartsout like an unruly
horse,whichis laterled backand tamed,boundto theline whichthe
handholdsfastuponthepaper.Onlyoncethispriorconditionhas been
fulfilled
can theproductionofmeaningoccur,withtheebbandflowof
thoughtas it gets on and getswaylaid,multiplies,fades,and backs
away.
However,theinscriber, thesubjectofall thisthrowing andpulling
also becomes its object. He is not only the one who casts out his
mark-his thought-acrossthepaper;he is also castoutbyit,thusat
the riskof losinghis identity.The movementby which the author
disinvestshimselffromthe selfand transfers it to the textturnsthe
textintotheprimitivemotherto whomthechildtriesto standcloser
as she representsforhim the springof life. The feelingsof being
"playedout," "beat,"or "undone"whichthewriterexperiencesafter
 SERGE TISSERON 37
intenseefforts comefromthismotionofebbandflow,fromthiscast-
ingand retrieving; he or she willingassumesthepositionofa swim-
mer,washedawayfromthe boat by a wave while tryingto hold on,
pullingon thetowlineofwritingjusttoremainafloat.Suchis thetrial
ofwriting.Whereasthe one who refusesto relinquishthoughtto it
maycontinueto believethathe is stilltightly securedtohis thinking,
theone who venturesintothistrialagreesto lose,ifonlytemporarily.
Writingsevershis moorings, castshimawaylike a swimmertrying to
pull his wayback to the shipwitha ropewhilewavesdraghim away
fromhisgoal.As soonas we starttracing, onlythetraceguidesus,what
we call in its sophisticatedform,"the threadof writing"(le filde
1'&criture).It is the only tie connectingthe lone swimmerwho has
agreedto dive into the unknown,tryingto reachthe hypothetical
targetat theendoftheway,notknowingwhetherhe will eversucceed
or whetherthe stakesare worththe effort, not knowingwhetherthe
threadleads to a treasuretroveora wreckage-no matter.The creator
is theonewhoagreestoventureforth withno certainty andfollowthis
threadunwindingahead ofhim like Ariadne'sthread,and fallingbe-
hindhimlikea spider'sweb.The anxietyoftheblankpagemayjustbe
theanxietythatthereis no threadtopullorfollow,theapprehension of
beingleftbehind,withno link to anyoneorwithouteventhefirsthalf
ofthethread.
Fromthisperspective, the act ofcreatinga manuscript-withall
its scribbling, its crossed-outwords,and sometimesits memos-has
the same functionforthe writeras it does forthe cartoonist.Such
workis themeanswherebythecreatortriesto escapethefateofinex-
orable distance opened by the tracinggestureand simultaneously
openedand closedbythetrace.Whereastheparallelbetweenreading
a textand readinga drawingremainslargelyunresolved, thefactthat
writingand drawingfollowthe same creativelogic at the time of
tracingis a matterbeyonddoubt.Modelledafterthechild'searlytrac-
ings,the inscriptive processesare alwaysofa sensory, emotionaland
motionalsort.Theyare also involvedin the symbolizationofa con-
tainingformpotentiallycapable of receivingthe thoughtcontents.
Withoutthe earlysymbolizationof "casting-out"and "pulling-up"
establishingtheinscriptive gesture,theprocessofinstillingmeaning
in thetrace,eitherdrawnorwrittenwouldbe impossible,particularly
theproductionofmeaningwhichrevolvesaroundthemirroring func-
tion of the traceand the variousrepresentations of the bodyitself.
The sensoryand motiveprocessesat stakein theinscriptive gesture
38 Yale FrenchStudies
precedeall its otherprocessesand accompanythemthrougheach of
theirphasesas a necessarycondition.

c2. Tracesand ProperBodies

Once thechildleavesthewomb,he experiences a farmorediverseand

violent group of stimulationsthan before.The digestivesystem
awakenstheerogenouszonesaroundthemouthandtheanus,whileat
the same timeit bringsalonga groupofotherstimulations,thoseof
smoothinternalmuscles,and sensationsofhungerand satiety.Also
theexchangeswiththesurrogate motherandwiththeprimary mater-
nal environment(involvingpeople, culturalhabits, climatic con-
straints,etc.),workto focusinvestments ontootherareasofthebody
proper.Once investedwiththecontactsto theprimary maternalenvi-
ronment,thoseareasbecometheobjectofan autoeroticstimulation
in whichthehand"plays"thepartoftheMotherandtheChild,stimu-
latingotherpartsofthebody,basedon themodeloftheinitialstimula-
tionscomingfromtheearlysurroundings.
