Jacques Lacan: The French Context

Although many books have been published on Jacques Lacan that attem0pt to explain his work and to provide insights into the relationship between his work and his life, most of them depend largely on the small number of texts that were published in his lifetime. Unlike Freud, however, Lacan expressed his ideas not through voluminous writings and carefully considered case studies, but through his lectures. He was a volatile figure on the French psychoanalytic scene; his feuds and friendships and ever-changing professional alliances go a long way toward explaining his views. JACQUERS LACAN, published to great acclaim in France in 1986, has now been translated into English. It is the first look at Lacan and his work from within the French context. Marcelle Marini, a knowledgeable insider, presents Lacan in two parts. The first part focuses on the actual situation of psychoanalysis in France, attempting to efine the impact of Lacan on it and its effect on him, his life, and work since 1926. Marini describes scandals and battles, as well as material on Lacan's original concepts and major theories. In the second half of the book Marini provides a full chronological, biographical, and bibliographical dossier - year by year - of the progress of Lacan's work. Lacan's lectures are given proper attention, extending our view far beyond the written texts. JACQUES LACAN is indispensable reading for anyone who truly wants to understand the man and his work.