An Introductory Dictionary of Lacanian Psychoanalysis

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Summary: A great intoduction to a great man...
Review: ...for any beginner in the field of psychology and Lacanían studies. The best available Lacan dictionary up to date.

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Summary: Excellent reference on Lacanian terminology
Review: Dylan Evans, a Lecturer in Psychoanalytic Studies at the University of Brunel and an analysist in private practice in London has written a very helpful dictionary of Lacanian terms and terminology. The Dictionary has both short and more lengthy entries, with the more complicated terms such as the Real, the Symbolic and the Imaginary, the Other, the Mirror Stage, etc., each meriting longer essays of up to two pages. My interest in Lacan is presently primarily in terms of literary theory but the book is perhaps even more suited to someone approaching Lacan from a psychoanalytic angle, as most of the definitions are analyst-oriented. This is not the book from which to "learn Lacan" of course, and there are a number of good introductions available, such as Bruce Fink's and Jean-Michel Rabate's, in addition to the Cambridge Companion to Lacan. Also, beginners would probably be well advised not to start with the Seminars or Ecrits, but with one of these introductions, then moving on to Lacan's writings with this as a good guide through the very ideosyncratic (and shifting over time) vocabulary. I have found this book to be a great help in navigating Lacan!