Style is the Man Himself

Under the title, “Style is the Man Himself,” I will propose a reading of the two pages that inaugurate the Ecrits with the heading “Opening of this Collection.” Jacques Lacan starts with the definition of style by Buffon, “Style is the man himself,” and then alters this definition on two occasions. The first time, he adds an extension: “Style is the man to whom one speaks” (9). The second time, at the end of this opening, he states, “The object—the object a—responds to the question of style.” Lacan makes this object occupy the place of man in the definition of style.