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    by Daniel Colucciello Barber

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    20 views12 pages

    Affect Has No Story

    Uploaded by

    DanielBarber
    by Daniel Colucciello Barber

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
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    _A¥roct Has No Stoay ——simermsnosrony other words, the justification for going from the scene of the time to other sits isthe act of detecting the erie, andthe link between the crime seene and these otter sites is provided by Aatrative, or story. The term ‘seene’ connotes a speed place ‘Arrzct Has No SToRY ati aretated within a larger une of reorenge Think foe Instanet ofa scene ina play ors fins It indicates somethe e Daniel Colucciello Barber is ditinctively decisive, but that grins its distinctively dices fowe from is embedding within a larger story. Accord oe nk of he ce as «concent of song lagen or we can think of tas beg expanded nt rger stone In ether case the sene of the eine i inseparable Boa te Story ofthe crime; o havea crime ene isto peace: Jn True Detective, the story of the erie functions arts register: the intentions asebed to vrtou cheneten he confit between these characters difering stoses aed he totaly ofthe show. We might aloo mention he vats stone senstructed by viewers. The point, however knot oes | soles orf fcts on thes vations regstens but fo abeene thet ‘ory is being constituted, that toy prolifertes and repel 4a various mulipltoos ways, 4nd that in doing so sty cxsures its suv, Theres stony and there wil bestey, AY ‘may be the cate tht we are supposed to Delve that ere ag ys ben story. Here, we might recall Rast Coles enene ht = the last episode of Seasons, while looking up at esky. hee _ fre story, the oldest light vers dark? But the youre _ Want to ras fs whether thre iin ely, a stows Bows tery a “To ask this question is totum attention aay from the onposon that the show set ‘up between peataee od | opis. Gohl, inthe show's eottusion scese toa fe | ese tothe oer siding withthe lg gna etc ena women ofthe uy. You haves et ou ely is ese one ats cece What am saying now is mot evidence. ama Saker ‘TieNboxtion oF Sony ee omit te opie oe ame ‘The notion ofthe soee of the cris o a east the phate Mis oe iat tna iene ears dare ena bts Sie re ata ecee See een oem neat ae ahethgtaomarem bene iste enrat oes cine oe Hugues ania om esteem ne ateeate cae Sunita free teers tec Ea tains her beaee Sa onsesne re ee eas crane ara Sito be erie moire panier ee CET ST woes tt withdrawal from negativity. Yet to take it 26 sth would be aistaken for it would be to conflate pessism'sdiviion from: _ ontimism with the enactment of negntiviy. Such a contocon Jnust be refused ~ for pessimism, no matter how radically tip : bound to optimism, of tothe narration of [ia aces aioe oe eee eae nae Se a cetemey Ce, ar peer 196 a Daniel Colueiello Barber seme stons this avson, yet neatvty ~ as Xl atelate it — refs a xiao ein oo es one dee vision = the division, for insane, betwee Syd it ey names eatin of to oF of 2 asc anen, to avert aiteation fom Cable's apport fas rom essa to optsm (aswell from Bis appar oto thi tard, a @ narrator of Dessimism). gevceene dunn on darkens ad ight inter of pessimism) raat Tt to se darkness and ight acording 0 a Pests anc optingsn Setup a dso that can aeelliy updowe ana reset pessimist ad ypimis ch saree and forts a the ory darkness and ght I shit ee oe and pti cneticlly contin each was Fohiding tom ont another, and it doing the belong aa ene toy, Negation the other hand, nares {he negation of story and vision a ch ‘There is, however, a second reason for claiming. that understanding the uatare of story, a5 mediated by, The ‘Detective, entails understanding Christianity: This reason has 0 do not with the appearance of Christian themes within True ‘Detective, ut rather with the way in which True