ABSTRACT
Roland Barthes structured his Chambre claire like a quest: he recounted a narrative of finding a photo of his mother that would exemplify the concept of the punctum. His contention was that some photographs possess the ability — entirely distinct from the devices used in composing, development or printing — whereby they touch their viewer deeply, poignantly. Without diminishing in any way the authenticity of Barthes's mourning for his mother or the depth of his feeling of loss, it merits pointing out to say that his choice of a picture of his mother to show what the punctum does was singularly apposite: no one can deny the singularity of a relation to a mother. That the deflection should happen with regard to the photograph of a mother does make sense: 'not this but that' is the hoped-for outcome of the Oedipus complex, where the young boy is obliged to deflect his object-choice.
