Difference between revisions of "Captation"

Revision as of 08:42, 21 August 2006

French: captation

The French substantive captation is a neologism coined by French psychoanalysts from the verb capter.^[1]

It was adopted by Jacques Lacan in 1948 and occurs regularly in his work from this point on.

Lacan uses the term captation to describe the imaginary effects of the specular image on the subject.^[2]

The double sense of the French term nicely indicates the ambiguous nature of the power of the specular image:

On the one hand, it conveys the sense of "captivation," thus expressing the fascinating, seductive power of the image.

On the other hand, the term also conveys the idea of "capture," which evokes the more sinister power of the image to imprison the subject in a disabling fixation.

↑ Édouard Pichon and Odile Codet
↑ Lacan, Jacques. Écrits: A Selection. Trans. Alan Sheridan. London: Tavistock Publications, 1977. p.18

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 [[Lacan]] uses the term ''[[captation]]'' to describe the [[imaginary]] effects of the [[specular image]] on the [[subject]].<ref>{{E}} p.18</ref>
-==="Captivate" and "Capture"===
+The double sense of the [[French]] term nicely  indicates the ambiguous nature of the [[power]] of the [[specular image]]:
-The double sense of the [[French]] term -- "[[captivation]]" and "[[capture]]" -- nicely  indicates the ambiguous nature of the [[power]] of the [[specular image]].
-* On the one hand, it has the sense of "[[captivation]]," thus expressing the fascinating, [[seduction|seductive power]] of the [[image]].
+* On the one hand, it conveys the sense of "[[captivation]]," thus expressing the fascinating, [[seduction|seductive power]] of the [[image]].
 * On the other hand, the term also conveys the idea of "[[capture]]," which evokes the more sinister power of the [[image]] to imprison the [[subject]] in a disabling fixation.