Re is a de Es udios No eame icanos.
11
• 2 (
1193)
, pp.19-38
A
DEADLY
FASCINATION:
HETEROLOGY
AND
FASCISM
IN
THE
WRITINGS
OF
GEORGES
BATAILLE,
YUKIO
MISHIMA,
AND
HENRY
MILLER
Why Ba aille?
CAROLINE
BLINDER
King's College, London
In
1929 And é B e on could
ha
e
had se e a! easons o being ang y a Geo ges
Ba aille. While B e on had p oclaimed his own sup e
me
leade ship
o
he F ench
Su ealis mo emen , Ba aille wasjus one
o
he «o iginal» membe s
who
was ai ead y
beginning o mo e away om
B e
on
in
sea ch
o
a less dogma ic app oach o he
su ealis c edo. In 1928 B e on had ejec ed Ba aille on he g ou
nd
s
o
espousing a
e ol
so
ex eme ha e en he Su ealis s we e igh ened
a
he p ospec and Ba aille
was dismis
se
d as a p ope e olu iona
y
philosophe in Su ealis e ms. Mo e
speci ically B e on,
in
«The Second Su ealis Mani es o,» condemned Ba aille
's
emb ace
o
he he e ogeneous. B e on had acu ely obse ed ha a ce ain glo i ica ion
an
d dei ica ion
o
he he e ogeneous was a he co e
o Ba aille's
philo
so
phical hesis.
M. Ba aille
's
mis o une is o eason: admi edly, he easons like someone
who «has a
l
y on his nose,» which allies him mo e clo
se
ly
wi
h he dead han
wi h
h
e li ing, bu he does eason. He is ying wi h he help
o
he iny
mechanism in him which is no comple ely ou
o
o de , o sha e his obsessions:
his e y ac p o es ha he canno claim, no ma e wha he
ma
y say, o
be
opposed o any sys em, Iike an un hinking b u e. (p. 184 B e on, Mani es oes
o
Su ea ism,
U.
o Michigan
P
ess 1969.)
20 Ca oline
Blinde
B e on
's
conclusion, ha he a emp o eason abou wha is simply un easonable,
seemed
o
him
in
su ealis e ms o be in alid.
As
he Su ealis s emba ked upon
he
s udy
o
Au oma ism, he no ion ha he un-conscious can
be
cap u ed in i s
o
Ii e-
a i ming inspi ed w i ing wi hou he necessa y use
o
eason, B e on necessa ily
had
o disag
ee
wi h Ba aille's conclusion ha dea h and pe e sion ine i ably o med
he
come s ones
o
humani y. The e y id
ea
o
dea h
asan
in insic heme, una oidable
o he a is ic mind howe e much i ied o ee i sel om an exis ing social ne wo k,
was o he Su ealis s a sign
o
mo al degene acy. The p oblem is ha Ba aille
's
app oach is ne e as simple as B e on claimed. Ba aille ne e claimed, as
he
Su ealis s did, o be agains sys ems pe se.
Jus as
Au oma ic, spon aneous inspi a ion
in su ealis e ms was no mean o eplace God, nei he was deg ada ion and il h a
eplacemen o Ba aille. As a sociologis and an h opologis , Ba aille wan ed o
p o
e
among o he hings ha he no ion
o
he he e ogeneous and he homogeneous
was
insepa able om poli ics as well as he a s and he se ou o p o e ha one sphe e
was
insepa able om he o he .
This connec ion be ween li e a u e and ansg ession
-as
exempli ied by Ba aille
ía his de ini ion
o
he he e ogeneous-can
be
used as a lead in o
an
analysis
o
he
connec ions be ween ic ion and heo y in mo e gene al e ns as well. Whe he i
be
o e ly poli i
ca
l o
o
a mo e hidden and sac ed na u e his is a majo ocal poin in
he
wo ks
o Hen y
Mille , Yukio Mishima, and
o
cou se Geo ges Ba aille.
In
my analysis
o
Mille l hope o show how he, simila y o Ba aille, esponded o he su ealis
no ions
o
'a
u oma ic w i ing'
o
he
1930's
and
inco po a ed his in o
his
au obiog aphical w i ings. The in ense and o en highly sexualized au obiog aphical
s ance is one ha e-occu s in Mishima bu wi h en i ely di e en consequences.
Since
ali
o
hese w i e s deal wi h he exul a ion
o
iolence and sexuali y and i s poli ical
implica ions 1 ha e chosen as a s a ing poin Ba aille's polí ica! c i ique
o Fascism.
Ba aill
e's
a icle «T
he
Psychological S uc u e
o
Fascism» om 1933 is
impo an o wo easons. One is ha
i
nea ly summa izes mos
o
he
main
philosophical poin s behind Ba aille' s wo k bo h as a heo is and a ic ion w i e .
The
second eason is ha he a icle con ains,
i
no a ull explana ion, hen a leas help ul
clues
o an
unde s anding o Hen y Mille 's ea ly obsession wi h apocalyp ic image y
and his la e and much di e en iews on mili a ism, and Mishima Yukio
's
deadly
ascina ion wi h dea h and o ali a ianism.
Toge he , hese h ee au ho s om h ee con inen s may seem ex emely
di e en , bu a compa ison
o hemes
show a dis inc a ini y owa ds, in Ba aille and
Mishima' s case a glo i ica ion
o
he he e ogeneous, and in Mille ' s a need o deal wi h
he iss
ue
s ha sp ing om he same. 1 shall y
o
show how aken o he ex eme his
a ini y canno simply be cons ued as indica ing eal ascis endencies, bu mus
be
seen in he ligh
o
a mo e sophis ica ed iew
o
wha he no ion
o
he he e ogeneous
en ails in i s a ious o ms. Thus while bo h Mishima and Mille we e in luenced
by
Ba aille's no ion
o
he he e ogeneous
asan
essen ial pa
o
e olu iona y w i ing, 1
A D
ead
ly Fascina ion. He e ology and Fascism ...
21
sha
ll
also y o s
how
ha while Mishima became
inc ea
singly nihili
s
ic, absol ing
him
sel
in he end om
h
e sphe e
o
ic ion w i ing a
l og
e he , Mille e used o l
e
his ascina ion
o
h
e he e ogeneous
um
him away
om
he conce
p
o
w i ing as an
essen ial li e-a i ming ac i i y.
