Introducing Lacan (Paperback)

by Darian Leader (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This book introduces Lacan's views about identity and the dynamics of the psyche, and clarifies that his theories are not simply cultural intellectualizations but are rooted in clinicl practice.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Totem Books (November 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1840461683
• ISBN-13: 978-1840461688
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,006,678 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Simplifying Lacan, November 24, 2002

By	Leland M. Searles "prairiefire" (Des Moines, IA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Like many, I have struggled with Lacan's "own" words in English translation, sensing ideas of importance that are lost because a) Lacan intentionally obfuscated his ideas to make the very points he wrote about, b) French linguistic play doesn't translate into English, & c) translators vary in quality, in part depending on their audience (e.g., cultural studies, which often misconstrues Lacan as a postmodernist). This book is a wonderful introduction, although I suspect it is of greatest value to someone like myself who has already attempted to fathom Schema L with frustration.
For the beginner, I suggest making a try at Lacan himself especially the Seminars, for example, Seminar XI: The Four Fundamental Concepts of Psychoanalysis. After enduring one or two of these, come to this book, and then return to Lacan, who should now seem much more illuminating and witty. You may even understand why Lacan seemed so frustrating to you, which goes to his essential points about what language does for the sense of self.
Another strategy is to read any number of works by Slavoj Zizek (for example, Looking Awry, Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Hitchcock), who can slice and dice popular culture in a fun way, all the while with a very lucid understanding of Lacan's ideas. It helps to have one or two videos of Hitchcock handy as you do so.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Poorly written, March 22, 2002

By	Michael Lipscomb (Bessemer, AL United States) - See all my reviews

I must disagree with the first reviewer of this book. I found this "Introducing..." installment to be unclear and unhelpful, unlike most in the series. The author hurls terminology at you with little, and sometimes no, explanation. Each page seems to introduce a new concept without building on the previous ones discussed. Perhaps this is a good overview or refresher for those already familiar with Lacan's work, but for the beginner, it is useless.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good intro to Lacan, March 2, 2007

By	Dr. Illhearted (Puerto Rico) - See all my reviews

I bought this book for a college assigment. IMHO, this book is not a good introduction to Lacan. There are instances, however, in which the author does not explain a concept or an idea at length thus causing you to pause and reread. As I said, it doesn't work as an introduction; don't consider the definitions of concepts, like jouissance for example, as final because Lacan does revisit them and change them in his later seminars. Lacan himself prefers that people read him without knowing anything and that is what you, as a new reader of Lacanian writing, should do. Afterwards come to this book for a simplification of terms. A better title would be Simplifying Lacan.