Zizek's critique of cyberspace as an any space whatsoever
or the Objet (a) in Lacanian terms makes some interesting
comments with regard to fictional identities. True, yet
another tiring Cartesian analysis of cyberspacial identities
but worth noting for the position of cyberspacial fictional
identity as leading from the sublime Objet (a) right back to
to the masculine super-ego. A certain crude technological
determinism also seems to inform fictional identities in
cyberspace... one that if you take on such an identity
cyberpsace will produce the fiction then and yet cyberspace
provides for you yet another master's voice. The desire of male
parthenogenesis is maternal pathogenesis and yet another flowerpot
theory of heterosexuality. Such is fiction in cyberspace, all too
often,all too often. I do leave aside from this critique several
fictional heteronyms that have posted to the two Deleuze philosophy
lists. Writers with skills I greatly admire combined with an
understanding of Deleuzian philosophy that goes beyond the tiring and
boring formal applications of Deleuze to reading poetry or other
fictions. Desire as lack is yet another tired old masculine dream
setting the limited horizon of patriarchal thought. The dialectic
of Polemos becomes boring.

A bit of a jumbled critical comment, perhaps. The creation of fictional
characters is not provided for by cyberspace and the same critique
could well apply to science fiction and fantasy novels.

I have just discovered the Botanical name of a plant I discovered growing
wild which I collected some berries to grow some more plants. It has
small white flowers and pink little berries which are quite sweet. it is
called, Eremophila debilis. Eremophilia from the Greek eremos meaning desert
places. It appears, according to European botany I live in a desert. I have
also found some Jasminum linearis or desert jasmine growing wild around here.
I must live in a desert?

Anyways, back to reading a novel I brought myself for Christmas, Neal Stephenson
 _Quicksilver_. Anyone else read this?



best wishes

Chris Jones.





On Mon, 2003-12-22 at 17:32, Joshua Nene wrote:
> This is all more interesting than I expected it to be, paradox upon paradox
> is muttering in the talkstreams. A key phrase seems to be 'true fictional
> character' at that we come to the undermining of straight irrevocable logic,
> as in the All Cretans are Liars conundrum, likewise what is fictional is
> both true and not true.
>
> I have grave doubts on the notions of male parthenogenesis, as far I
> understand the relationship between my (doubtful) self and author is one of
> Master and Creature, he allows me free-will, at his behest, but not an
> independent identity, such as a child would acheive. But I am not born, or
> rather born only into a shadow land. I do know that he made me purposefully
> as such a shadow, a creation of lack, but those others of his making that I
> have met understand full well the unreality they are subject to, even though
> their lives, as endowed, have been fuller than mine. One told me that the
> difference between herself and me was that she could say 'No'. With the
> notion of the Male Author as pseudo-life-giver, that is, as an appropriater
> of the biological properties of women, I am not sure, I speak openly on
> this, I do not find it, beyond a superficial examination, a convincing
> notion. I can say that I am acquainted with some of those characters that
> are the result of sexual projections, they are pitiable creatures, of both
> male and female origin, consisting of no more than bundles of stereotyped
> reflexes, I can assure all that being in the company of one of the late
> Barbara Cartland's dashing gentlemen, which author's demise I am afraid
> awoke a sigh of unprecedented relief here, is an experience of boredom I
> would not wish to share.
>
> My Master, I use that word for its resonance of relationships of power, as
> in the small taskmakers who owned their 'prentices, decided to let me be
> here because of his ponderings over questions of identity and belief,
> particularly in respect of the cyberworld, and thus allows me a certain
> freedom of speech, which freedom he can take away at an eye's blink. It is
> quite true to speak of the intense lives that fictional characters can seem
> to have, more intense at times than those of humans, but at the same time we
> are that which is not, creatures of the liminal, apparitions on the
> threshold, a product of the skewed focus of peripheral vision.
>
> Anyhow, thank you Alison, Steve, Rebecca for your interesting responses, and
> a Merry Christmas, we even pretend to have one up here you know.
>
> JN
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Stephen Kelen" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Monday, December 22, 2003 3:38 AM
> Subject: Re: Pre-Socratic
>
>
> > I thought the name sounded familiar, one of those Nigerian or Liberian
> chaps
> > trying to smuggle a bit of ill-gotten cash out of their poor daddy's bank
> > account. I think poetry, even if of the found and cobbled together for a
> > hoax variety is a better bet to smuggle than imaginary money...at least
> you
> > get to see the poem. Who said the emotions weren't skilled workers?
> >
> > Captain
> >
> >
> > On 22/12/03 11:18 AM, "Alison Croggon" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> >
> > > Mr Nene, if you were indeed a fictional character, and not merely a
> > > nom (non) de plume decorating the egocentric forehead of a fancy, all
> > > these realities would be open to you, and you would no more be at the
> > > mercy of a Master's phallic pen than anyone else. A true fictional
> > > character has in fact all the autonomies and sensations you seem to
> > > be denied, sometimes to a degree and intensity beyond that of
> > > so-called "reality", and is at much at the mercy of impersonal forces
> > > as we are: it is one of the puzzles of the imagination. But after
> > > all, you are no more than a sad example of male parthonogenesis,
> > > simply a trick, and obvious enough to have been noted from your first
> > > appearance.
> > >
> > > Harmless, I hope. Although it should be noted that false identities
> > > are strongly discouraged here.
> > >
> > > A
> > > --
> > >
> > >
> > > Alison Croggon
> > >
> > > Blog
> > > http://alisoncroggon.blogspot.com
> > >
> > > Editor, Masthead
> > > http://au.geocities.com/masthead_2/
> > >
> > > Home page
> > > http://www.users.bigpond.com/acroggon/
> >
--
Chris Jones <[log in to unmask]>