T opic
o
Ca
n
ce
wa
s published in Pa ís en 1934 a
nd
al hough I don ' know
o
any
di
ec e e enc
es
o Mille ha ing ead Ba aille,
he
a mosph
e e
o
le is poli ics
and Su ealism
in
which he ound himsel can be s
een
in essays on he Su ealis
mo emen such as: «An Open Le e o Su ealis s E e ywhe e,» and
in
his analysis
o
Buñuel L'
Age
D'
O . I is also in e es ing o no e
Mille
's
la e ascina ion wi h
Yukio Mishima
mo
s no iceably e iden in his 1972
a icle
«Re lec ions on he Dea h
o
Mishima,» which 1 shall look a mo e closely in he sec ion on Mille . Simila ly,
Mishima w o e an a icle called «Geo ges Ba aille
an
d Di inus Deus» which was
published
in
a
co
ll
ec ion
o his
li e a yessays en i led
Wha
is
he
No el
? sho ly be o e
his dea h in 1970. Mishi
ma
's
essay on Ba aille was e-published
asan
in oduc ion
o
Ba aille's wo s o ies Madame
Edwa d
a and
My
Mo he which appea ed
in
Di inus
Deus
, a collec ion which was s ill incomple e a he ime
o Ba ai
ll
e's
dea h and which
ap
pea ed in 1966
in
i s incomple e o m in F ench.
l
is likely ha Mishima
ea
d hese
s o ies ansla ed in o Japanese a ound 1968. Likewise, Ba aille w o e in de en
ce
o
Hen y Mille du ing an obsceni y i
a!
in F ance in 1946.
Two
a icles: «
La
Mo ale de
Mille » and
«L'
in
culpa ion d'Hen y Mille » we e
bo h
published in he li e a y
magazine
C
i iqu
e.
Thu
s a com
pa
ison
o
hese h ee au ho s
is
alida ed by he
in
c
cs
lh
cy quilc oh iou-;ly sho
wc
cl
in
cach olhc
's
wo k.
THE
PSYCHOLOGICAL
STRUCTURE
OF
FASCISM
A
C i
ica! View
F om a his o ical
pe
spec i e,
he in-de-si
ecle
a i udes which bo h Ba aille and
B e on had g own up abso bing, oge he wi h he
pos
-wa /p e-wa hec ic I 920s,
p omp ed hem o belie e ha he wo ld needed e-imagining.
The
sense
o
wo king
asa
n a is in an age
o
apocalyp ic image y, was acu ely sha ed by bo h Ba aille and
he Su ealis s. By he la e wen ies and ea ly hi ies,
bo
h B e on and Ba aille had
disa owed ali u u is ideas
o
machine y as powe
and
eedom, he
so
lu ion o
his o ical cons ain . While he
Su
ealis s p oclaimed
h
a eali y was insubs an ial
and ha nonsen
se
e
se, au oma ism, iole
n
con on a ion, and i ony wen hand
in
hand as an o e all objec i e o e olu ion, Ba
ai
llle had mo ed in an al oge he
di e en di ec ion.
A ound he ime o B e on
's
a ack on Ba
ai
lle
in
he Sec
ond
Su ealis Mani es10,
Ba aille s a ed his own g oup
o
coun e balance he Su ealis s.
The
g oup: «Ce cle
Communis Demo
c
a ique» publis
hed
i s own
jou n
al - D
ocumen
s .
I
was he e
p ima ily ha Ba aille de eloped he conce
p
o « he he e ogeneous.» «The
he e ogeneous» was o be a ca ch ph ase o hose elemen s which esis assimila ion
22
Ca oline
Blinde
in o he homogeneous
-in
Ba aill
e's
e ms-
o he bou geoisie, he uling class.
Thus
he e ogeneous o ces we e, acco ding o Ba aille, hosc p ocesses ha lag an ly
iola ed he a ional p incipies o acommodi y and consump ion d i en socie y. In
his
sense, he
Su
ealis s
in
ac belonged o he he e ogeneous since hei p ima y aim
was
o shock and p omo e he ecs a ic o ces
o
d eam-li e, he ins inc , and he impulsi
e
as se agains he o ces o nonnali y and con en ional beha iou . Ba aille also
applied
he concep o ali ma ginalized social g oups, including e olu iona ies and poe s,
wo
g oups
o
which he conside ed himsel a membe . Ba aille also posi ed impo an ly
ha
i
was possible o hose wi hin he homogeneous o in e ac wi h hehe e ogeneous
in momen s
o
ex eme shock, o example ia iolence o sexual ecs asy, so mu ch
ha
Ba aille ac ually concludes in «The Psychological S uc u e
o
Fascism»
ha :
«He e ogeneous eali y is
ha o
a o ce
o a
shock>>
(p. 143. in Visions
o
Excess).
The
no ion
o
he he e ogeneous is hus simul aneously an aes he ic concep as well
as
a
poli ical one since i includes bo h ma ginalized poli ical g oups as well as poe
s
who
wo k in a sub e si e con ex . This no ion may
no
be in i sel su icien o explain
why
Ba aille asc ibed o ascis leade s a he e ogeneous exis ence, which is his main
poin
in
«The Psychological S uc u e
o
Fascism.» Was Fascism hen he e ogeneous
in
Ba aille's e ms simply because i oo wan ed
o
dis u b con en ional modes
ó
pe cep ion and expe ience o did he in ac see Fascism
as
a easible solu ion o
he
poli ical and social ills
o
socie y?
I
he la e is indeed a easible solu ion
i
poses
ce
ain p oblems om an ideological pe spec i e.
I
is in i sel pa adoxical ha a
ascis / he e ogeneous s a e wi h he employmen o exal ed iolence should be
able
o
simul aneously unc ion as a so
o
di ine o de
o
cohesion, capable
o
e adica ing
social ills.
Unde he heading «Examples
o
He e ogeneous Elemen s» Ba aille w i es:
The ascis leade s a e incon es ably pa
o
he e ogeneous exis ence.
