Exploring the Gender Identity and Subjectivity from Lacanian Psychoanalysis: A Case Study of Anatomy of a Fall

Research Article
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Exploring the Gender Identity and Subjectivity from Lacanian Psychoanalysis: A Case Study of Anatomy of a Fall

Anxin Guo 1* , Jiawen Xu 2
  • 1 The Baldwin School    
  • 2 The Affiliated High School to Hangzhou Normal University    
  • *corresponding author stefanoroth961@gmail.com
CHR Vol.70
ISSN (Print): 2753-7072
ISSN (Online): 2753-7064
ISBN (Print): 978-1-80590-147-1
ISBN (Online): 978-1-80590-148-8

Abstract

This paper investigates the film Anatomy of a Fall through Lacanian psychoanalysis of subjects to reevaluate gender identity. Delving into the internal conflicts within the subjects, the authors reveal the illusion of subjectivity and the ideological operation of gender discourse. The analysis begins by critiquing two dominant feminist interpretations of the film: re-centralization, which attempts to invert traditional gender hierarchies, and essentialism, which assumes a fixed, inherent femininity. These perspectives, the authors argue, are limited in their understanding of gender identity, which is the signifier constructed by the symbolic order. By applying Lacan’s theories on the formation of the subject, the paper demonstrates how the film’s subjects are captured by the discourse of gender and experience the collapse of their subjectivity. The discussion further positions gender identity as a product of ideological discipline, which conceals the subject’s inherent lack and incompleteness. Through this deconstructive approach, the paper proposes a potential path toward a transcendental subjectivity that transcends the constraints of traditional gender roles and ideological frameworks. Ultimately, this work contributes to a deeper understanding of how ideology shapes and limits identity, offering insights into the possibilities for resisting and reimagining subjectivity within contemporary gender discourse.

Keywords:

subjectivity, Lacanian, gender identity, Anatomy of a Fall

Guo,A.;Xu,J. (2025). Exploring the Gender Identity and Subjectivity from Lacanian Psychoanalysis: A Case Study of Anatomy of a Fall. Communications in Humanities Research,70,226-239.
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References

[1]. Triet, J. (2023). Anatomy of a fall. Les Films Pelléas-Les Films de Pierre, Francia.

[2]. Sheikh, F. A., & Geraghty, L. (2017). Subjectivity, desire and theory: Reading Lacan. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2017.1299565

[3]. Tang, L. (2011). Signifying Chain, Split Subject & on-transcendental Truth: Similarities between the Thoughts of Derrida & Lacan. Comparative Literature: East & West, 15(1), 152-167.

[4]. Nietzsche, F. (1908). Human, all too human: A book for free spirits. Newcomb Livraria Press.

[5]. Jacques Lacan, Television: A Challenge to the Psychoanalytic Establishment, ed. Joan Copjec, trans. Denis Hoilier, Rosalind Krauss, Annette Michelson (New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1990), Hereafter cited as T.

[6]. Jameson, F. (1977). Imaginary and Symbolic in Lacan: Marxism, Psychoanalytic Criticism, and the Problem of the Subject. Yale French Studies, 55/56, 338–395. https://doi.org/10.2307/2930443

[7]. Lewis, M. (2008). Derrida and Lacan: Another Writing. Edinburgh University Press.

[8]. Elliott, A. (2017). Psychoanalytic theory: An introduction. Bloomsbury Publishing.

[9]. Lu, Y. (2004).** Zizek's theory of ideological fantasy. *Journal of Jishou University (Social Science Edition), 25*(1), 15.

[10]. Zizek, S. (2019). The sublime object of ideology. Verso Books.

[11]. Blackwood, G. (2024). Anatomy of a Song: A Reading of PIMP in Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall. M/C Journal, 27(2).

[12]. Tarpey, G. (2020). Lacan’s Psychoanalytic Way of Love. PsychoanalysisLacan, 1.

[13]. Salecl, R. (2004). On anxiety. Routledge.

[14]. The Problem of the Too-Truthful Woman | The New Yorker. (n.d.). Retrieved 15 August 2024, from https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/the-problem-of-the-too-truthful-woman

[15]. French Culture. (n.d.). Subbed Version丨Super Sincere Sharing for Chinese Audiences *Full Version* - Interview with Justine Triet, Director of *Anatomy of a Fall*. Retrieved 15 August 2024, from https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1kT42127tK/

[16]. Lacan, J. (1977). Écrits: A Selection (A. Sheridan, Trans.). W.W. Norton & Company.

Cite this article

Guo,A.;Xu,J. (2025). Exploring the Gender Identity and Subjectivity from Lacanian Psychoanalysis: A Case Study of Anatomy of a Fall. Communications in Humanities Research,70,226-239.

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About volume

Volume title: Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Interdisciplinary Humanities and Communication Studies

ISBN：978-1-80590-147-1(Print) / 978-1-80590-148-8(Online)
Editor：Heidi Gregory-Mina
Conference website: https://2024.icihcs.org/
Conference date: 29 November 2024
Series: Communications in Humanities Research
Volume number: Vol.70
ISSN：2753-7064(Print) / 2753-7072(Online)

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References

[1]. Triet, J. (2023). Anatomy of a fall. Les Films Pelléas-Les Films de Pierre, Francia.

[2]. Sheikh, F. A., & Geraghty, L. (2017). Subjectivity, desire and theory: Reading Lacan. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2017.1299565

[3]. Tang, L. (2011). Signifying Chain, Split Subject & on-transcendental Truth: Similarities between the Thoughts of Derrida & Lacan. Comparative Literature: East & West, 15(1), 152-167.

[4]. Nietzsche, F. (1908). Human, all too human: A book for free spirits. Newcomb Livraria Press.

[5]. Jacques Lacan, Television: A Challenge to the Psychoanalytic Establishment, ed. Joan Copjec, trans. Denis Hoilier, Rosalind Krauss, Annette Michelson (New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1990), Hereafter cited as T.

[6]. Jameson, F. (1977). Imaginary and Symbolic in Lacan: Marxism, Psychoanalytic Criticism, and the Problem of the Subject. Yale French Studies, 55/56, 338–395. https://doi.org/10.2307/2930443

[7]. Lewis, M. (2008). Derrida and Lacan: Another Writing. Edinburgh University Press.

[8]. Elliott, A. (2017). Psychoanalytic theory: An introduction. Bloomsbury Publishing.

[9]. Lu, Y. (2004).** Zizek's theory of ideological fantasy. *Journal of Jishou University (Social Science Edition), 25*(1), 15.

[10]. Zizek, S. (2019). The sublime object of ideology. Verso Books.

[11]. Blackwood, G. (2024). Anatomy of a Song: A Reading of PIMP in Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall. M/C Journal, 27(2).

[12]. Tarpey, G. (2020). Lacan’s Psychoanalytic Way of Love. PsychoanalysisLacan, 1.

[13]. Salecl, R. (2004). On anxiety. Routledge.

[14]. The Problem of the Too-Truthful Woman | The New Yorker. (n.d.). Retrieved 15 August 2024, from https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/the-problem-of-the-too-truthful-woman

[15]. French Culture. (n.d.). Subbed Version丨Super Sincere Sharing for Chinese Audiences *Full Version* - Interview with Justine Triet, Director of *Anatomy of a Fall*. Retrieved 15 August 2024, from https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1kT42127tK/

[16]. Lacan, J. (1977). Écrits: A Selection (A. Sheridan, Trans.). W.W. Norton & Company.

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