One ofthefirsttasksofthenew-bornchild'spsychicsystemis to
gatherthosescatteredareasofsensoryfocalizationsbyascribingeach
partofhis body,whichhas beenfeltand investedin andforitself,to a
single group.A subsequenttask involvesbringingeach partof the
groupwhichhas beenthusconstitutedto a specificfunction.In other
words,thechildwillhaveto givemeaningto thepart.Throughout the
task,thechildis helpedalongbyhis environment whichis instrumen-
tal in totalizingthevariousareasofthebodyandgivingmeaningtothe
sensationsexperienced bythenewborn:forinstance,a mothercover-
ingup herchildbecausehe is cold teacheshimhow to recognizeas a
feelingof coldnesswhat had been only an undifferentiated, uneasy
sensation,disconnectedfromanyparticularcause. The child'shands,
however,play a criticalrole in this achievement.Exploringhis own
body,grabbingand touchinghis variousbodyparts,the childthrows
hithertomissingbridgesacrossthe scatteredsensorycenterswhich
correspond tomorelooselyinnervated areasofthebody,orpartswhich
havejustbeenneglectedbythemother'shands.The child'shandsglide
overthebody,exploring itslimits,bringingtogetherthescatteredparts
and then,moredaringly, slowlyreplacethe adult'shandsin bringing
thepleasurewhichthe childoriginally receivedfromthem.
Thus,thehandreachesouttotakeholdofspaceandoftheworld.In
some respects,theinitialbuildingofthetextis similarto theinitial
 SERGE TISSERON 39
processofgathering, bymeansofthehand,thesensationswhichare
fornow scatteredacrossthe body.Forinstance,the writerfirstjots
downhis ideas on different partsofthepage.Or else he dividesup-
oftenbymeansofa colorindex-groupsofwordsrecallingthoughts,
sensations,and feelingsintoseparateblocks.And evenwhenwriting
startsout on a seeminglyorganizedthread,oftentimes duringthepro-
cess, the writerfeelsthe need to breakoffwritingto scribbledown
ideasandthoughts whichspringup withno apparent, oratleastimme-
diate,connectionto theobjectofhis workand withouthis yetknow-
ingtheiruse and positionin theoverallconstruction.
In anycase, do we notspeakof"thebodyofthework"?An artist's
variousintuitionsandperceptionsareassembledtogether on thepage
in much the same wayas thevariouscutaneous,muscularand aural
sensationsare progressively integratedinto coherentunits.In both
cases, the gathering involvesa movementfromthe depthup to the
surface.The innermost bodyis heldouton thesurfaceperiphery ofthe
psychicsystemwhileinnersensationsarepulledout ofthedeeponto
the body's surface(internalperceptions,particularlypain, are per-
ceivedas beingsurfacepain preciselybecausetheyareprojectedonto
thesurfaceofthebody).Similarlythewriter'svariousintuitions, stim-
ulations,perceptions,and thoughtsare projectedontothe surfaceof
thepage.The workis,however, nota staticsurrogatetotheartist'sskin
(itsmereprojectionontothesurfaceofthepage)insofaras it doesnot
reproducethesensorypointscharacterizing theskin.Nonetheless,the
workis a dynamicsurrogateinsofaras the processesregrouping the
workintoa continuouswholeparallelthosesmoothingoverthesur-
faceofthebodilyshell: each sensationis firstinscribedand precisely
identifiedforits own sake; thoseinscriptionsare thenconnectedto-
gether;finallytheprocessoftheirconnectionbringsout channelsof
meaningwhich receivefavoredstatus as starting-points forsubse-
quentdevelopments.
My hypothesisis that each of those threemoments,which are
buildingblocksin thecreationofthepsyche,corresponds to a groupof
specificpracticesin thecreationofthetext.
Out ofthosethree,thefirstmomentwould correspond to thein-
scriptiverhythm(fast,slow,even,or erratic)and to the mannerof
writing(smooth,hurried,or erratic,riotouseven)whosepatternsre-
producethoseofthevarioustypesofphysicaland psychicalstimula-
tion. At this time, the muscularand cutaneousaspects of writing
would operateas a way of symbolizing, by means of the hand,un-
40 Yale FrenchStudies
focusedbodilysensationswhicharenotyetidentified intorepresenta-
tions. Parallelto the explorationofscatteredcentersof thoughtand
representation thereexiststhe corresponding use of different pages
markedbyjusta fewwords,scribblings in themarginsandthecorners
of the text,puzzlingscholia (designedto avoid losingthe particular
threadof writingthe writeris followingat the time,and the corre-
spondingtrainof thoughtoccurringthen),ellipsesdesignedto point
out that thoughtis still to followa logical developmentwhich is
eclipsedforthe moment,while somethingrequiresthe author'sun-
dividedattentionelsewhere,etc.
