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copdisrespecter's review against another edition
5.0
Not useless, worthwhile for the curious
Need an easy way into Lacan’s thoughts and life, enough to interest you and give you a basis for reading him directly? This is good enough for that.
Need an easy way into Lacan’s thoughts and life, enough to interest you and give you a basis for reading him directly? This is good enough for that.
nickjagged's review against another edition
1.0
I know more about Lacan than I did before I read this, but all in all this book is a fairly poor introduction to Lacanian psychoanalysis. If the benefit of graphics are to elucidate concepts, there's about a 15% success rate, with the remainder being simply "Lacan holding a word" or "the back of somebody who looks sad." I have a fair bit of interest in learning more about Lacan's work, so this book is not a total failure and did not turn me off from further exploration. The tone is also completely dry of levity, which seems very counterintuitive to me. The mind is strange, and there's enjoyment to be had from knowing that!
greyemk's review against another edition
3.75
Still don’t think I understand Lacan but this was a helpful primer for his language and concepts. The psychoanalysts are wild tbh. And I have been thinking about the symbolic a lot.
colin_cox's review against another edition
3.0
Introducing Lacan: A Graphic Guide has many redeemable characteristics. It follows Lacan's thoughts chronologically, which helps to unpack the ways Lacan's thoughts shifted and developed over time. It also references particular works and texts, such as his yearly seminars, which allow readers to search and find the source(s) of each chapter. Furthermore, while this introduction seems, on the surface, geared toward middle or high school-aged readers, it is not. At times, some readers unfamiliar with Lacan may need to reread certain chapters and sections. All of this is to say, this book is not nearly as diluted as I anticipated.
Because the book is designed to be a primer, there are certain limitations. The section on sexuation, for example, fails to explain the female position or orientation adequately, and by doing so, it seems to suggest that psychoanalysis prioritized the male orientation (i.e., that of the exclusion to lack or castration). On the other hand, the book correctly describes Lacan as "not a structuralist" since he attempts to theorize the subject. This is a small but important distinction.
I like Introducing Lacan: A Graphic Guide for what it is. The chapters are short and easy enough to return to for future reference.
Because the book is designed to be a primer, there are certain limitations. The section on sexuation, for example, fails to explain the female position or orientation adequately, and by doing so, it seems to suggest that psychoanalysis prioritized the male orientation (i.e., that of the exclusion to lack or castration). On the other hand, the book correctly describes Lacan as "not a structuralist" since he attempts to theorize the subject. This is a small but important distinction.
I like Introducing Lacan: A Graphic Guide for what it is. The chapters are short and easy enough to return to for future reference.