The Zizek Reader (Blackwell Readers)

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Summary: The best available introduction to Zizek and Lacan
Review: In his preface and his original contributions to the selections in this reader, Zizek offers a clearer statement of his position [and of his interpretation of the later writings of Lacan] than in any of his other books. His voice is one which one must engage in dialogue if one is to both appropriate Marxism, psychoanalytic theory and post-structuralism and then move beyond them. He acknowledges post-structualism's accent on contingencies and the limitations of human conceptualization and theorizing while also accenting the irreplaceable roles that imagination, fantasy and idology play in our psycic and social lives. He accents the need to critique ideology and to work through our fantasies so that one can non-reductively acknowledge the uniqueness of ourselves and what we encounter and the ejoyments present in such encounters. He writes so that one can see in the antagonisms present in current forms of neo-capitalism, sexism and racism the grounds for hoping for worthwhile accomplishments in seeking to lessen the domination and oppression they are causing. This reader provides an excellent beginning point for thinkers who want to join cultural and psychoanalytic analyses in a project of social action, and who along the way want to enjoy Zizek's marvelous use of film and literature to exemplify his theoretical points. A must reading for serious students of the current social and cultural world.

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Summary: This is an academic work!!! Please remember that!!!
Review: It seems that time and time again when I happen to come across certain reviews, such as the one particular review here which was a scathing attack on this author and the text, I just roll my eyes in exasperation and do nothing about it. Well this was the last time! Slavoj Zizek is a shinning light in the world of critical academic discourse and is regarded by his peers and academics the world over (even those who don't agree with him)as being incredibly intelligent and very creative. If the text doesn't "mean" anything to you and it seems like an incomprehensible mess then i suggest you stick to material that is more in your league. Please remember that a layperson doesn't read a medical journal on oncology for the fun of it, nor does he/she spend hours deep in Fundamentals of Corporate Finance. A medical doctor who specializes in the treatment of cancer will probably read the former and an MBA or PHD business or accounting guru the latter. Therefore just because you can speak and read English please don't mistake this for a license to read, comprehend and comment on this type of academic text. To be perfectly honest this text is for someone with at least a graduate background in English Lit, Philosophy, Media Studies, Cultural studies etc. To actually comment with some authority on the text you should at least have a post-graduate degree such as a Masters or Doctorate. To put my argument in perspective; you wouldn't read a text on oncology and surgical procedures and comment on it unless you were a medical doctor and even more so, an oncologist. I think the person who would attack this kind of text would do likewise with Derrida, Foucault, Lyotard, Spivak....ohhhh jeez!!! imagine the field day they would have with Heidegger's "Being and Time".

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Summary: An excellent intellectual high!
Review: Slavoj Zizek, one of the greatest minds of the late 20th century, is well repersented in this excellent collection of essays. His points of view on everything (women, philosophy, and culture) come through loud and clear. The integration of psychoanalytic, marxist, poststructural, and postmodern critiques is refreshing and his treatment of Lacan through examples from pop culture is particuraly wonderful as it aids those that are new to the subject matter (great teaching tool!). A must read for anyone that wants to get a closer look at the spectre of today's somewhat frightening culture.

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Summary: Errors.
Review: The collection is very interesting, in that one gets a sense of Zizek's theoretical perspective and methodological tendencies across a range of texts. It also forces one to reconsider Lacan's work. Unfortunately, the book itself is riddled with typographical errors. The publisher should be thoroughly embarrassed by this.

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Summary: Blackwell Publishers
Review: The Zizek Reader provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to this writer's work. Zizek has an international reputation and has had a considerable influence on both scholars and students. Divided into three parts, Culture, Women and Philosophy, the Reader not only gives careful explications of the individual extracts within each section but also connects these extracts in a general introduction, mapping the shiftings of Zizek's thought within the Lacanian framework. The essays on woman offer feminism ammunition from unexpected sources, within a reading of Lacan that goes counter to his ambiguous reception by feminists. The book includes a Foreword by Zizek and a new, previously unpublished essay on cyberspace. Contents : Part I: Culture: 1. The Undergrowth of Enjoyment. 2. The Obscene Object of Postmodernity . 3. The Spectre of Ideology. 4. Fantasy as a Political Category. 5. Is it Possible to Traverse the Fantasy in Cyberspace? Part II: Woman: 6. Otto Weininger, or 'Woman doesn't Exist'. 7. Courtly Love, or Woman as Thing. 8. There is No Sexual Relationship. 9. Death and the Maiden. Part III: Philosophy: 10. Hegel's "Logic of Essence" as a Theory of Ideology. 11. Schelling-in-Itself: The Orgasm of Forces. 12. A Hair of the Dog that Bit You. 13. Kant with (or against) Sade. 14. Of Cells and Selves. 15. Bibliography. Index.

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Summary: worthless to read
Review: The Zizek's Reader is a book written by the author himself by the publishing house where he is the editor. A very nice way of publishing books and making yourself a celebrity! As far as the content is concerned, Zizek is not disappointing: you get the usual dose of stupid associations, a bricolage of non-sense with another non-sense in a hope to get some sense of it. Absolutely worthless buying!