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To read Lacan closely is to follow him to the letter, to take him literally, making the wager that he comes right out and says what he means in many cases, though much of his argument must be reconstructed through a line-by-line examination. And this is precisely what Bruce Fink does in this ambitious book, a fine analysis of Lacan's work on language and psychoanalytic treatment conducted on the basis of a very close reading of texts in his Écrits: A Selection.
As a translator and renowned proponent of Lacan's works, Fink is an especially adept and congenial guide through the complexities of Lacanian literature and concepts. He devotes considerable space to notions that have been particularly prone to misunderstanding, notions such as "the sliding of the signified under the signifier,"or that have gone seemingly unnoticed, such as "the ego is the metonymy of desire." Fink also pays special attention to psychoanalytic concepts, like affect, that Lacan is sometimes thought to neglect, and to controversial concepts, like the phallus.
From a parsing of Lacan's claim that "commenting on a text is like doing an analysis," to sustained readings of "The Instance of the Letter in the Unconscious," "The Direction of the Treatment," and "Subversion of the Subject" (with particular attention given to the workings of the Graph of Desire), Fink's book is a work of unmatched subtlety, depth, and detail, providing a valuable new perspective on one of the twentieth century's most important thinkers.
Bruce Fink is a practicing Lacanian psychoanalyst, analytic supervisor, and professor of psychology at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. He is the author of A Clinical Introduction to Lacanian Psychoanalysis (1997) and The Lacanian Subject (1995). He has coedited three volumes on Lacan's seminars and is the translator of Lacan's Seminar XX, On Feminine Sexuality, the Limits of Love and Knowledge (1998), Écrits: A Selection (2002), and Écrits: The Complete Text (forthcoming).
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65 of 70 people found the following review helpful
Fink is the Man
28 Jan 2005
Format:Paperback
As an undergraduate philosophy student, I'll never forget the day I stumbled across Fink's "Clinical Introduction to Lacanian Psychoanalytic Theory." I remember reading the first couple of pages and being immediately sucked in. People come to therapy not because they want to rid themselves of their symptoms - they come to therapy, rather, because they can't get themselves to stop wanting to keep their symptoms! I was amazed at the profundity of this Lacanian insight. I knew I had to read on. So, this past year I picked up the Ecrits and Fink's commentary on it. Lacan's writing is nigh unto impossible to get through; but Fink's "Lacan to the Letter" is, again, some of the easiest reading I've ever done - and it blows my mind! For some of the most readable commentary on Lacan, you can't go wrong with Bruce Fink. What appeals to me the most, I think, about Lacan, is reading him as a philosopher, as someone who talks about the human condition - not so much as a "psychologist", but as a thinker who is doing a complex and amazing philosophical anthropology. He (accurately) shows how tied up with speech and language the being of the human being is. Lacanian theory astutely points out that we do not have a self outside of our linguistic contacts and exchanges with others, and of course, these exchanges largely shape how everyone, ultimately, thinks and feels about him or herself. Anyhow, if you are interested in knowing why people are crazy, healthy, or what the real (scandalous and negligible) difference between the two are, check this out. Fink offers clear readings of Lacan's phenomenological and anthropological explanations that shed light on the unconscious aspects of our being in ways that no biological-reductionistic or cognitive-behavioral approach ever could.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
The Voice of One Crying in the Freudian Field
7 April 2009
Format:Paperback
Bruce Fink, with his books The Lacanian Subject and Clinical Introduction to Lacanian Psychoanalysis, has established his reputation as the premiere commentator of Lacan. Fink is the quitessential "subject supposed to know," if there ever was one (other than the unconscious that is). This book only furthers this reputation, bringing together six beautifully written essays. Fink is a practising and a training analyst and this background gives his commentary a force of clarity and groundedness that is missing in much of the literature on Lacan. It is because he grounds his readings of Lacan in practical situations that lends his books to first timers AND long time readers. His command of Lacan's text is second to none, and therefore a first timer can put (or, transfer) their trust that Fink is guiding them through to the truth of Lacan.
