THE REVIVAL OF FREUD

LACAN, JACQUES.

Situation de la psychanalyse et formation du psychanalyste en 1956.

(Vendome), Presses Universitaires de France, (1957). 8vo. In the original stapled printed wrappers. Offprint from "Les Études Philosophiques", October-December, 1956. Has been bended vertically and has some minor miscolouring to extremities, otherwise a very fine and clean copy. Pp. 567-584.

Scarce first edition, off-print in the original wrappers, of Lacan's famous work on psychoanalysis, in which he revived Freudian psychoanalysis. The present publication marks a major turning point in Lacanian and French psychoanalysis in general with the split between Lacan and The International Psycho-Analytical Association (IPA) and the later founding of Lacan's own 'SCHOOL' in 1964.
Lacan's famous "return to Freud" emphasizes a renewed attention to the original texts of Freud, and included a radical critique of Ego psychology. Lacan has been called "the most controversial psycho-analyst since Freud" mainly because of his (selective) revival of Freud and his quarrel with the IPA - the present publication not only marks the revival of Freud, it also initiates the split with the IPA.

The main reason for the split between between the IPA and Lacan was Lacan's use of sessions of variable duration which the IPA did not advocate:
"After (Lacan's) resigning from the IPA-affiliated Société Psychanalytique de Paris (SPP) in 1953, to join the newly founded Société Francaise de Psychoanalyse (SFP), Lacan was informed by letter that this also meant that he was no longer a member of the IPA. From that moment on Lacan until his dead Lacan and the IPA were at loggerheads.
Lacan criticized both the institutional structure and the dominant theoretical tendencies of the IPA. [...]. Lacan argued that Freud had organized the IPA in such a way because that was the only way to assuring that his theories, misunderstood by all his first followers, remain intact for someone else (Lacan) to disinter and resuscitate later on. The IPA was, in other words, like a tomb whose only function was to preserve Freud's doctrine despite the ignorance of the members of the association, the implication being that once Lacan had breathed new life into the doctrine [which he did with the present publication], the IPA no longer had any valid function at all. (Evans, An Introductory Dictionary of Lacanian Psychoanalysis).

Order-nr.: 51421