Customer Reviews

Jacques Lacan (Routledge Critical Thinkers)

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I have been struggling with Lacan for some time and have read several introductions. Sean Homer's book is one of the best; therefore I would like to recommend it. Homer concentrates on the most important concepts in Lacan's philosophy and gives at the end of each chapter a short summery. May be this takes away much of the complexity of Lacan's thought, but knowing what his writing is all about might be still very helpful before entering in the labyrinth of the French philosopher's thought.

This book does not substitue reading the seminars but it sure brings to light some Lacanian concepts that are blurry on the originals. This book has helped me a lot.

I would recommend this book without hesitation for anyone wishing to get a introductory grounding in Lacan, and post-Freudian psychoanalysis more generally. Sean Homer makes it clear that his task is not to act as an apologist for Lacan against the arguments of neuro-biology, or what have you. (Although it would have been welcomed if he had dealt with criticisms a bit more thoroughly). Rather, he organizes an extremely efficient overview of Lacan's works, always beautifully situated in the philosophical contexts of continental philosophy from which Lacan drew his influences. Homer's writing throughout is an absolute gloss of clarity: his analogies and elucidations are very readable and concise. This book is far superior to the 'Lacan for Dummies' stuff that uses cartoons rather than careful explication. Homer proves that to talk about Lacan you need not be obtuse.

Obviously, you'll need to move on from here to enter into the fullness of Lacan's complexity: the labyrinthine textures of his theory are well known. Homer doesn't shirk from that -- indeed, he does well to explain how, like Joyce, the maze is part of the affective impact. And Homer provides a brief, but well-annotated, list of more in-depth studies.

I suppose the one tiny criticism I would have is that this book heavily favours Lacan as a theorist in the humanities -- which is no surprise, considering this is one area of the university he thrives. Still, it tends to prop up the initial accusations, which Homer relates via a Times Lit Sup review, that Lacan endures only because the eggheads in English Lit departments are willing to tend an obsolete flame. There's more to it, obviously, but Homer stays away from discussions of clinical applications, or other applications of Lacan's work besides those in hunt for tenure.

Still, I would stress without reservation that this is a fantastic introduction, presented in an even tone presents an overview of Lacan, in prose whose poise and precision are admirable and accessible.

Well done.

I was looking for an introduction to Lacan that would be both concise and yet in-depth enough to give me a sense of the breadth and significance of Lacan's thought. This book succeeds admirably in both respects. The author clearly has a thorough grasp of Lacan's main ideas, but he has boiled them down into six compact and well-written chapters. To be sure, it is hard to truly grasp Lacan (or any path-breaking thinker) on the first pass, and it helps if you know a little bit about Freud. Nonetheless, Horner meets his audience more than half way: for example, he does not assume that readers know Freud's theory of the Oedipus complex, nor does he assume any familiarity with Saussure, Levi-Strauss, Jakobson, or other figures crucial to Lacan's intellectual milieu. At the same time, however, Horner provides more than just a summary of Lacan's ideas--he also shows how they have been used by scholars to study film, analyze racism, and so forth. Those seeking more information are referred to the excellent "Further Reading" section, which doesn't just list books but discusses their merits and shortcomings. All in all, an excellent introduction to the works of Lacan.