Detective, 2s ‘tory of division, can be connected tothe story of Christ (and 3 ‘Chessiantyin general, which is also a story of division ‘While the story of Christ is often told asa story of salvation, Stshould be noted that to tell a story of salvation i also to tela tory of division. Theis beeatse the work of salvation Tequies the prio: work of division; salvation depends on the capacity 70 be saved or damned. The division between these two contingent cutoomes, these two possible directions, provides "the ‘background forthe story Of salvation envisioned in Christ acd histexically enacted by Christianity. Cole ts not far from this Togie wien he claims: Vision is meaning, Meaning is hstrica’s Yor Christianity, meaning is found asthe history ~ rin terms of ‘the detective, the timeline ~ of eseaping damnation by finding salvation, or of filing to find salvation and ending up damned. ‘And this macrologieal story of lights struggle to overcome ‘darkness — The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness id not overeome It — correlates with the micrological story of the self T can take the side of light or dark; I ean achieve my existence, T can become something, through the contingent taking of one side and not the other I know Iam this because T fm not that In this sense, division and contingeney constitue teach other, and together they constute a narrative of ‘chiovernent “The story ofthe crime isnot simply analogous to the story of Christ, for the Christ story ie already a evime story. We can ‘understand the crucfsion as 2 erime scene that has become ‘world historical. Someone ~ thats, Christ ~ has been Killed, and ‘wrongfily so. Thore i a crime. The killing of Chest i a exime ‘commited by humanity — in its entirety — against God ‘pu Srony oF 148 CRIME. ND THE STORY OF CHRIST can begin understating what it mcans to neg stony BY We am ben he nature of story ats modiated by Due sedans dois we mun understand Critiany-The Pees fo sch day that Chron tres are gute As re the chow such dat talbing aout the show Pet ing out Chetan. Here we might real the ss eer of chron pracce, bat we shou sae era eshte Chg gueion, The selering SECS Gleey opie ar Christ im the ost episod * but thi te cay muses the st episode, whe he ls Far fy Hartt he has ress in is apsrtent for ae ceo meliating om. Chins experience oft a Pain fo sultan in the Carden of Gebsesane The reparation $a thei! tose ast rete by the soy of Ca othe sox af be one who sai tobe che fast and the Caen as ache how to ser meaning frase ix, “ok 2am hee desing the strctre of standard Christian theslogy in term ofthe pois It etablshe. While some might read tee Joskion in terms of providence, ot la tas of pilsephial sectors | THosln, Nietarchen, or others) survoundg th death of God = Sioa STD, 198 ws Daaiel Coluecillo Barber christ is both divine and human, Thus ‘Bizet bath the Cod sasist whom the cime js committed, be ‘Gein and the representative of the human criminals. He i Tninal but also the vetim ~ and beeause he isthe victim, the CaMERY fakes the scene ofthe crime as a story of sacrifice, he eras the coutingent. possiblity of aalile achievement for tena The story of Christ makes all humans into ini dae be caved Ye fora human tobe saved to make the shi Wet, Sontingently criminal to contingent saved, ifs necessary ee that human to sghtiy understand snd confess tis story Importantly, howeves, {pISCHRNIBILTTYANDSERAWL rei salvation presely besasse {en net sme oe eae Niafoe tom bel damped 4 alone ot saan, work of moving fom # imi eu a evee postion, needs a soy. This 0, ia ee analy a confession probably Ue there isa story of crime, being led by the eriminal mo dacknaing metas Foma toad eo nn po ak a eh eal Se ee ae Go Te seh cane ek RS i See pe a sory tam Ree Ot nt a Reop peed ace we pen aS wae sore See an, wh cy ye oie am ta at ee Tat en cr 30) Sota lil nog ter econ peal oie Ba 2 Satin ete ae Red in a et A ge en ce) iis eet i ee ie Ice ha eo re enemy, Sever faked ey cece mgmas Fae ee ee pee cate at foram ntriguog int inal? Salvation needs Armzcr Has No Srony basic example of what Coble criticizes when he says, ‘Everybody Wants confession, everybody” wants some cathartic narrative.” Yel Coble, despite the ertital postion he takes, isa virtuoso producer ofthese stories; he isenowmed forgetting confessions from those positioned as criminals. As one individual, while Deing interrogated by Cohle, puts its Please jst tell me what to say. want toconfess.'