Lacanian Fantasy

Kirk Turner received his PhD in philosophy from Deakin University, Australia. He has published widely on Lacan and Freud, produced several German-to-English translations, and lectured and presented in Australia and internationally.

• 1. Introduction: On the Contexts and Uses of the Concept of Fantasy, Section I. From Freud to the Imaginary, 2. Fantasy in the Work of Freud and the Early Seminars of Lacan, 3. From Freud's Phantasie to Lacan's fantasme via the Case of The Beaten Child, Section II. The Symbolic Development of the Subject, 4. The 'Split' of Language: Returning to Our Alienation, 5. Stepping Away from the Fantasy, Section III. The Real Axiom and the Clinic, 6. Representation: How The Mind Processes Fantasy and the World, 7. Thinking or Being?, Section IV. Signification and Uncertainty, 8. The Final Seminars, 9. Conclusion: How Does Fantasy Function Today?

"Kirk Turner's Lacanian Fantasy is the definitive work on the psychoanalytic conception of fantasy. It not only carves out new territory in the understanding of fantasy, but it serves as a replacement for all the classic works. The publication of this book is an epochal event in the understanding of the decisive role that fantasy plays in our social and psyche's existence. Turner's work is a revolution on every page." Todd McGowan, Professor, Department of English, University of Vermont, USA"Beyond its fine explication of the notion of fantasy over Jacques Lacan’s entire oeuvre, this remarkable book situates the importance of fantasy not only in the fields of philosophy and psychoanalysis more generally, but also for the contemporary subject. Turner’s expert guidance through the complex nuances of one of Lacan’s most central concepts will be appreciated by scholars and clinicians alike." Stephanie Swales, Clinical Psychologist and Psychoanalyst; Associate Professor, Psychology Department, University of Dallas, USA