Opposed o democ a ic poli icians, who ep esen! in di e en coun ies
he
pla i ude inhe en
o
homogeneous socie y, Mussolini and Hi le immedia ely
s and ou as some hing o he . Wha e e emo ions hei ac ual exis ence
as
poli ical agen s
o
e olu ion p o okes, i is impossible o igno e
hejo
ce
ha
si ua es hem abo e men, pa ies, and e en laws: a o ce ha dis up s he eg
ula
cou se o hings, he peace ul bu as idious homogenei y powe less o main ain
i sel ( he ac ha laws a e b oken is only he mos ob ious sign
o
he
anscenden , he e ogeneous na u e o ascis ac ion). (p. 143. Visions
o
Excess)
A numbe
o
easons may explain why he psychological phenomenon
o
he
ascis mo emen
in
pa icula ascina ed Ba aille, and mo e impo an ly, why he e
seems o be a alue judgemen placed upon he wo ca ego ies. Wi h such wo ds
as
pla i ude
o
desc ibe homogeneous socie y, and he exp ession «agen s
o
e olu ion»
o desc ibe he ascis leade s, Ba aille seems clea ly o indica e ha ascis n spells
A Deadly Fascina ion. He e ology
and
Fascism ...
23
p og ession while homogenei y is as idious, slow
mo ing,
and abo e ali, weak as
opposed o ascism which is o ce ul and capable
o
anscending he s a us quo, ( he
i alics on he wo d o ce a e Ba aille's).
In o de o unde s and why Ba aille makes his
alue
judgmen i
is
necessa y
o cmem
be
no only he his o ical poin in ime, he
a icle
was w i en in 1933, bu
he ac ha Ba aille is building a case s udy o his heo ies on human na u e in
gene al: Fo
one
hing, Ba aille used he ascis phenomenon o p o e his poin ha
people in gene al ha
ean
excess
o
ene gy, a need o «unp oduc i e expendi u e»1
which is s i led in ci ilized socie y. (Fo a mo e in
dep h
explana ion
o
Ba aille's
no ion
o
expendi u e and economy, La Pa Maudi e om 1967 elabo a es on
he
no ion o su plus expendi u e
asan
ac i e p incipie
o he
consume socie y, and one
which ensu es he powe
o
he
soc
ial body). Al hough «unp oduc i
e
expendi u e»
mani es s i sel in was e (pa
o
ou physiological s
uc u e-
we canno abso b ali ha
we ea o example) i can also on a men al le e) mani es i sel in a s ha ha e no
di ec comme cial alue o in sub e si e beha iou . In his con ex he e o ic impulse
is seen as p ima ily des uc i e and he e ogenous by na u e because i eeds on
sexually pe e se p ac ices whe e he aim is non- ep oduc i e. Non- ep oduc i e sex
whe e he sea
ch
is o pleasu e a he han a e-a i ma ion o he amily s uc u e is
hus indi ec ly seen as a nega ion
o
Bou geois socie y. In p imi i
e
cul u es (The Tea s
o
E os by Ba aille con ains his an h opological analysis
o
his phenomenon) socie y
acknowledg
ed
his desi e by es ablishing cul i uals based on sac i ice
-ano he
wo d
which o Ba aille means he ac i e iddance
o
excess-
which o en included iolen
and hypno ic elemen s. The iolen and hypno ic elemen s as well as he cul and
sac ilegious mass- i uals a e p ecisely wha Fascism uniquely exploi ed, acco ding o
Ba aille. The o he impo an ac o is he human u ge
o
powe o comple e human
so e eign y, which Ba aille saw as impossible wi hin adi ional democ a ic s uc u es.
Fascism enables he masses o acqui e a sense
o
powe and glo i ica ion by
idealizing and p ojec ing hemsel es
on
o he leade objec , so much so ha i c ea es
a:
«common consciousness o inc easingly iolen and excessi e ene gies and powe s
ha accumula e in he pe son
o he
leade and h ough him become widely a ailable»
(p 143. Visions
o
Excess).
I
is impo an! ha Ba aille s esses he a ailabili y
o
iolen and excessi e ene gies o he masses o his is essen ially he beginning o
e olu ion.
I
a classless socie y is o be achie ed he bounda ies be ween he
homogeneous and he he e ogeneous can, acco ding o Ba aille, only
be
pene a ed by
iolen! excess. Ba aille's p emise is hus based on he belie ha he dialec ic o
enligh enmen is eally in ain and ha since he homogeneous is always dependen!
upon he o ces i excludes, he Bou geoisie can only su i e in ac
i
i e ains a
ma ginalized p ole a ia . In his
se
nse, he a gumen o Fascism has
in
a ound-abou
manne alida ed i s own populis appeal
in
he name
o
socialism, explaining among
o he hings such a e m
as
Na ional Socialism. The o e iding ques ions mus be
whe he his is a a lid de ense o Fascism.
I
Fascism
's
s eng h Jies in he p omise
o

24 Ca oline
Blinde
indi idual so e eign y, can i hen also
o ma
socie y ha econciles social
equali y
wi h indi idual so e eign y?
Ju gen Habe mas a emp s
o
answe his ques ion in an a icle called
«Be ween
E o icism and Gene al Economics: Ba aille.» Fo he sake
o
discussio
n,
Habe mas
seems
o
gi e Ba aille he bene i
o
he doub in he ques ion
o
iolence as
he
anscending o ce be ween he he e ogeneous and he homo
ge
neous. Ba aille
may
claim ha Fascism is no mo e: « han an acu e eac i a ion
o
he la en so e eign
agency» (p. 149
in
Vis ion
o
Ex
cess), bu Habe mas ne e hele
ss
wonde s i he e
may
no be o he ways o eac i a e so e eign y o he han
ía
he iolence
o
Fascism.
Habe mas' conclusion poin s o he nea impossibili y o Ba aille o do so.