= Coble oscillation betwen critic and producer of ‘confessional narratives is not surprising insofar ab we observe the role of Christianity. For Carstianity, justice is not about Tefusug critnality, ite about confessing ciminality. Its about ‘certain sive of eriminalty, about knowing how to tell the story ‘of erminality in a salve manner. Acwordingly, Christianity requires being, comtingently positioned as both criminal and Visti, both damned and saved. It is this divisive yet inseparable Dositionality that provides the engine forthe story; itis this same Aiisive. yet inseparable positionality that makes the story's ‘opposition of characters become indiseeraible ‘In True Detective, wo soe this bocoming-indisceribe again and again, Cole, when he produces confessions, cannot be flly Aisne from the evngett Goel Theva). And if Hart tonstantly does violence name of vietins, especta trem 2 dos Gi even ihe rowel: Bie dete vrork Is unthinkable apart from the story of his dead daughter, Sophias The division between Hart and Coble, upon which the ‘he way, whidh the practice of confession is centeal — and ttymelocaly linked ~ to Christian entity (where being Cristian | sls ating one's ult aguas and to Goo), Tis 31D.19, ‘VAs Toll Asod has remarked, 'a “bad consincs” sno bar to further | inmoral acon, merely gies ste action a distinctive te" See Tala Aa "aspontesIn Powers of the Secular Medern, ds. David Seat | ud Chaves Hirsikind (Pap Alto, Calforla: Stanford Ualvessy Pres, 2008), 290, “Da Sophia ded (atthe age of wo) a result of Beng hit by a ce while ea ding er ticel, Coble alguns this event a ell tthe | Spun innpact it had on his if, ving an interview scene a TD, 1:2. Danie Catusito Barber sumertuenosone sequently eis, does. not ltimately stand up PRthemore me might real that when Reple edu ~ the reeset whom te detedion inal feds des a 3 ‘Winona, bei inthe sae poston asthe woman Sain own etn, the woman th oa scene ofthe waes"8,o oman bound ty rope im order toe bound to the song o's acre! deat? Nor show we forget aosher Totnes iy whieh Coble and Hart are bth divided and bound {Ogaihe through e woman: they havea aotble moment of {eaeirover gets o mow the lw for Hors we Evens Rlyfam opposed to one another, trey both remain men Who Seiad te ns and ovens hese lawnmowing detectives eproced ote mitt he sows limate erin, Eo hits, st appareasome wae mows lame ‘Wisk Tam potting to is mot a cnspragy — snaiseeniy proac tee potent git of al. am pining Instead oe spe of onnections® Conspiney neste sp Tati cangot sayin srt conpiaey nord to spre beyond Stns bole cpa of ce mbt stake nee to maa story ot of this spr conspiracy fel {st te rine leads ewerwhere, especialy to ples whee you do not expect it but in doing soit stil committed tothe ‘Story ofa crime. In other words, conspiracy i still committed to the existence of a evime and of eximinal, which isto say’ that te alll committed to a story of salvation, 8 when faced with the ‘demise of salve hope, wen faced with the reality that there is tolhing, no-body, to be saved, it makes sense to til seek to tell fhe story of rime, The crime is already cathartic, even If incompletely so~ for if there isa crime, then there ace erminals, and the detection of eriminals has meaning. Even ifthe erimiale| fare never ultimately detected, or especially if they are still oxt there (as the notyetitected), the existenoe of eriminals gives