The Difficulty of Difference

Psychoanalysis, Sexual Difference and Film Theory

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Reference, Nonfiction, Entertainment, Performing Arts, Film
Cover of the book The Difficulty of Difference by D. N. Rodowick, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: D. N. Rodowick ISBN: 9781317928546
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: January 21, 2014
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: D. N. Rodowick
ISBN: 9781317928546
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: January 21, 2014
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

This book argues that serious misreadings of Freud and Lacan on sexual difference have characterized prevailing models of psychoanalytic film criticism. In critiquing theories of identification and female spectatorship, the author maintains that early film theorists and feminist critics are equally guilty of imposing a binary conception of sexual difference on Freud’s thought. By embracing such a rigid definition of male/female difference, they fail to understand the fundamentally complex and fluid process of sexual identification as it is articulated in Freud’s writing, constructed in film texts, and negotiated by spectators.

The book turns to Freud’s work on fantasy to develop an alternative model for interpreting sexuality in the visual and narrative arts, one that emphasizes a ‘politics of critical reading’ over accepted theories of ideological identification. Originally published in 1991, its strategic focus on psychoanalysis itself as an object of historical and critical inquiry, and not simply as a reading method is the unique quality of this book.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

This book argues that serious misreadings of Freud and Lacan on sexual difference have characterized prevailing models of psychoanalytic film criticism. In critiquing theories of identification and female spectatorship, the author maintains that early film theorists and feminist critics are equally guilty of imposing a binary conception of sexual difference on Freud’s thought. By embracing such a rigid definition of male/female difference, they fail to understand the fundamentally complex and fluid process of sexual identification as it is articulated in Freud’s writing, constructed in film texts, and negotiated by spectators.

The book turns to Freud’s work on fantasy to develop an alternative model for interpreting sexuality in the visual and narrative arts, one that emphasizes a ‘politics of critical reading’ over accepted theories of ideological identification. Originally published in 1991, its strategic focus on psychoanalysis itself as an object of historical and critical inquiry, and not simply as a reading method is the unique quality of this book.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Ghazali's Politics in Context by D. N. Rodowick
Cover of the book Understanding Post-War British Society by D. N. Rodowick
Cover of the book Miners' Lung by D. N. Rodowick
Cover of the book Autistic Transformations by D. N. Rodowick
Cover of the book Victorian Revolutionaries by D. N. Rodowick
Cover of the book Data Visualization for Design Thinking by D. N. Rodowick
Cover of the book The Tempo of Modernity by D. N. Rodowick
Cover of the book Evaluation and Poverty Reduction by D. N. Rodowick
Cover of the book World Trade Evolution by D. N. Rodowick
Cover of the book Personality, Human Development, and Culture by D. N. Rodowick
Cover of the book Capitalist Enterprise and Social Progress by D. N. Rodowick
Cover of the book Djuna Barnes' Consuming Fictions by D. N. Rodowick
Cover of the book Creativity and Learning in Secondary English by D. N. Rodowick
Cover of the book Arab Regionalism by D. N. Rodowick
Cover of the book The Ethics of Sankara and Santideva by D. N. Rodowick
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy