Psychoanalysis, Philosophy and Myth in Contemporary Culture: After Oedipus

by Angie Voela

Overview

This book examines the use of myth in contemporary popular and high culture, and proposes that the aporetic subject, the individual that ‘does not know’, is the ideal contemporary subject. Using several contemporary novels, films and theatrical plays that illustrate aporia – such as Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (Riordan, 2007), Tron Legacy (Koninski, 2010), Welcome to Thebes (Buffini, 2010), The Photographers (Koundouros, 1998), Prometheus (2012) and Prometheus Retrogressing (Sfikas, 1998) – Angie Voela introduces common ground between Lacanian psychoanalysis and some of Freud’s most ardent critics, Michel Foucault and Jean Baudrillard, as well as the cultural philosopher Bernard Stiegler. These unprecedented systematic comparisons broaden the scope and impact of Lacanian psychoanalysis in inter-disciplinary debates of philosophy and culture and Voela argues that apart from dealing with the past, psychoanalysis must also deal more explicitly with the present and the future. She presents a unique inquiry into modern subjectivity that will be of great interest to scholars of psychoanalysis, philosophy, film, literature and contemporary culture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781137483478
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan UK
Publication date:	08/09/2017
Series:	Studies in the Psychosocial
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	373 KB

About the Author

Angie Voela is a senior lecturer in Psychosocial Studies at the University of East London, UK. She has published in a number of journals and co-edited We Need to Talk About Family: Essays on Neoliberalism, the Family and Popular Culture.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: Aporia, the Sphinx, and the Hope that Life Will Make Sense.- 2. Ion's Aporia: Just Another Oedipus? 3. Towards a New Anthropogony? Tron Revisited.- 4. Forget Antigone?.- 5. The Abyss of the Other’s Desire or Greek Myth for (Neoliberal) Children.- 6. The Search for Origin in Riddley' Scott's Prometheus.- 7.Conclusion: Aporia, Commemoration, Hope.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Voela blends together elements of popular culture, psychoanalysis and critical social theory in a manner that is both innovative and compelling to offer an insightful and thoroughly original contribution to the growing field of Psychosocial Studies. The analysis she offers, which distills crucial facets of Lacanian theory (the Name-of-the-Father, etc.) and applies them to salient trends within contemporary neo-liberal culture, is at once fresh and invigorating. Her book is a wonderful example of the type of urgent critical and reflective work that Psychosocial Studies can offer.” (Derek Hook, Duquense University, USA)

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Gary B Kaniuk, PsyD (Cermak Health Services)
Description: This volume in the Palgrave Macmillan series, Studies in the Psychosocial, describes the use of myth in contemporary culture from a psychoanalytic standpoint by analyzing plays, films, and novels.
Purpose: The book "examines the use of myth in contemporary popular and high culture, and proposes that the aporetic subject, the individual who 'does not know,' is the ideal contemporary subject."
Audience: Although no audience is specified, anyone interested in psychoanalysis will find this book interesting. The author is a lecturer at the University of East London.
Features: The book begins with the observation that people face a moment in time when everything seems confusing, and doubt and puzzlement become the prominent feelings. This is especially the case in response to the search for knowledge and truth, along with the human fear of facing death. Capitalism and technology have a way of helping modern society move the focus away from the inevitability of death. The authors discuss Greek myths and modern film in relation to the return of the father figure. The author spends some time on The Ion, a play about a slave who learns that life does not always go according to expectations. He sees the benefits of privilege but also the absurdity of everything. Sophocles' Antigone addresses themes of defiance of power and immortality. Some psychoanalytic theorists see capitalism as resulting in disindividuation and disenchantment. This psychopolitical tension provides a challenge to designing a governmental system that will help individuals reach their potential. The book discusses Prometheus as a search for meaning, struggling with the polarities of origin and death. The book concludes with post-Oedipal imagery to better explain the experience of life.
Assessment: This book explores psychoanalytic thought in modern culture through films and books. Although it is difficult to read without a thorough background in psychoanalytic theory, it will be useful for theorists and scholars using psychoanalysis to better understand our current culture.

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