lussomething to work at, and tobe saved from, “The spraw! of connections engulfs oar ability to divide and identity positions, just as the floods keep engulfing the fies.” However, the story of the crime does not stop producing positions, for it proclaims ~ inthe face of this spravling deactivation of division ~ that there i something to do, 2 ‘eening to be detected, a division to be made. When Hat siys that Cohie‘sound{s) panicked he is right = but the pani fs not about the evangelist’ story being true, it i rather about the ‘pra cefusal of any story at all, including a story that would cexplain the evanglis's error” Cole's pam, in other words, is about the ‘pan, the all of the sprawl, which is all over and all, too much for a story. Affection of the allspraw dissolves and Arowns every story. Affoot has no story, and so the story ean be lmagined only’ #8" detestion-ofstory, one can stop being = aE errno te | sy tien Seren eg ad be oe Se Sree ng eae Se ee panda ONS Soe ag Sl na Pacey Stel i i es cca eee meta opn as | eee Pe a sa ano een +» Both the argument over who gets to mow the lawn for Hart's wife and anemia ane st ane ity hte rte me a a eile cen ee ma Seances No ee ee ete a see Si cli op ate ete snub carney ts see on Mlsing or Jost ls area rearing theme throughout the show, la ‘Ti Reverend ‘le clams tat the files Cohle ano Hart are Searching for = flew thn Wewer's ota ele, he would increas ‘Te Eannot be foand ceo Hooig "Alay scene occurs TD, 1s when Cole an Hart attend the ‘edo eva prahing of he eng, Jolene: We hy ‘st him as prt ofthe ivestigation, the rit gain large siaiieance ‘thin the show as a moment in which Coble rater Tees and Jmocotly erties bt the evangelt wn those mio ae drt {2 tho evangelists preaching. The evangelists etry about hv the words nsf analyze, by Coble, as “ites by the ned for Cathars ts precisely respons to Cane invetsen in stclating {his enaljls that Hart makes the remark abut pa. Bly approsch (Caes pnie inedted to conversations with ony Pl Sith, ‘shrom Greek pas or pant"). a 203 Daniel Coluciello Barber 3 ee aS —___anietcotsito Barber ——__imtlisnosroy eee a cee any Sea Set gl ee aa 7 ‘blished, and more the establishment of a contingency of x ‘somes A detetve may secesd or fal, Bute sl, dete Se or oa te al scnceadetags buh atieel ts ty the detects 2a Mactan can be forded bo Teh moe i oe Se wth darkness, remained defined in terms of division: bis darkness was defined as the divisive opposition to Hgts he was | dark because he was not light. Ta this sense, he remained dependent on the light he opposed, he remained dependent on [division ~ and it was precisely this dependence on division thet | szabled the constitution of the story of Cohle (asthe ane who negates the light). Such a story Is dak rather than light, but it remains a story. | _What, then, of blackness? Blackness may be articulated as antecedent to the division between darkness and lights. fs Drecisely this antecedence that males itincommensuale with darkness: while darkness is aricalated by way of its division from light, blackness is articulated as antecedent to al ight, nd thereby to any divisive relation between light and darkness; rile darkness entails (divisive relation #2) Tight, Mackaece tails nothing, nothing Dut itself as refusal of both daxkness ard > light. Blackness thus negates, hy way of antocedence, every Avision between darkness and light or ight and darkness, Given the link between ‘division and story, wwe can also aay that ‘aciness nepates, by way of antecedence, every story Infact we an say of Blackness what we stkl of the sprewi: i is not hekness that needs the story, iis rather the story that needs ‘achness. Vet, precisely becuse Blackness negates sory as such, | story cannot articulate blackness as Blackness, it imust instead gets Hens as darkress~ a5 tha which sided om have already noted that Coble’ nogation of positive stories os dv, ad hat fer hs reo eae