Wi hou such a iolence- anscending poin
o
e e ence, Ba aille
un
s
in o di icul y making plausible he dis inc ion ha emains so impo an o
him
-namely, ha be ween he socialis e olu ion and he ascis akeo e o powe ,
which me ely seems like he o me . Wha Benjamin a i ms
o
he en e p ise
o
su ealism as a whole - ha i wan ed « o win he ene gies
o
in oxica ion
o
he e olu ion» -Ba aille also has in mind; i is he d eam
o
he aes he icized,
poe ic poli ics pu i ied
o
all mo al elemen s. Indeed his is wha ascina es
him
abou ascism: «The example
o
ascism, which oday calls in o ques ion
e en
he exis ence
o
he labou mo emen , su ices
o
demons a e wha
we
migh
expec om a a ou able ecou se o enewed e ec i e o ces.» Bu hen
he
ques ion a ises as
o
how he sub e si ely spon aneous exp ession o
hese
o ces and he ascis canalizing
o
hem eally di e . The ques ion becomes
uncom o able
i
, wi h Ba aille, one p oceeds om he assump ion ha
he
di e ence should be iden i ied al eady in he o ms and pa ems o poli ics
and
no me ely in hei conc e e ma e ial consequences. (p. 220-22
l,
The
Philosophical Discou se
o
Mode ni
y)
Ba aille 's undaun ed emb ace
o
iolence o he expulsion
o
excess ene gy,
o
pu i in sa e e ms, is p obably he mos di icul and leas com o able poin o accep
wi hin his
h
eo e ical sys em. Howe e , pu ing his aside, Habe mas has ealized
ha
his in i sel does no cons i u e he basic aul in Ba aille
's
heo y. In his eage ness
o
see he e u n
o
« enewed e ec i e o ces,»
o
o p ima y and pu e en e g y, Ba aille
seems eady o accep a canalizing in ascis e ms a he han s agna ion
in
soc
ial
e ms. Wi h he bene i
o
hindsigh ,
we
o
cou se, can poin o he isks in ol ed
in
such ac ion and i is di icul oday o see how anyone could conside Fascism as
pa
o
a «d eam
o
an aes he icized poe ic poli ics» e en hough i nay be «pu i ied
o
ali
mo al ele nen s.» Howe e wise we nay be in e ospec
,
he ac emains ha man y
in ellec ual and c ea i e w i e s om Law ence
o
he mo e ob ious case
o
Pound
we e a ac ed by Fascis ideology. The «d eam
o
an aes he icized poe ic poli ics»
is
among o he hings he desi e o a poli ical agenda which akes in o accoun he
A Deadly Fascina/ion. He e ology and Fascism ... 25
spi i ual and c ea i e u ges
o
he populace a he
han
simply ocusing on he
indus ial and economic s uc u es
o
socie y.
In
a de
o jus i y such a clause, Ba aille
mus
once again e u n o he
undamen al p emise
o his
heo y -namely he science
o
he
sac ed.
Wi h
su ch a wo d
pu i y and he concep
o
anscendence in poli ics, poli ical ac ion becomes almos a
cleansing p ocess, a mys ical i e
o
o ce, and
one
ha is based
on
a ac ha canno
be
p o ed; ha
man
seeks a ali cos s ul ima e so e eign y, e en
i
«i equi es he
bloody
ep ession
o
wha is con a y o i » (p. 148 in Vision
o
Excess). Thus said,
he e
canno be any science
o
he
sac ed, simply because
he
no ion
o
sac ed excess
ene gy
is
a me aphysical ape a he han a his o ically, p o able ac .
I
is he no ion
o
so e eign y and he absolu e impo ance which Ba aille gi es
i
which
will show he connec ion be ween he poli ics
o
expendi u e
and
how his
mani es s
i sel
in he c ea i e ac
o
w i ing as well. Ba aille de ines so e eign y as
abo e ali he desi e
o powe
and sel -asse ion. While
his
desi e
may
mani es i sel
in poli ical ac ion and
in
he agg essi e na u e
o
he e ogeneous social g oups, i also
mani es s i sel in he p ocess
o
w i ing.
In pai ing so e eign y wi h he need o expendi u e, w i ing becomes in o he
wo ds c ea ion by means
o
loss, which
mimics
acco ding o Ba aille he i ual
o
sac i ice as well. Ba aille epea edly poin s o his by s essing he simila i y be ween
he
un e e ed mo emen
o he e ogeneous
o ces and li e a y c ea ion.
In
he p e ace
o Li e a u e and
E il
(1957) - a collec ion
o
li e a y c i icism, Ba aille pa ly
explains his el ose ela ionship
o
such
au ho s
as
Sade,
Ka ka
and
Gen
e
in hese e ms:
I belong o a u bulen gene a ion, bo n o li e a y li e in
he
umul
o
su ealism. In he yea s a e he
G ea
Wa
he e was a eeling which was abou
o
o
e low. Li e a u e was s i ling wi hin i s limi a ions and seemed p egnan
wi h e olu ion. (Li e a u e
and
E il,
The
P e ace).
Two
issues appea he e o be i al o Ba aille
's
ou look
on
li e a u e; i s
o
ali
he
posi ions himsel
as
a pos
wa
w i e , hea ily in luenced by he su ealis heo ies
o he
l 920s, and secondly Ba aille s esses
he
u gency
o iewing
li
e a
u e
in
e ms
o
e olu ion and umul -
wo
wo ds which a e commonly associa ed wi h iolence
and poli ics. Tex in o he wo ds
can
en ail eal emancipa o y ene gy bu i
ca
n al
so
be
e il
, acco ding o Ba aille, becau
se
uly e olu iona y w i ings end
o
en ail excess,
so e eign y (wan ing o mas e he c ea ed s o y which
in
um
becomes an allego y
o
mas e ing
one's
own li e),
and
sac i ice - h ee key elemen s in Fascism. In an ea lie
essay
om 1930, «Sac i icial Mu ila ion and he Se e ed
Ea
o Vincen
Van Gogh,»
Ba aille de ines sac i ice in c ea i e e ms as: « he necessi y
o
h owing onesel
o
so
m
e
hing
o
onese
l
ou
o
onesel » (p 67
in
Visions
o
Excess)
and
again as: « he
up u e
o
pe sonal homogenei y and he p oje
c
ion ou side he
se/ o a
pa
o
onesel »
(p. 68 in
Vi
sions
o
Excess). In hese e ms i is clea ha he b eak be w
een
he e ogenei y
26
Ca oline Blinde
and homogenei y is necessa y no simply o poli ical change
bu
o he en i e
p ocess
o
c ea i i y and hus he polí ica! scene becomes analogous o he mind se
o
he
a is .
While
«
The
Psychological S uc u e
o
Fascism» se s
ou
o inco po a e
he
na u al desi e o excess in social o ganisms ou side li e a u
e,
i also cons an ly
e e
s
back o he poli ics
o
expendi u e wi hin he ac
o
w i ing i sel , and Ba aille
<loes
no
wan o sepa a e one om he o he .