It is this same brilliant reputation that also makes Fink's writing often seem secondary. As if they were mere explanations of Lacan's difficult texts. Like the biblical John the Baptist who was only the herald of the coming messiah, whose sandal lace he was unwrothy to tie, Fink always seems to position himself as the lone voice crying in the Freudian field, calling all who will hear to repent and return to the letter of Lacan's text. This is certainly true of Fink's earlier works. But this book has a different force behind it. Don't get me wrong: these are rigorous commentaries on Lacan's texts. But somehow, through some kind of magic, Fink is able to push commentary to the limit such that it emerges as an original voice itself. In other words, Fink here speaks as Fink. The herald cannot tie even his own lace as it were! This is why I especially recommend this book to long time readers of Lacan and of Fink. In this book, you get something that approximates a Finkian psychoanalysis. The highlight is Chapter 3 on The Letter--a brilliant piece of writing that sounds all by itself.
In the era where deconstructing the ambiguous meaning of a text seems the hegemony, it is quite refreshing to see someone practising COMMENTARY. That is, the practice of unpacking what is actually in the letter. Commentary, it seems to me, is much more interesting than interpretation or, what is now referred to as, "reading."
Lacan once said that commenting on a text is like analysis. Then, it is no wonder that Fink, an accomplished analyst, can present a beautiful piece of commentary such as this!
It is this same brilliant reputation that also makes Fink's writing often seem secondary. As if they were mere explanations of Lacan's difficult texts. Like the biblical John the Baptist who was only the herald of the coming messiah, whose sandal lace he was unwrothy to tie, Fink always seems to position himself as the lone voice crying in the Freudian field, calling all who will hear to repent and return to the letter of Lacan's text. This is certainly true of Fink's earlier works. But this book has a different force behind it. Don't get me wrong: these are rigorous commentaries on Lacan's texts. But somehow, through some kind of magic, Fink is able to push commentary to the limit such that it emerges as an original voice itself. In other words, Fink here speaks as Fink. The herald cannot tie even his own lace as it were! This is why I especially recommend this book to long time readers of Lacan and of Fink. In this book, you get something that approximates a Finkian psychoanalysis. The highlight is Chapter 3 on The Letter--a brilliant piece of writing that sounds all by itself.
In the era where deconstructing the ambiguous meaning of a text seems the hegemony, it is quite refreshing to see someone practising COMMENTARY. That is, the practice of unpacking what is actually in the letter. Commentary, it seems to me, is much more interesting than interpretation or, what is now referred to as, "reading."
Lacan once said that commenting on a text is like analysis. Then, it is no wonder that Fink, an accomplished analyst, can present a beautiful piece of commentary such as this!
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Another excellent book from Fink
20 May 2008
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Another excellent book from Fink.
In particular, it was truly rewarding to read Fink's detailed exposition of Lacan's critique of ego-psychology and his instructive breaking down of the rather overwhelming graph of desire.
What's more, lots of other details fell into place, such as the lack in the Other S(A/) and the notion of separation (as opposed to alienation). Indeed, this book clarifies why the Lacanian subject finds itself between language and jouissance, cf. the title of Fink's first book (I have to admit I wasn't quite sure after having read his book about the Lacanian subject).
Overall, everything Fink has written is highly recommended. Fink is without a doubt my number one reference when it comes to clinical psychoanalysis and the registers of the imaginary and the symbolic. As regards the symbolic/real-connection, it still seems that one has to turn to Zizek & the eccentric Slovenians.
In particular, it was truly rewarding to read Fink's detailed exposition of Lacan's critique of ego-psychology and his instructive breaking down of the rather overwhelming graph of desire.
What's more, lots of other details fell into place, such as the lack in the Other S(A/) and the notion of separation (as opposed to alienation). Indeed, this book clarifies why the Lacanian subject finds itself between language and jouissance, cf. the title of Fink's first book (I have to admit I wasn't quite sure after having read his book about the Lacanian subject).
Overall, everything Fink has written is highly recommended. Fink is without a doubt my number one reference when it comes to clinical psychoanalysis and the registers of the imaginary and the symbolic. As regards the symbolic/real-connection, it still seems that one has to turn to Zizek & the eccentric Slovenians.
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