Lacan (was: phallogocentricism)

[Joe Varo]

On Fri, 14 Feb 1997, Diana York Blaine spun out a paragraph filled
with Lacanianisms such as:

> ...Anxiety about entrance into the symbolic!
> ...nascent subject submits to the violence of the sign, sacrificing the 
> pleasure of the mother's body for the (illusion) of control offered
> under the Law. 
> ...entering the realm of the law-of-the-father either, hence her fascination
> with mirrors.
> Inability to cathect with the agape of an Imaginary loving Third 
> party...
> ...desire for phallogocentric mastery...

Now, I've been trying to figure out Lacan for several years now.  I've got
a copy of the english translation of _Ecrits_ and a couple of secondary
books on him -- one by, I think, Anthony Wilden and another by Juliet
Flower McCannel. I've also read another by Shoshanna Felman. I'm not at
home at the moment so I can't check the titles.

Anyway, I can't, for the life of me, get a handle on just what exactly
Lacan is up to with this mish-mash of the Symbolic, Real, Imaginary, petit
objet a, all of the odd diagrams, etc.

Since there appears to be at least one of the P-listers out there (Diana)
who seems to understand this stuff, or at least uses the terminology in
such a way as to make someone who doesn't understand this stuff (me) think
that they understand it, I figure maybe someone can recommend a GOOD
secondary source on Lacan.

I have heard that there is a "Lacan for Beginners" due out soon, but I'm
not going to hold my breath hoping that it will be of any great
assistance.

Anybody have any suggestions?

Joe

"If God's idea of salvation is Jesus Christ, then he's just too eccentric
to rely on."
                   Michael Malone
                   "Handling Sin"