The Impossible David Lynch (Film and Culture Series) (Paperback)

by Professor Todd McGowan (Author) "Eraserhead (1977) began as a 42-minute student film that Lynch proposed to the American Film Institute in Los Angeles while he was enrolled there..." (more)
Key Phrases: fantasmatic distortion, fantasmatic enjoyment, spermlike substance, Mulholland Drive, The Elephant Man, Lost Highway (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

" The Impossible David Lynch displays Todd McGowan's deep, sometimes truly breathtaking knowledge of David Lynch's work and of Lacanian theory." -- Slavoj Zizek, author of The Art of the Ridiculous Sublime: On David Lynch's Lost Highway

Product Description

Todd McGowan launches a provocative exploration of weirdness and fantasy in David Lynch's groundbreaking oeuvre. He studies Lynch's talent for blending the bizarre and the normal to emphasize the odd nature of normality itself. Hollywood is often criticized for distorting reality and providing escapist fantasies, but in Lynch's movies, fantasy becomes a means through which the viewer is encouraged to build a revolutionary relationship with the world.

Considering the filmmaker's entire career, McGowan examines Lynch's play with fantasy and traces the political, cultural, and existential impact of his unique style. Each chapter discusses the idea of impossibility in one of Lynch's films, including the critically acclaimed Blue Velvet and The Elephant Man; the densely plotted Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive; the cult favorite Eraserhead; and the commercially unsuccessful Dune. McGowan engages with theorists from the "golden age" of film studies (Christian Metz, Laura Mulvey, and Jean-Louis Baudry) and with the thought of Sigmund Freud, Jacques Lacan, and Hegel. By using Lynch's weirdness as a point of departure, McGowan adds a new dimension to the field of auteur studies and reveals Lynch to be the source of a new and radical conception of fantasy.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press; annotated edition edition (February 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0231139551
• ISBN-13: 978-0231139557
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #646,420 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Different Take on Lynch, April 28, 2007

By	Farscape1477 (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews

I'm only half way through this book, but so far I have mixed feelings.

The author's stance is to look at Lynch's films as a blend of fantasy and desire. However, he never expresses what his definitions of these terms is. The words fantasy and desire take on new meaning in the context of this book.

As a result, I've found this book to be a very difficult read. Much of the psychoanalysis is in terms of Lacanian Theory, which I know absolutely nothing about. And the author's writing style is not particularly accessible.

However, I still recommend this book for true Lynch fans. Once I attain a better grasp of the author's point of view, I imagine that I will enjoy the book even more.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding example of Lacanian analysis, September 25, 2007

By	Steward Willons - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

I'd like to offer a different perspective on McGowan's book from the previous reviews. I can completely understand seeing this book as difficult and obscure without the necessary background in Lacan. In that sense, it's not really something I'd recommend for Lynch fan wanting some analysis. Lacan's thought is notoriously complex and a reader unfamiliar with the discourse cannot be expected to comprehend the intricacies of McGowan's psychoanalytic analyses. Additionally, the terminology used will be a major stumbling block.

However, for those who are familiar with Lacanian film theory, this book is a dramatic step forward in remarkable cogency and clarity. I've read a number of essays and studies on Lynch using Lacanian theory such as Slavoj Zizek's "Art of the Ridiculous Sublime" - a much more difficult and unrewarding book. While Zizek presents some great ideas, his style can be difficult and less direct that one would hope.

Fortunately, McGowan is a very clear writer seeking to communicate difficult concepts in language that is as simple as possible without sacrificing specificity. I've been studying Lacan and psychoanalytic film theory for about a year now (not all that long) and I was able to read through this without too much trouble. A basic orientation in Lacanian discourse and a review of some secondary sources should be sufficient for understanding and enjoying "The Impossible David Lynch".

I'd also like to recommend two other secondary sources on Lacan for those wanting an inroad to his concepts and terminology. First, Bruce Fink's excellent "The Lacanian Subject" is a great place to start. You'll find excellent explanations that develop over the course of the book leaving you with a solid foundation. Second, "An Introductory Dictionary Of Lacanian Psychoanalysis" is a handy, well written resource for both discovering new terms and for reminding oneself of familiar terms.

Overall, I found McGowan extremely knowledgeable about both Lynch and Lacan. His analyses are illuminating and fresh. If you're a casual reader, this will be a difficult book to start with and I would recommend Michel Chion's "David Lynch" instead. However, if you're comfortable in the field of psychoanalytic film theory, I highly recommend this book as an outstanding example of what Lacanian analysis can do.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, September 7, 2007

By	Joel R. Tallent (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As Farscape1477 points out, the book is not easily accessible and makes liberal use of the terminology of psychoanalysis. It practically presupposes a knowledge of the vocabulary of Lacan and Freud. But I stuck with it because I enjoy reading someone else's descriptions of Lynch's films. Eventually I felt more comfortable with the terminology. My eyes still glaze over from time to time as I read (I'm on the last chapter now), but I've still found it to be a very satisfying book. Plus, now I'm interested in this Lacan guy and learning more about his philosophy.

Another thing I'd point out is that it's hard to decide if Lynch meant his films to be the way they are for the reason the author describes, or if they're just that way because Lynch is subconsciously guided by this psychology, or what. Because sometimes the book makes so much sense I almost feel like Lynch might have been thinking these things when he wrote the film. Other times I swing the other way and think it must be coincidental, or the author is stretching. In the end it gives you a lot to think about, and that's what's so good about Lynch films in the first place.

I recommend this book to any Lynch fan. It's a shame Inland Empire isn't covered in the book. I'd love to see McGowan break that one down. Maybe he'll release an updated edition.