"Reports of the death of Lacanian film theory have been greatly exaggerated. After scrupulously rereading Lacan's writings, Todd McGowan, Sheila Kunkle, and their collaborators have found new pathways into the psychological, political, and philosophical content of recent cinema. Their essays are consistently original, enlightening, and in contrast to what was once the case with most Lacanian-inflected criticism, highly readable." - Krin Gabbard, coauthor of Psychiatry and the Cinema Though Lacanian theory has long had a privileged place in the analysis of film, film theory has tended to ignore some of Lacan's most important ideas. Each of these highly accessible essays provide a jargon-free analysis of contemporary films, including Memento, Eyes Wide Shut, Breaking the Waves, and Fight Club, and at the same time, each explains and utilizes key concepts of Lacanian theory. Because of the dual focus on developments in Lacanian theory and in contemporary film, this collection serves as both an approachable introduction to current Lacanian film theory and an introduction to the study of contemporary cinema. As such, it stages an encounter between Lacanian theory and contemporary cinema and the result is the enrichment of both. -- from the publisher |