soya he Iezation of story. We can now aay that he posed a story of sderness against the story of light. His darktess, by diving self fom stories of light, already made itself nto a stone inal; his ultimate tin toward the ight fir from being & ‘vith his darkness, was actually continuous with i a the Danucess xo Lick stron this, the sprawl remains real, it really De LN ei lg sien cn tena a sy eis, postion testy, 10 ge Scion ad ee a saat ere Mer gra Se a Pale fae Ce tes tae ep Fe Silat wena ple aia yay gov tee th see So ee ey enh ee ee Sele peace men ean er iiss Seer ie ote te Sel wea oc of light (posit vas it payed am on SIGN eg eee ve se Fi ee a amie Sn me a Ct a hed wre se 1 net ee his so flow Fragots Larue’ cam in ‘Universe Hck in the Hus Foundations of Colors trans Miquel Abe and Rb Mhay, rom Decision to Heresy: Reperiment in Non-Standard Though, Mackay (Windsor Quary/New York: Usbanomia/ Sequence Press ha, "Black x prior to the absence of ight (304) oF tnt Hck, light, isthe substance ofthe Univers wot ecaped fot The before the Word was bors nto the Ward), 203 1205 Daniel Cotuvillo Barber erates level of storys regadiess of whether he takes the ide of darkness tighe COs aww han a sony eich constant through the division =the versus ~ between ligt and dark. As Song, Cole aco hs oe nt common with what Be negates ~ the story of ight ~ thant does with Blackness "Not only as light (positive story), but also as darkness (story ‘of opting the pose story), tore fa narrative fame of ant Flackness’ ‘There ia story precisely becase chere Tight livid ftom darkness, or darkness divided from light, but never ‘blackness, which anteedes this division, which negates stony a8 uch (whether te try i igt or dark, What i necessary, then, {Sthenegaton of story, as such, according to blackness ~ that, according 10 negativity that antecedes all stories of division ‘Negativity must be areulated nota part ofa story, but rather a the ntceding and atagoniing of ry i aly Taso ‘tha nega mst Tappen tee a the negation of _ Sting et abo au the migaton ofthe soy of aeag ‘something, This is not the dialectical negativity of Hegel, which oi rogtesen nd devlopn stag ye ded __ Bectiitrthes age tat nce wns aoe that ws thre etre the sry of non ad ofthe oven ron. Ws nt the ney af coming to te, of besa | Inderal ts nsead «neat actding ees wae _ Recah hogan ance ttc a ever fas ld “oe he ed ft te ne, wheres he {crn has uo dso, no sty, nether ado ees Stmething dose ths sot of axa cers in he econ episode, hich evolves sound theta cr asd the Tey, fhe tse the Holy Pam The Fate the Som and the ‘Son have sometines eon arated ia the’ cue Gosia, nore stg: ars spat ert, at | loteatian Hepl hve locatl inthe ray a progression om seston ane ese nT, ete Sage of he tanscendet father to the geo ie mada, SIE ae prt met ey mr Sand ukimaty tothe age of manne Sp he diss ‘Slack pope, aftcra shootout erupts, Re escapes ~ by wey of Hats | of the Father aze progressively undane in favor of w: Spat RaDnBete Ac pln ee Ce ttn on Bese eae as prose undo. or of, Sy {hlnbsnuaehe waver arabia tome of eh ae it) ome nicer. Ie ot Behance that tae pace ie of noe al cre pode which Hat eae he Fhe na tht omen ee tied timcetr tcc sic cpitag inp muy harchmantins tap rts anil grey tom te plete spared me the sin Of eng ner env so ae fe a etcnua i ote the Maral sel at Se TR bie stents een ees Shelford estoy when ta Ge) sa SESE Ss eae o he nay naib tn the Si to beeced =e tho ror enti ‘Sakata eae ved sn stn an i et ae ‘elueigpnble cpt oman aks nl pole eee Seti tf cd Sy Hea Sere nut ade 9 soe 0 Key te emt sr Ai 9g Uae: SS ody Sent ym, march 9 he saaie ALLE Cent ond he Scere fone (bein bute Cube Fry, ani) on antec abd Siena, sen the Sate of sean Dery Oe Ponce Opts eno all ier 200), ‘pe orc nent sels pi aredseatoorile pa [the rca discourse ta is insepoable fom antiblackness could be sutpucd ny connecting Che's ication of the story of ight veri [Bak toi undercover