Thus
o exempli y
he
complici y
be ween
Ii e a u e and ansg ession becomes one
o
h
e main goals o Ba aille as well
as
o
Mille
and
Mishima. Howe e , a p eca ious balance is s uck
once
he w i e
ies
o
ope a e wi hin his amewo k, and wi h
Mi
shima
I hope o s
how
he pe ils i
nhe en
in he
ques
o , in
Habe mas'
e ms, he d eam
o
an
aes he icized poe ic poli ics.
Fo
Ba aille w i ing equi es desi e, consciousness
o
he desi e (and he e he
b eaks
undamen ally wi h he Su ealis no ion
o
Au oma ism), us a ion, and he
sense
o
onesel being on he e ge
o
excess. The
p ope
balance is i s s uck once he
w i e
has
leam
no o le his
o
he consciousness
ce
nsu e
o
s i le he desi e
while
simu
l aneously no gi ing in
o
i .
MISHIMA
He oic
Na cissism
Con essions
o
a Mask (Kamen no Kokuhaku),
Mishima's
second
ull-leng h
no el, appea ed in 1949. Only ou yea s a e he end
o he
wa , he no el b eaks
wi h
he pos
wa
adi ion in li e a u e by p esen ing a adical depa u e in he
accep ed
a i ude owa ds he wa . Al hough he
main
cha ac e 's
o e
homo
sexual endencies
shocked as a li e a y subjec
in
i sel , i was
h
e a i ude o he wa , diame ically
opposed
o
he
humanis ic c i icism
o
he imes, which seemed o exp ess
an
unp eceden ed and shocking new empe amen in li e a u e.
W i en in
he
i s pe son, Con essions
o
a Mask
seems
o a la ge ex en o
be
au obiog aphical since he main p o a
gonis 's
biog aphical da a a e nea ly iden ical
o
he au
ho
's.
How
e e
, Mishima s essed ha Con essions
o
a Mask should no
be
aken
as
a necessa ily au hen ic accoun
o
his own p í a e li e. W i en when he
was
in his ea ly wen ies, Mishima
's
main goal was no au hen ici y bu he use
o his
own
expe
i
ences
as
a se ing o an ex posé
o
he « eal» ace
o
he
p o agonis ,
so
h
a
he
e en s na a ed
become
p ops in a sense, placed
o
acili a e
he
emo al
o he
social
masks
and
ges u es which hind
e
he p o agonis om ealizing and analysing his
inne
se
l
.
The
symbol
o he
mask is hen
bo h
sel - e ela ion
anda
meaos
o ic ionalizing
an inne d ama.
Upon a
close
eading
o
Mishima,
he
des
i e o
sel
- e ela ion seems o s
em
om
o he
easons han me cly e hical
o
a is ic. Al hough
he
i s pe son mode
o
ell-a
li
p o ides he s uc u e and he ma e ials o bo h Mille and Mishima o a
la ge
cx en , i is o cmos an a emp o cons uc a ic ional wo ld qui e di e en om ha
o
c c yday li e.
The
csul
is
uno hodox in
he
sense ha i deals wi h he e ela ion
A Deadly Fascina ion. He e ology and Fascism
...
27
o
an unusual psyche a he an a emp a showing
he
eade how his psyche was
o med. In common wi h Mille in he T opics, Mishima will a ely ques ion he mind
se
o his
na a o bu ins ead chaJlenges he
eade o
accep
him as a
being
who canno
and will no change. Psychological clues a e
se
in
o de
o
d aw he eade in o he
dep hs
o
he p o agoni
s 's
wo ld, while he s ylis ic s uc u e o he no el simul aneously
a emp s o d aw he eade 's a en ion
o
he no el
as
ano he «mask,» a pic u e
p esen ed o he ou side wo ld.
In
es sen ce he mask enables he w i e o su i e in ac .
Wi hin he cons uc ed na a i e
o
sel - e ela ion he g
i e
s us jus enough o iden i y
him as a man who li es in social li e, bu a he same
ime
he wi hholds jus enough
in o ma ion o su i e as a w i e , o e ain he posi ion
o
a c ea o in con ol,
o as
a so e eign pe son who e ains he sensa ions
o being
on he e ge
o
excess. The ac
ha in echnical e ms Mishima could o ches a e a o al emo al
o
he mask, is
i illa ing as well as psychologically impossible.
The
use
o
his balancing ac in ic ion w i ing is
an
essen ial ing edien o he
success
o
bo h Mishima and Mill
e 's
no e
Is.
Wha
co
nnec s he wo so dis inc ly
o
Ba aille is he o e iding heme
o
beau y and b illiance as being dependen on i s
impending annihila ion. Again and again he sensa ional su ge el wi hin he p oximi y
o
he e ogeneous o ces, whe he i be iolence
o
madness, is e o ic, exci ing o bo h
Mille and Mishima. Bu Mishima akes i one
s ep
u he . Pene a ion
o
he
homogeneous is ne e qui e enough and i is as i Mishima mus die in
o de
o
b eak
h ough. As Mishima mo es owa ds an inc easingly iolen end, in he sea ch o a
u h ha will inally a i y bis sense
o
se
l -hood, he ealizes ha his is he e y end
which will annihila e him as well. Mishima
's
homosexuali y wi h i s accen ua ion on
sado-masochis ic p ac ices becomes an example
o
bis «o he ness» as well as bis
dcsi e o elease him
sel
om adi ional emo ional and social bonds. In p ac ice
hi
s
means ha
an
e e mo e iolen s imulus is equi ed o he a is o eally eel.
In
Mishima's
case, he e is no doub ha he el lo
s
and h ea ened
in
he pos -
wa e a
o
peace, simply because he h ea
o
immedia e dea h, ha ing been d as ically
di used, also dep i ed his w i ing
o
i s unde lying me aphysics.
In
an uncom o able
way, he
d ama
o
wa appea s o exempli y
he
sense
o
esolu ion which Mishima
canno ind wi hin himsel . Mishima ies
o
sol e his by c ea ing
and
desc ibing new
p edicamen s, p edicamen s which al hough
no
deadly
in
an adi ional sense, a e
ne e heless capable
o
lending an au a
o
«ending» o he na a i e. Such
o
cou se
a e
Mille 's
ex eme apocalypses, and one may a gue, Ba aille's nihilis ic heo y
o he
human condi ion.
