- born: Jacques-Marie-Émile Lacan; Paris, France; April 13, 1901
- died: Paris, France; September 9, 1981
Lacan was a Freudian, first and foremost. His lectures on Freud and his re-interpretation
of Freudian thought gained him fame in France during the 1950s, 60s and 70s. He founded the
Freudian School of Paris in 1964, but disbanded it in 1980, claiming that its
teachings had strayed too far from his original intentions.
Much of Lacan's work focuses on the way language and psychology interact. His thoughts touch upon semioticians Ferdinand de Saussure and Roman Jakobson.
A lot of Lacan's published material takes the form of compiled academic lectures. Beware of poor English translations (Lacan wrote and lectured in French). Also, secondary sources should be regarded with skepticism, even by those who claim close ties to Lacan's legacy.
Lacan's school of thought still has its devotees. Your favorite search engine should prove an adequate guide to further reading.
After I came across a reference to Lacan
in a Xena: Warrior Princess majordomo digest (entitled "chakram-digest")
I encountered this nodeshell. Oddly enough,
this same list also caused me to question
the origin of the Seven Deadly Sins . . .
Funky.
eot/sp