Introduction to the Reading of Lacan: The Unconscious Structured Like a Language (Lacanian Clinical Field) by Dor, Joel (1998) Paperback

by Joël Dor

Joel Dor's Introduction to the reading of Lacan is the demystifying first in the Lacanian Clinical Field, a landmark series that elucidates clinical applications of Lacanian theory for the English-speaking audience. Dor probes the link between structuralism and linguistic theory, clarifying Lacan's famous formulation that the unconscious is structured like a language, and proving that the mighty if opaque ideas of Jacques Lacan can be made understandable

Genres: Psychoanalysis, Philosophy, Psychology, Theory

Paperback Bunko

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Γιώργος Γεωργόπουλος · Rating 5 out of 5]

Επιστημονικός λόγος. Αν δεν είχα διαβάσει απο πριν το "Εισαγωγή στο Ζακ Λακάν" του Homer και το "Κλινική εισαγωγή στη Λακανική Ψυχανάλυση" του Fink σιγουρα θα είχα προβλημα στο να το κατανοήσω. Πολυ πιο αναλυτικό σε θεωρητικό επίπεδο σε σχέση με τα προηγούμενα.

[Peter Mathews · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for an introduction to the work of Jacques Lacan, look no further. Joël Dor's book is clear and concise, covering all the major aspects of Lacan's theory in language that is as easy as possible to read while maintaining the complexity of Lacan's concepts.

There are other summaries and commentaries on Lacan. I have read similar texts written by Ellie Ragland-Sullivan, Bruce Fink, and Slavoj Žižek, but I find this one to be the clearest and least ideological.

That said, I would stress two things. First, there is no substitute for reading the original. Once you have established a basic grasp of Lacan's ideas, do read his actual texts. Second, be aware that Dor's version of events, like so many Lacanian accounts, leaves out or glosses over many of the problematic aspects of Lacan's work, from the feminist critiques to the philosophers(Derrida, Nancy, Lacoue-Labarthe, Macey) who have rightly pointed out the shortcomings of Lacan's reasoning.

On the whole, then, Dor's place is an excellent place to start if you are struggling with Lacan's work, or just want a clear overview of his basic ideas.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

sometimes it plodded, and it could have used an actual conclusion, but it's a genuinely cogent book that cites copiously and interestingly and now i think lacan is good

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 3 out of 5]

definitely not a fan of this creepy egotist son of a bitch
but..........

.............

Jacques Lacan

1950s

The Seminar of Jacques Lacan: Book 1, Freud's Papers on Technique, 1953-1954 [Le Séminaire #1] (1953) [326 pages] [B List]

1960s

Ecrits [1966] [896 pages] [also Fink's 2005 translation] [B List]

The Seminar of Jacques Lacan, Book XVII: The Other Side of Psychoanalysis [Le Séminaire #17] (1969) [224 pages] [B List]

1970s

The Four Fundamental Concepts of Psychoanalysis [Le Séminaire #11] (1973) [336 pages] [A List]

Television: A Challenge to the Psychoanalytic Establishment (1974) [168 pages] [A List]

The Seminar of Jacques Lacan, Book 2: The Ego in Freud's Theory and in the Technique of Psychoanalysis, 1954-1955 [Le Séminaire #2] (1978) [353 pages] [B List]

1980s

Introduction to the Reading of Lacan: The Unconscious Structured Like a Language - Joel Dor (1985) [268 pages] [A-List - Best Introduction to Lacan]

1990s

The Ethics of Psychoanalysis 1959-1960 [Le Séminaire #7] (1997) [352 pages] [A List]

2000s

Transference: The Seminar of Jacques Lacan, Book VIII [Le Séminaire #8] (2002) [368 pages] [B List]

2010s
The Triumph of Religion (2013) [96 pages] [A List]

There we go

1 Book about him
9 books by him

you tricked me into this, didn't you
pouts

...................

the wilde Amazone

Remarkably Easy to Read

Joel Dor makes Lacan understandable. Who would have thought! For a painless introduction to Lacan, definitely begin here. I wish I had. Plus, it contextualizes all that "Name of the Father" and phallus stuff that some (like me) might find distasteful, making it more amenable to linguistic and semiotic interpretation and (seemingly, perhaps) less intrinsically Oedipal. In short, Dor makes Lacan's Freudianism less objectionable. I definitely recommend this book. Kudos to Dor.

Treena

//////

The Best Introduction to Lacan

Dor's text is a very user-friendly introduction to Jacques Lacan's groundbreaking rereading of Freud (most importantly, this means the freeing of psychoanalysis from strict biological determinism). A master assimilator, Lacan re-shaped the notion of the human subject, and the author tackles the subject in piece-by-piece fashion without overwhelming the reader. Dor even tries to make sense of Lacan's borderline insane graphical representations of the primacy of the signifier over the signified, and to an extent he succeeds. Though I am new to Lacan, I found this text to be the most precise and readable introduction to his ideas.

Dallas Jones

//////

[Karl Diebspecht · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joël Dor presents Lacan from a clinical perspective, thus less interested in the cultural theoretical implications ("less" here means not at all) and more interested in the functioning and reconstruction of the human psyche, always with close reference to Freud, which distinguishes this introduction above all from that of Lionel Bailly, who, it seems, is not interested in a reconstruction and further development of Freud but rather in a radical break.

The book is divided into three main parts in which Dor explains (1) the structural relationship between language and the unconscious, (2) the paternal metaphor (Oedipus complex), and (3) Lacanian desire.
The first part could not be any more clear and comprehensible: For each newly introduced concept, Dor explains in detail the theoretical background (especially Freud and Saussure) making even complete novices understand the complex concepts.
From the second part on, however, it goes completely downhill: without mentioning the RSI matrix even once, let alone explaining it, Dor tries to introduce the mirror phase and the paternal metaphor, which probably won't make any sense to absolute beginners.
The third part consists mainly of an over-detailed reconstruction of the graph of desire. Whether it was Dor or Lacan that made me drop out completely at that point I don't know, probably a bit of both.
All in all the book is a hit and miss.

[Ava · Rating 5 out of 5]

Le tome 1 "l'inconscient structuré comme un langage" de l'introduction à la lecture de Lacan est un livre qui nous décrit de façon claire et précise les principaux apports théoriques de Lacan, encore faut-il y être familier... La première partie du livre traite de la linguistique, elle peut être lue et comprise par n'importe qui tant l'auteur explique les concepts simplement.
Les deux parties suivantes (la métaphore du NP et le graphe) sont beaucoup plus ambitieuses. Dor nous résume le stade du miroir avec une clarté remarquable mais je doute que la compréhension de l'au-delà de l'oedipe, le NP, DM etc se fasse pour des novices sans aucune explication du RSI. L'explication du graphe est quant à elle magistralement exécutée, mais une fois encore, je doute fort que les vrais novices puissent y comprendre quoi que ce soit, sans avoir baigné dans un univers Lacanien au préalable. Peut être faut-il se munir du "dictionnaire de Lacan" pour ceux qui n'auraient jamais été exposés à Lacan au préalable.

[Micah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know if I'm convinced yet, I certainly don't have a lot of patience for these graphs and equations, but this book had me thinking there's something there. . . .

[Raniellyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

bom livro para assimilar alguns conceitos difíceis na obra lacaniana. Só não sou 5 estrelas por discordâncias da leitura teórica, mas é um bom livro didático