Sean Homer

Not *bad* exactly - I got a better understanding of Lacan's ideas, but quite a few bits were confusing (for example, what exactly the Other is - of course this could be partially down to me being a bit thick). The "After Lacan" section tried to cover a lot of people and given that most of the ideas were pretty complicated, the attempt at a half-page summary of each was pretty poor. It's sort of understandable given that Lacan's ideas are pretty complicated and I admit I didn't like what I show more understood much. The author presents a quote near the start where Lacan says something about how his works aren't meant to be understood easily or whatever, which always sounds like a pretty pathetic out to me. Lacan's constant changing of his ideas is talked about but when referencing back what conception is being used isn't stated, leading to confusion. The further reading section is great though.

Again, not a bad introduction, but not one that presents his main ideas understandably and coherently for a beginner - needs other stuff to complement it I think. show less

A quite decent and succinct introduction into Lacan, requiring almost no prior knowledge of psychoanalysis in general. But it would be ideal if you read one or two other introductory books on Lacan, which may be these two:
- The Lacanian Subject: Between Language and Jouissance, by Bruce Fink (highly recommended)
- Introduction to the Reading of Lacan: The Unconscious Structured Like a Language, by Joël Dor

Together, the three would admit you properly into the obscure Lacanian realm.