The Zizek Reader [Hardcover]

Elizabeth Wright (Editor), Edmond Wright (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0631212000 | ISBN-13: 978-0631212003 | Publication Date: March 30, 1999 | Edition: 1

The Zizek Reader - which includes a Foreword by Zizek and a new, previously unpublished essay on cyberspace - provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the flamboyant work of a figure who has been variously described as 'one of the most arresting, insightful and scandalous thinkers in recent memory' and 'the Giant of Ljubljana'.

• Collects work by one of the most arresting and scandalous thinkers of our time.
  
• Aids the reader to understand the often complex thinking of both Lacan and Zizek

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Zizek is, in fact, the most formidably brilliant exponent of psychoanalysis, indeed of cultural theory in general, to have emerged in Europe for some decades." Terry Eagleton, University of Oxford

"The Zizek Reader is an excellent introduction to his thinking and contains the first systematic criticism of his work, in editorial introductions to each essay. In his own preface, Zizek makes his gambit explicit by his categorical rejection of the 'hegemonic trends' of today's academia." The Independent

Book Description

This title provides a comprehensive & accessible introduction to this influential writer's work. The book includes a foreword by Zizek & a new, previously, unpublished essay on cyberspace.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 344 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 1 edition (March 30, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0631212000
• ISBN-13: 978-0631212003
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,452,831 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Errors., January 27, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Zizek Reader (Blackwell Readers) (Paperback)

The collection is very interesting, in that one gets a sense of Zizek's theoretical perspective and methodological tendencies across a range of texts. It also forces one to reconsider Lacan's work. Unfortunately, the book itself is riddled with typographical errors. The publisher should be thoroughly embarrassed by this.

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best available introduction to Zizek and Lacan, July 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Zizek Reader (Blackwell Readers) (Paperback)

In his preface and his original contributions to the selections in this reader, Zizek offers a clearer statement of his position [and of his interpretation of the later writings of Lacan] than in any of his other books. His voice is one which one must engage in dialogue if one is to both appropriate Marxism, psychoanalytic theory and post-structuralism and then move beyond them. He acknowledges post-structualism's accent on contingencies and the limitations of human conceptualization and theorizing while also accenting the irreplaceable roles that imagination, fantasy and idology play in our psycic and social lives. He accents the need to critique ideology and to work through our fantasies so that one can non-reductively acknowledge the uniqueness of ourselves and what we encounter and the ejoyments present in such encounters. He writes so that one can see in the antagonisms present in current forms of neo-capitalism, sexism and racism the grounds for hoping for worthwhile accomplishments in seeking to lessen the domination and oppression they are causing. This reader provides an excellent beginning point for thinkers who want to join cultural and psychoanalytic analyses in a project of social action, and who along the way want to enjoy Zizek's marvelous use of film and literature to exemplify his theoretical points. A must reading for serious students of the current social and cultural world.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent intellectual high!, September 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Zizek Reader (Blackwell Readers) (Paperback)

Slavoj Zizek, one of the greatest minds of the late 20th century, is well repersented in this excellent collection of essays. His points of view on everything (women, philosophy, and culture) come through loud and clear. The integration of psychoanalytic, marxist, poststructural, and postmodern critiques is refreshing and his treatment of Lacan through examples from pop culture is particuraly wonderful as it aids those that are new to the subject matter (great teaching tool!). A must read for anyone that wants to get a closer look at the spectre of today's somewhat frightening culture.