Looking h ough he lens
o
Ba aille's heo y on he e o ic and bis ex eme
ascina ion wi h he acs he ics
o
iolence and dea h, Mishima seems o ha e sha ed
his ou look e en
a
he ea ly age when he comple ed C
on
essions
o
a M ask. In Mishima' s
«Üeo ge Ba aille and Di inus Di us,» he p ais
es
Ba aille's wo k becau
se
in i «
h
e e
can be ound a i id, ha sh, shocking and immedia e connec ion be ween
me
a
ph
ysics
and he human lesh ha o ms a di ec link be ween he eig
h
een h and wen ie h
34 Ca oline
Blinde
he
cul u al and ch onological gap, hey a e e y simila hema ically. Bo h
au ho s
ocus
on
he
exploi s
o
amale
cha ac e who lea ns by de aul
and
ies o emain
in ac
in a wo ld
o
inc easing s i e and con usion. Al hough
Mishima
imposes
an
ex emely
calcula ed one
o
oice o his i s pe son na a o and
Mille '
s
is
o e e dig essing,
ne e heless h oughou
he
na a i e he analy ic commen s
connec
he episodes
and
in bo h cases
lead
o a concen a ion
on
he
main
cha ac e s'
sexual
impulses. Fo
bo h
Mishima and Mille he calcula ed au a
o
exposu e is mean
o
de la e any
suspicion
o
dishones y.
They
a e
bo h
essen ially de e mined o
show
he
da k side
o
hei
sexuali y in o de o dismiss possible cha ges
o
decep ion
and
hypoc isy.
While
Mishima's
i s pe son na a o s uggles o
keep
his
homosexual
esponses ee
o
ambigui ies, he combina ion
o
pa anoia and a ec ion
which
he
eels owa ds
his
belo ed closely echoes Mille 's muddled beha iou owa ds
Mona/Ma a
- his
main
lo e objec
in
he
T opics.
Bo h
w i e s deny
on
a basic le el
he
need o
emo ional
and social bonding bu Mille , con a y o Mishima, ealizes in he cou se
o
his
amo ous pu sui s ha
he
e o ic ie canno exis only o i sel ,
and
his as i u ns
ou
ends up dis inguishing
he
wo
au ho s p o oundly om
each
o he .
Like Mille in Bla
ck
Sp ing, Mishima in
he
cou se
o
Con essions
o
a Mask
is
ne e simply a eco d
o
a
close
homosexual,
jus as
he
T opics
a e no he
memoi s
o
a womanize , ins ead,
bo h
au ho s a e consciously using e o icism as discou se.
In
he same way ha Ba aille desc ibes wen ie h cen u y poli ics
as
in insically
connec ed o sexual/ins inc ual poli ics, Mishima and Mille
use
hei
sexuali y as
he
s a ing poin and he pi o a!
poin
o ali e en s
o
impo ance.
This is he
backg ound
o Mille
's
sense
o
soul connec ion be ween
himsel
and Mishima, and
he
eason simul aneously
why
Mille lamen s
he
ac ha
Mishima
did no ealize wha Mille sees him as ha ing been capable
o
-namely he u ili y
inhe en in mili a y powe .
Wha
Mille s ongly hin s
a
is
Mishima's
endency
o
aes he icizc poli ics o
he
sake
o
exempli ying his
own
pe sonal obsessions.
In e es ingly,
Mille 's
disdain o poli ical ele ance, which
is
mo
e
ap
pa en in his
ea ly wo k, seems
o
ha e
shi ed by he ea ly
1970
s and
Mille
is clea ly in luen
ced
bo h by his own g owing in e es in Bhuddism and he «
mak
e !o e no wa » a i ude
o
he
ime
s.
A sma
ll
anecdo e in he essay illus a es Mille
's
way
o
con
ne
c
ing himsel wi h
his subjec :
The
shock I expe ienced
on
l
ea
ning
o
Mishima'
s d ama ic and g uesome
dea h was ei
n o c
ed by he ecoll
ec
ion
o
a s ange inciden whi
ch
happened
o
me
in Pa is abou hi y- i e yea s ago. One day, I happened o
picku
p a
magazine, in
which
he e we e pho os
o
he decapi a ed heads
o
Mishima
and
his com ade
on
he
loo .
Two
hings s uck me a once: one, he heads we e no
lying
on
hei sides bu s anding up igh ; wo, one
o
he
h
eads
bo e a s iking
esemblan
ce
o my
ow
n which I had once seen lying on he loo , bu in pieces.

A Dead
y
Fascina ion. He e ology
and
Fascism ...
35
Whe h
e
eal
o
imagina y he esemblance
be ween
Mishima's head and my
own was i
gh
ening ... (p. 41 in Sex e )
Mille con inues o ell o
how
a young a is iend
o
hi
s had sculp ed a head o him
in 1936 which he acciden ally knocked o e ,
ca
using i o
be
i epa able. A pic u e
o
he
head aken be o e he acciden is on he co e o Mille
'sSun
da
y A/ e The Wa (a collec ion
o
among o he hings paci is essays!) and
is
as Mille himse
l
poin ed ou
«a
e y ue
l
i.ke
ness, which has always haun ed me» (p.
42
in
Sex e ). A u he e e ence poin can be
made o Ba aille
's
image
o
he Acephale, he headless
God
who ep esen s among o he
hings he ideal s a e
o he
body poli ic in
i
s mos he e ogeneous onn, namely eed om
in e
ll
ec ual and easoned ule. This image i s appea s in 1936
in
an essay en i led
app op ia ely «The Sac ed Conspi acy» and con inues o
be
a ocal poin and illus a ion
o
Ba aille's u he heo ies on he he e ogeneous.
Apa om Mille 's sen
se
o
he
macab e and he en e ainmen alue and
sensa ionalism inhe en in
he
de
ca
pi a ion,
i
is al
so
a
way
o
p ojec his own
p
esence
in o a si ua ion whe e he ealis ically speaking has no
place
o be, o one
could
say in o
a s o y which is no his own. While he ac ha he
dec
api a cd heads we e s anding
up igh has no bea ing
on
he
ac ual poin
o
he anecdo c (Mill
e
ob iously did no
know ha i is a Japanese cus om
o
aise he heads and close he eyes
be a
e hey a e
shown
o
he ou side wo ld), he ac ha
on
e h
ea
d esembles
hi
s own is wha Mille
inds
so
ex ao dina ilyuncanny.