The time when the originallyscatteredsensorycentersare con-
nectedtogether on thesurfaceofthebodyandin itsdepthcouldcorre-
spond, in themanuscript's arrows,to theparagraphs postponedordis-
placed,tothedevelopments whichareaddedin themarginsorbetween
thelinestobindtwoseparately identifiedfragments whicharestillfar
apart.
At last,in a thirddevelopment, and in the same wayas the child
firstgraspstheimaginary wholeofthebodyuponperceiving himselfin
themirror beforehe realizesitsperceptive unity,it is possiblethatthe
writeranticipatesthe imaginarywhole ofhis text,createdafterthe
imageofhis own bodyas a whole. The outlineofhis work-or frag-
mentsofdraftscorresponding to variouspartsoftheproject-fulfill,
even if theyremainincomplete,the functionof anticipatingfanta-
smaticallytheprojectedtotality.
The writerat workthus reinforces, confirms, and objectifieshis
own mentalframework and his psychical relation to the primitive
mother,and he or she does so independently of the workcontents,
solelybyvirtueoftheprocessesinvolvedin creatinga text.The spatial
lay-outofthe texton a two-dimensional flatsupportenablesvarious
seriesofsupplementary investments to come intoplay:thereleaseof
threateningstimuli and representations; the connectionof those
stimulito a gestureleavinga trace,(thatis theearliestformofsymbol-
izationwhichsubstitutesthemerekineticreleaseforthepossibility of
its representation); theconstitutionofa thoughtcontentthroughthe
metaphoricabilityforthe white page to take it in and containits
traces;theexplorationofthegapseparatingthechildfromhis mother
which the traceseeks to fill in throughits hallmarkmovementof
bindingandbreakingaway,ofcomingandgoing,ofthrowing awayand
grabbing back.Onlythencan the signifying process of the textoccur,
 SERGE TISSERON 41
accordingto the grammaticaland syntacticalrules of the language
beingused.
These steps do not occur in successionbut simultaneously. The
processof turningthoughtsinto formsrequiresthe possibilityof a
containingformin whichthe creator'sthoughtcan be cast and then
retrieved.Such mechanismrequiresthepossibilityforthecontaining
formto be investedbothas: a) a metaphorofthemother'sbody,which
is everyone'sprimalcontainer,psychicallyas well as physically(the
realmofbondinginvestments); andas b) a metaphorofone'sownbody
(therealmofnarcissisticand sexualinvestments).
These variousfunctionsofwritingexplainwhyseeminglyuseless
andinterfering activitiestakeplaceunderthecreator'spen,parallelto
the processof producingmeaningitself.These occurrencesare the
necessarymomentswhenthesupportofwritingandtheactofwriting
arereinvested so as toallowfora renewedproduction ofmeaning.Such
activitiesas theauthor'sdarkening certainlettersinhistextandintro-
ducingrepetitivegraphicpatternsor scribblings, are not onlyproce-
duresof waitingforinspirationor ways forthe mind to findsome
distraction.Theyarewaysofinvestingthepageas a metaphorforthe
containerofthoughts.In otherwords,theyarea wayforthescriptor to
make surethepage and his gestureare fulfilling theirroles,and that
theprocessofbringing meaningupon thoughtmayenjoyfurther the
supportof the morearchaicproductionof meaningwhich is repre-
sentedbytheinvestment ofthepageas a metaphoric containerofone's
own bodyand the mother'sbody.In thisrespect,anxietybeforethe
whitepagemayjustbe an anxietyabouta lackofa containertoreceive
the contents.It is not thewhitepage thatis used to containthetext,
butrathertheoutlinedpagewhichis alreadyinscribed, be itbya trace,
a word,or a drawing.The habitof drawingor writing,calligraphied
wordsin themarginscorresponds to processesofappropriating space.
Andtheadviceaboutwritingjustanything-aslongas yougetsome-
thingwritten!-in ordertotrigger offthewriting processcanbe under-
stoodas thenecessityofcreatinga firstcontainereveniflaterit must
submitto considerablemodifications. Contentsandcontainerarecre-
atedin mutualreference throughout thetext.Infact,linguisticmodels
areoftenruffled in theearliestdrafts and,hereagain,thewriting guide-
lines advocatingdisregard ofsyntaxand grammarreston goodintui-
tion.
Thus,theinscriptive processis aboveall thehandexploring a given
42 Yale FrenchStudies
space and organizingit accordingto its ownpossibilities.The process
of the inscriptivemovementfirsttransforms physicalstimulusinto
imageand intorepresentation; it thengathersthoserepresentations
intoa wholeandhierarchizes themin ordertoconnectthemtoa single
purposewhichwill providethecornerstone ofthewhole:sensationin
thepoem,illusionin thenovelisticstory, idea in theessay.

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