B ar the s’ ‘A Lover’s Discour se’ s tands out as a corner s tone of semio tic f iction, and seek s to decons truct the idea of love through f ragments of philosophic al thought and poetr y ref lecting on key mo tifs of ‘love’. The text unpack s what it means to love and what is hidden behind common words associated with love through discur sive f iction and thought. This piece attemp ts to do the same with an ins titution at the hear t of s tudent life: the GUU.
B e er Bar :
A com for t ing e mb r a c e, o r a h a r b o ur co n to te mp t th e wea r y s tuden t i n tle expla ins a ll, a n d i n p er i o ds o f scend s te mp ora l b o un da r i e s s eei n g m irror s ex is te nt ia l a n d th e s ti cky f lo o r s
o f l as t re s o r t, Be e r Bar s hi n e s as a s i re n ’s be aw i th i mage s o f che ap be e r an d a re s t. T he ti ups e t an d u n re s t, the o f fe r o f Be e r Bar tran s tud e n ts thro ugh lu n ch ti l l mi d n i ght. Phy s i c al s er ve to re mi n d u s o f the hold me mo ri e s have o n u s .
C rech e:
Whe n th e c o n s tr u c ti o n s o f rea l i t y be gi n to me rge u n d e r the i n f lu e n ce o f alcohol , the haple ss hive go er s eek s ref uge i n th e lov i n g e mbrace o f the cre che. A n o as i s s to cke d wi th the promise of wa ter a n d a qu i et s p a c e to re s t. Bu t s afe t y i s a d o uble e d ge d s wo rd , an d re s t s o o n tur ns to e n trapme n t whe n the bo u n ce r s ar r ive.
by Catherine Bouchard
A Lovers Discourse: GUU Edition
D* * * F * * * * * :
A gain, in B a r the s’ o w n wo rds , a l b ei t s l i gh tl y ad ju s te d : “I tho ught I was s u f fe ri n g f ro m n o t at tend ing D F, a nd yet i t i s b ec au s e I a tten de d DF that I was s u f fe ri n g” A n e ve nt c ons t ruc ted o n mys ti qu e a n d tr a di ti o n : re -e mbe d d i n g i n i ts repe ti ti o n an d re vel r y.
Fre s he r s Week :
Eve r y i n s ti tuti o n n eeds a go o d e n tran ce po i n t. Fre s he r s We ek: a co mme n ce me n t. T he beg inning o f a temp o r a l a n d s p i r i tua l jo u rn e y. Fo r the Fre s he r s Helpe r, FW i s c ycl i c al , a repeat ing re e nac tm en t o f r i tua l a n d tr a di ti o n to gradu al l y s eparate s o ul f ro m bo dy u n d e r the e ndur ing b u rden o f f re s h er s f lu a n d th e d i s s o ci ati ve e f fe ct o f l ate n i ghts le ad i n g i n to e arl y mor ning s.
Hi ve:
To re qu o te B a r th e s : “a s a h i ve go er, I s u f fer fo u r ti me s ove r: be c au s e I go to Hive, b e c au se I bl a m e mys el f fo r go i n g to Hi ve, be c au s e I fe ar my go i n g to Hive will wou nd my b o dy, b ec au s e I a l lo w my s el f to be s ubje ct to Hi ve”. We a re a ga in t a ken i n b y th e i l lus i o o f Hi ve, the rati o n ale o f a n i ght f i l le d with wond e r a nd th e a l lu re o f th e ti tul a r fo u r le tte r s o n the wal l . T he mu s i c h elp s d row n ou t th e reg rets a n d m a s k s th e d amage o f o n e to o many ro u n d s fo r th e ove rd ra f t to h a n dle. A Hi ve n i gh t s eem s e n d le s s , an d i n e vi table, o n e o f th e m a ny m o t ifs o f a s tuden t l i fe s t yle. Hi ve s e e ms mas s i ve, an d al l co n s u mi n g. But ye t … have you ever s een Hi ve i n th e day?
Pi n t o f Fun:
Wh a t is a P int of Fu n ? 2 x sho t s of vod ka; 1 x v k ; a s pl a s h o f lem o nad e Th e p rom ise of a go o d n i gh t; n eo n c olo u red i n toxi c ati o n ; pro mi s e s o f tale s yet untold ; the c a l l o f th e da n c ef lo o r ; c a r r i ed away o n the l aughte r o f gi rl s o n th eir way hom e Disapp oint m e nt: b r ui s e s o n yo u r k n ee s a n d el bo w, o n e an d a hal f Pi n ts o f Fu n lo s t to the f loor
Wel l :
W hat i s the re le f t to s ay abo u t the wel l? It has a n i ce skylight .
“Perhaps we shall never see each o ther again; perhaps we shall meet again but fail to recognize each o ther: our exposure to dif ferent seas and suns has changed us” Roland Bar the s, A Lover’s Discour se: Fragments.
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Jukebox :
A loc u s , a c en tre o f c a lc ul a ti o n o n a packe d T hu r s d ay n i ght, o r a to ol fo r amu s e me n t on a quie t , r a i n tro dden a f ter n o o n . Ba r the s i d e n ti f i e s love as an expe ri e n ce o f wai ti n g, o f being the one w h o w a i ts . L i ke love, th e j ukebox i s an expe ri e n ce o f wai ti n g, “I am the o n e who wait s”. Like love, th e j ukeb ox i s tr a n s acti o n al at ti me s , ge n e ro u s at o the r s (than k yo u to the people who leave s p a re c redi ts o n ). A f te r a s i mple s wipe o f the c ard , an d an exte n d e d d el iber at ion, we o f fe r up o u r s o ul s fo r ju d gement . “Who pu t o n My s te ri o u s Gi rl again?”