The
o he
in e es ing poi
n
is ha Mille acknowledges
ha he esemblance may be a me e p ojec ion, ha he him
se
l
wan s
o
esemble
Mishima
in
d
ea
h.
The
hi d poin
o
he anecdo e is
o
cou se ha Mille escapes
absolu e
e
semblance simply because
hi
s 19
36
sel
ha
s b
ee
n sha e ed in an acciden
which he himse
l
caused.
l
one
co
mpa es he symbol
o
he mask wi h
h
e sha e ed head, an in e es ing
dicho omy appea s. While
he
mask
can be
wom
o
aken
o
al e na i ely, he head
is o e e gone, i eplaceable as an objec bu also symbolic
o
Mill
e
's
pa
s ideals
which we e a he disdain ul
o
poli ical ac ion and which a e now supe seded by a
much
mo
e conce ned and li e-a i ma i e a i ude.
I
Mill
e
he e indi
ec
ly ells he
ea
de ha he Mishi
ma
side
o
him is
o
he pas , hen he also indica es a
belie
ha
he
de
si e owa ds dea h, which
he
sees Mishima is obsessi ely d i en by,
can
be o e -
wo
n.
Fo
Mille
h
e he e ogeneous elemen s
in
Mishima
see
m o
be
hose
o
agedy
o emos and hus Mishim
a's
ale, as a as Mille
is
co
nce ned, is ha o a man
obses
se
d
be
yond edemp ion:
You h, beau y, d
ea
h - hese a e he hemes which in onn Mishima' s w i ing.
His obsessions we migh
ca
ll
hem. Typical, one mig
h
say,
o
Wes e n poe s, o he
oman ic ones a leas
.
Fo his T ini y he c uci ies himsel (p.
26
in
Sex e ),
and likewise,
36 Ca oline
Blinde
Mishima's
!o e
o
you h, beau y,
dea h
seems
o
all in o a
special
ca ego y.
And
i
is
ain ed
wi h
Na cissism.
To
open
mos
any
one
o his
books
one
senses
immedia ely he
pa em
o
his li e and
ine i able
doom.
He
epea s
he h ee mo i s, you h, beau y, dea h,
o e
and
o e
again,
like
a musician.
He
gi es
us he
eeling
o
being
an exile he e below. (p.
43
in
Sex e )
One
should
no
be
mislead
howe e
in o
belie ing,
because
Mille
makes
an
analogy
be ween
Ch is
and
Mishima,
ha
he
conside s
Mishima's
dea h
o
ha e
a
eligious edemp i e alue.
Fo as
Mille
he o ically
ph ases
i :
«He
(Mishima)
who
was
endowed
wi h
high
in elligence,
<lid
he
no
pe cei e
he
hop
elessness
o ying
o
al e
he
mind
o
he
masses?
So
a
no
one
has
e e
ye
been
a
bl
e
o
accomplish
his.
No
Alexande The
G ea ,
no
Napoleon,no The
Buddah,
no
Jesus
... » (p. 35
inSe
x
e )
Such
s a emen s
make
i
sound
as
i Mille
is
con inced
ha
Mishima's
agenda
was
p ima ily poli ical awakening.
Bu
e en
Mille
inds his
answe
o
he
iddle a
bi
oo simplis ic.
«I
ask
mysel
again
and
again
-
<lid
Mishima
eally
hope
o
change
he
beha iou
o his
co
un
ymen?
I
mean,
<lid
he
e e
se iously
con empla e
a
undamen al
change, a genuine
emancipa ion?»
(p.
34
in Sex e )
I
e en
Mille is doub ul as
o
Mishima
's
ea nes ness
in
his
poli ical
endea ou s,
wha
hen
<loes
he
posi
as
he
eal
mo i e
behind
his suicide?
The
h ee
obsessions
which
Mille
cons an ly
e e s
back
o
a e he c
lue
s.
Mille
is
ob iously
awa e
o
he
deepe
psychological
mo i s
which
mus
ha e
go emed
Mishima's
obsessions.
In
spi e
o
his, Mille
seems
in
capab
le
o
abs ac ing
om
Mishima'
s bla an
mili a ism.
«Judging
om wha I ha e
ead
o
you,
my
dea
Mishima,
his
subjec
o
peace
<loes
no
seem
o
occupy
a
g ea
place
in
you
wo k.» (p.
53
in Sex e )
The e
a e
se e al
mo i es
behind
Mille 's
annoyance
wi h
Mishima
's
po
li
ic
s.
In
ques ioning
he
ac ual pu pose
o Mishima
's
a emp ed coup, Mille seems o
ealize
ha Mishima
's
ac ions a e
p omp ed
by a i m belie in o ce.
As
wi h Ba aille
's
disillusionmen wi h peace ul
so
lu ions,
Mishima
sea ches
o
a b eak h ough
ía
iolence a he han nego ia ion.
The
concep
o
physical iolence, wi h i s
sexual
o e ones, as he anscending poin o he b eak h ou
gh
o
he
he e ogeneous
in
o
he
homogeneous, is he
majo
poin
o
di e ence be ween Mille and Mishima. B u he deba e
ex
ends i sel u he han simply ques ioning
he
use
o
ce ain me hods
o
each a
e olu iona y goal. Fo while Mille belie es in he impo ance and e ec i eness
o
he e ogeneous elemen s, his dis us in he es ablished and mili a iz
ed
poli ical sphe e
in
gene al, leads him
o
exclude ma ginalized poli ical g oups, whe he hey
be
le is
o igh
wing, om his concep
o
he he e ogeneous. In his sense, Mille ' s ocus is almos uniquely
on
h
e sub e si eness
o
he poe ic ac
in
i sel , he ac
o
w i ing ou
one'
s iolen ce a h
e
han enac ing i in he « eal» wo ld. Mille ne e wan ed o align himsel wi h any
mo emen
o
poli ical g oups, insis ing
upan
peace and inne anquili y
he
cons an ly
e umed in his a o he oman ic no ion
o he
lonely poe who s uggles agains injus ice
wi hou allying himsel wi h any pa icula polí ica! g oup.
