My Tangle of Thorns

Someone inadvertently reminded me today that I used to refer to my PhD as Humbert Humbert refers to his story in Lolita. I always wanted to say to my examination panel, while pointing at my voluminous thesis and looking at my seductive artworks:

Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, look at this tangle of thorns.

A tangle of thorns it feels as I go beyond merely toying with ideas to starting building a framework, or something along those lines… Conversations help. I never realised how much of a PhD is actually sparked by other people. My acknowledgements list grows and grows; I am a grateful person and want everyone meaningful to be represented. Remainders of a Catholic upbringing, no doubt. As S–– says, why lead astray from right behaviour? What is right behaviour? Right behaviour according to whom? Morals, values and ethics (together with phantasies and desires) are back into the equation and I hope Forrester’s chapter “Rape, Seduction and Psychoanalysis” holds some pointers for me. Or maybe I will find what I am looking for in casual conversations. I joined a psychoanalysis message board on LJ but seem to be merely talking to myself there… The tangle is getting more and more knotted, the thorns start to pierce.