Book Review: Disrupting received wisdom in psychoanalysis and critical theory

Abstract

One may postulate that Lacan's avowed fidelity to Freud, in opposition to the Pharisees constituted by the IPA, bolstered his own heroic self-image, rendering something akin to a psychoanalytic Saint Paul who uniquely understood the living spirit of Freud. Burston also notes that while Lacan appeared to venerate Freud's texts, particularly his early texts, as something akin to holy scripture, he often interpreted Freud's texts in ways that radically departed from Freud's own formulations. Burston summarizes, prompts the reflection that the tone of religious veneration Lacan attempted to endow on Freud's texts is oddly fetishistic, because it belies his persistent I unfaithfulness i to Freud, which is probably rooted in an unresolved ambivalence toward him (p. 50). [Extracted from the article] Copyright of Theory & Psychology is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)