A Lacanian Study of Mutiny and Morbidity in the Poetry of Henry Charles Bukowski and Nosrat Rahmani

Abstract

The present article is a comparative study of the causes of mutiny and morbidity in the works of two modern poets Nosrat Rahmani and Henry Charles Bukowsk in the light of Jacques Lacan's theories of three registers of Imaginary, Symbolic, and The Real. The research first explores these registers in these poets’ works and then analyzes their psychological and social motivations. One form of mutinous act in the poetry of Rahmani and Bukowsk is their persona’s explicit confession to their addiction in alcohol and drugs. Their insubordination has pushed the narrators’ to the threshold of ignominy, despair and death, yet still, none of these consequences seem enough to make them leave the world of fantasy. Jouissance, or pleasure associated with pain and guilt, pushes them towards death. The study concludes that the source of these issues is the repressed feelings that arise as a result of the subject's confrontation with the Big Other. The personas have been caught up in a symbolic cycle, and in order to bring it to an end, they have no choice but mutiny and morbidity. By entering into the Real order and recognizing the lack, they become traumatized and endeavor to retreat to the Imaginary realm of the mother to soothe their pains.

Keywords

• jacques lacan
• charles bukowski
• nosrat rahmani
• jouissance
• fantasy
• big other
• trauma