The Graph of Desire

Abstract

The structure and functioning of subjectivity, and particularly its relationship to desire, can be further illustrated with reference to Lacan’s development of what he calls the Graph of Desire. What is usually referred to in the singular, as the graph, actually comprises of four graphs. Importantly, the various forms of the graph do not represent any chronological development as might pertain to the formation of the subject. Their development is rather pedagogical, unveiling the complexities of the subject as Lacan envisaged it through the four stages of the graph.