A Deadly Fascina ion. He e ology and Fascism
...
37
This
se
nse o indi idualism, which is
pe hap
s e y Ame ican in na u e as
opposed o he J apanese and F ench
se
nsibi
li
i
es
o
Mishima
and Ba aille espec i ely,
ex
pl
ai
ns o a ce ain ex en Mille 's s ess on he
impo ence
o
leade s whe he hey
be
o
a poli
ica
l
o
eligious na u e and becomes
one
o
he
key
po
in s in his c i
iq
ue
o Mishima.
Ul ima ely. Mille did no belie e in an aes he ic which w
as
pu i i
ed
o
all mo al
elem
en
s, o use Hab
e mas's
exp ession. While on
he
one hand, Mille , like he
Su ealis
s,
wan ed o shock and
p
omo e he o ces
o
d
eam-li e and use he ene gies
o
in oxica ion in his w i ing, he means o
do
his was
mos
o en ia he aw ene gy
o
sexuali
y
as a p o oca ion agains he es ablishmen .
The
iolence en
co
un e ed
in
he T opics o cxample see
ms
o sp ing om us a ion a he han desi e and nea ly
always culmina es in a comical de using
o
an o he wise po en ially dange ous
si ua ion. Al hough Mille
co
ncu
ed
wi h he no ion
o
unp oduc i e expendi u e as
ye ano h
e
e n o he c ea i e p ocess, he added an
ex
a elemen ha o him was
insepa able om c ea i i y as well -namely he concep
o
!o e.
In he ealm
o
!o e ali hings a e possible.
To
he de ou lo e no hing
is impossible. Fo him
o
he hc impo an! hi
ng
is - o !o e. Such indi iduals
do no all in lo e, h
ey
simply !o e.
The
y do no ask o possess, bu o be
possesse
d,
possessed
by
!o e.
Wh
en, as is some imes he case, his Jo e becomes
uni e sal, including man, beas , s one, e en e min, one begins o wonde i
lo e may no
be
some hing which we o dina y mo als know bu ain
l
y. (p. 43
in
Sex
e )
Wha Mille has done is eac
i
a e so e eign y no ía ac ion bu ia !o e. He e
is suddcnly a possible expendi u e
o
ene gy which b eaks he
sa
do/masochis ic
mould, which in i s uni e sal and gene ous na u e, does no engage in he necessi y o
games o masks.
l
simply is. While he concep
o
lo e is no p esen ed as a sol
u i
on
oan
in
c easingly hos
il
e and mili a ised wo ld, i is p e
se
n ed as a easible al e na i e
o he deadly ilogy
o
Mishima, whe e you h, beau y, and dea h a e concep s which
ade wi h ime, whe eas Mille ' s «lo e» is e e las ing, almos Godly
in
p opo ion and
he e o e only known by us supe i
cia
lly. Mille hus ul ima ely has a o ce which
exceeds bo h he he e ogeneous and he homogeneous sphe es. In us
in
g such wo ds as
man, beas , s one, and e min, Mille connec s human aspec s
wi
h inanima e objec s
as well as he he e ogencous - e min. This o ce
o
!o e co
nn
ec s ali
o
hese hings
ia he basic p emise ha ega dless
o
poli ical o ien a
i
on
o
social s a us so e eign y
can be ound once he indi idual
Ie
a ns o lo e a he han !e ha e p opel p og ession.
Re olu ion is he e o e o emos a pe sonal ea
li
za ion and ul ima ely Fascism, he
need in Ba aill
e's
e ms, o
«a
ccumula e excessi e iolen! ene gies in he pe son o he
Ieade »
is
no a necessi y o e olu ion in Mille
's
e ms. In o d
e
o p ese
e an
in insically posi i e and peace ul sense
o
humani y, Mille mus ques ion Mishim
a's
38 Ca o/ine
Blinde
ac ions and conclude inally ha al hough Mishima's suicide was a he e ogeneous
ges u e, i ailed in b inging he he e ogeneous close oge he .
Fo
Mishima, only dea h could ul ima ely b idge he complex sepa a ions
be ween se
l
and ac i i y and p o ide him wi h a pu pose
i
no o li ing hen
o
dying.
I
is he
e
ha Mille makcs
hi
s posi ion qui e clea ,
i
he e is no hing el se
ha
we
can be su e
o
we mus acknowledge ha he e is some hing g ea e han ou sel
es.
Nihilism mus no be a he co e
o li
e a y c ea ion, e en
i
his means a e um o
mo e
adi ional concep s o oman ic lo e as uelling he c ea i e p ocess. Ba aille
's
model
o
e olu ion
ía
iolence and ansg ession is use ul in looking a li e a y impul
se
om di e en pe spec i es. Bu Mille , howe e obsessed
o
obscene he appea s
o
be
a imes, is essen ially oo «possessed by lo e» o emo e his w i ings om he
hop
e
ha ex is always e ile and li e-a i ming a he han poin ed owa ds dea h.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
BATAILLE, GEORGES «The Psychological S uc u e
o
Fascism,»
in
Visions
o
Ex
cess. Selec ed W i ings, 1927-1938, ed. by Allan S oekl. Minneapolis:
Uni e si y o Minneso a P ess, 1985, pp. 137-160.
BAT AILLE, GEORG
ES
«P e ace,»
in
Li
e a u
e
and E il, London: Ma ion Boya s,
1985.
HABERMAS, JURGEN «Be ween E o icism and Gene al Economics: Ba aille»
in
The Philosophical Discou se
o
Mode ni y.Camb idge: Poli y P ess, 1987,
pp.
211-237.
HEIMONET, JEAN-MICHEL«Recoil in O de o Leap Fo wa d: Two Values
o
Sade
in Ba aille
's
Tex ,» in On Ba aille, ed. by Allan S oekl. New Ha en: Yale
Uni e si y P ess, 1990, pp. 227-236.
MISHIMA, YUKIO «Geo ge Ba aille and Di inus Deus,»
in
Geo ge Ba aille
's
My
Mo he , Madame Edwa da, The Dead Man. London: Ma ion Boya s, 1989,
pp.
9-21.
MILLER, HENRY «Re lec ions
on
he Dea h
o
Mishima,»
in
Sex e
.
London: John
Calde , 1980, pp. 25-55.