Lacanian Antiphilosophy and the Problem of Anxiety

This book brings Jacques Lacan's work on the problem of anxiety into a jarring and fruitful confrontation with phenomenology, existentialism, and the 'jargon' of authenticity. Brian Robertson masterfully upends a host of received philosophical truths - most notably, and crucially, the idea that anxiety 'lacks an object.'

'This exploration of anxiety provides not only a path-breaking rethinking of the concept of anxiety but also a wholly new way of thinking about Jacques Lacan. Through Robertson's careful analysis, we discover a Lacan who participates in the existentialist project by reformulating its key concepts rather than dismissing them. This book is a genuine breakthrough.' - Todd McGowan, University of Vermont, USA

'Robertson's focus here is Lacan's crucially important 1962-63 seminar on anxiety. Robertson locates Lacan's problematic in relation to phenomenological and existential conceptions of anxiety in Heidegger, Sartre, and Kierkegaard, and provides detailed background on many of the seminar's more obscure references. The result is a useful illumination of an indispensable Lacanian text.' - Richard Boothby, Loyola University Maryland, USA

Autorentext
Brian Robertson is an independent scholar residing in Washington, USA.

Inhalt

Introduction: Have No Fear ...

1. The Uncanny
2. Erotic Embarras and the Fetish Object
3. Anxiety in Sadism and Masochism
4. The Demonic Secret
5. Anxiety and Sexual Difference (I): Kierkegaard's Embarrassing Question
6. Anxiety and Sexual Difference (II): Genital Love and Countertransference
7. Anxiety in Animals and Speaking Animals
8. Adding Two 'New' Objects to the List: The Gaze and the Voice
   Concluding Remarks: 'Understumbling' Anxiety
   Bibliography