The Cambridge Introduction to Literature and Psychoanalysis

Michael Mungiello

Cambridge University Press 2015
New Books in Arts & LettersNew Books in Literary StudiesNew Books in PsychoanalysisNew Books in Science & TechnologyNew Books Network March 18, 2016 Michael Mungiello

​​Calling into question common assumptions regarding the supposedly antagonist relationship between literary criticism and psychoanalytic reading, Jean-Michel Rabaté paints a picture of reconciliation rather than rift. Drawing from a vast store of cultural incident–from Sophie Calle’s modern art to the novels of Henry James–The Cambridge Introduction to Literature and Psychoanalysis (Cambridge University Press, 2014) argues that psychoanalysis and active literary reading are both implicated in the same process, one which engages the unconscious and makes one an "ambassador" thereto.In our interview, Rabaté holds court on various issues, including the similarities between Jacques Lacan and Carl Jung, as well as the status of James Joyce as sinthome of literature. Moving beyond the textual, he also captivatingly considers not only the relationship between trauma and perversion but also the ways in which Lacan and Derrida differed in their interpretation of the "public intellectual" role and its responsibilities.
A startling intellectual himself, Rabaté illuminates and enthralls in his conversation as much as in his writing.

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Michael Mungiello is interested in the implications psychoanalysis has on broader cultural studies, ranging from literature to politics to television and film. He lives in Washington, DC and is originally from New Jersey.

Audio
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