Of a Femininity That is Not-All: A Lacanian Approach

Summary:

In contrast to Freud, for whom the feminine subject is a subject of lack seeking to compensate for deprivation of the phallus, Lacan discovers a feminine jouissance. Sexual difference, for Lacan, is not determined by anatomy but is fundamentally dissymmetrical, arising from different ways of relating to the phallus and to castration. The feminine subject approaches lack and the Other jouissance from the not-all and handles the semblance of the phallus in relation to the desire of the Other through masquerade or through supporting the position of the object cause of desire.