LIT 233C Freud and Lacan

An in-depth overview of the early-mid periods of Freud's thought, beginning with the Project for a Scientific Psychology through the metapsychological texts of 1914-1918. The later Freud is discussed in the contexts of the career and writings of Jacques Lacan, in particular Lacan's doctoral dissertation, and the Seminars I and II. Both writers are assessed individually and in dialogue in discussions framed by contemporary critical theory, semiotics, and questions concerning cinematic practice. Special attention is paid to Lacan's analysis of Poe's The Purloined Letter.