work withthe ron Crusader bier gang, which | hie coo of me asrting oa ad antec, 9 fo Sm ticle to Se soins pried Eile omens ezrin shoal ste hte gston ine cota to fap Pte Sae fr ata, Cf dan pecan rane thy sD, Th et xp of hin een nd with Joshi Foe. be ate howe tha he spol rts suk ab ete Foe and eer Et, ye al seg ie tea afc tour stag" ta {un ast os uel prensa y ohn or eg 206 Daniel Coluceiello Barber mene et ante ar me nt const i ts Se encase ie realy teins ot roti Sa ere ioe Giaaetimegemgarcrsus’ Sgn aeourn crass Oat ead ey ects tice ema cst mane poumowe aor et ed Gere es Sapa oa Wits cen Dt date ay ae sn tek tte acd noe See ee Sen ipsiracaae on ace rth enal ag sa Sh reel Gu atid atk ease fee dn ate dpele sin oneal eens was vote awrnet as reality of this ment iaffct. And one agai ast ett yates 1 ost men sates 8 be tls. ebay hp or ag Ts oon ale net nue sates the possibly c blag ape Aomstli € bg. ve camacd ~ aves affet It roa staat wih happiness to put sien the Mind to be affected with sadness s to put happiness inthe 4 is ise it SSC Ifeonacbusnens an eor, then iis oowase ft avies “Wangdom of Heaven’ The Pychale Sounds cf ‘avs Fier Reto, neo of top The adele ud ‘nck or cats Cereal Ast ‘thao chedie soe kake tbe seat, lfc has nothing to do wih a stato of optimism or asta | ‘of pessinism. ict Has No STORY ——__itieriasNostony sfc fa we could joy a wl sy that consciousness namely the story of affect Tam conscious of being hay hecaise 1m conscious of being sad in the past Iam conscious cof being sad because I am constious of being hapry in the past, Aiinst allthis, what I mean by affect is simply affee of body ‘pon body, without good or bad without story. and thus without Fecogntion. The error, simply’ put, is that of using @ basic division ~ or of using division 2s a hase ~ in order to produce recognizably, the error is not that of misnecognizing affect, but ruther that of subjestiviing affect by subjecting affect. to recognition Affect is unrecognizable, Iti story that gives meaning, or the possibilty of recognition, to affect. Vet alec in-iseli, i its Sheer taking plac, takes place withont sadness or happiness, ‘Tis is also to say that affect, if we speak of ft in term of signs, ‘expresses these signs without meaning. It is the detectives atv chat gives meaning to signs, that converts sigs into seas, into meaning and direction, into evidence that points from and to rime and salvation. Yet before there is ever the story of detection, before there is evera detective, there is aft in-itslf J, pothing to point to, and no need of a pointer It is the detective’ activity, or the story of werime, that makes evidence, tat gives one something to go off of and somewhere to go — ‘whereas in reality, or according to the reality of atest ints all signs say’ that there is no place to go and no place to go from. Affet isnot transitive: its taking place antecedes every (vision _ of) place its signs lead nowhere. Affect isnot based ina place ts not even based in a body. ‘To locate affect in a body, arto articulate as what one bol (eanstively) does ro anotier, so tell a story about fet from 2 {The notion tat conslousnoss isan err emerge tha the show, ‘ast explicly, when Cole retanls in TD, tar 7 tisk harman consciousness Is & tape misstep in evolution. We became to sel _ ante, mnure erated an aspect af notre separate fom Wl we ae ‘reatunes that should not ext by natural law, We are things hat abot ‘der the Dhan of vig a se an eceton of sense experence fd fecing, "programmed with total assurance that we are each somebody, when fact everbody i body The clan resonates wth ‘he work of Thomas Lgot ~ ace fer Insance fit ‘The Conspiracy Against the Human Rave: A Conrvcnee if Horo (Sew Yoo ‘ppoeampus Press, 201, 209 Daniel Colusiello Barber + than aflee’s happening, When afeet happen, it Bash Sd oni et hngens ee aeons body to delimit or bint fae, 9 8c

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