The Impossible David Lynch (Film and Culture Series)
by Todd McGowan
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Book Summary Information
Author: Todd McGowanEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-02-06
ISBN: 0231139551
Number of pages: 280
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Book Reviews of The Impossible David Lynch (Film and Culture Series)
Book Review: An outstanding example of Lacanian analysis
Summary: 5 Stars
I'd like to offer a different perspective on McGowan's book from the previous reviews. I can completely understand seeing this book as difficult and obscure without the necessary background in Lacan. In that sense, it's not really something I'd recommend for Lynch fan wanting some analysis. Lacan's thought is notoriously complex and a reader unfamiliar with the discourse cannot be expected to comprehend the intricacies of McGowan's psychoanalytic analyses. Additionally, the terminology used will be a major stumbling block.
However, for those who are familiar with Lacanian film theory, this book is a dramatic step forward in remarkable cogency and clarity. I've read a number of essays and studies on Lynch using Lacanian theory such as Slavoj Zizek's "Art of the Ridiculous Sublime" - a much more difficult and unrewarding book. While Zizek presents some great ideas, his style can be difficult and less direct that one would hope.
Fortunately, McGowan is a very clear writer seeking to communicate difficult concepts in language that is as simple as possible without sacrificing specificity. I've been studying Lacan and psychoanalytic film theory for about a year now (not all that long) and I was able to read through this without too much trouble. A basic orientation in Lacanian discourse and a review of some secondary sources should be sufficient for understanding and enjoying "The Impossible David Lynch".
I'd also like to recommend two other secondary sources on Lacan for those wanting an inroad to his concepts and terminology. First, Bruce Fink's excellent "The Lacanian Subject" is a great place to start. You'll find excellent explanations that develop over the course of the book leaving you with a solid foundation. Second, "An Introductory Dictionary Of Lacanian Psychoanalysis" is a handy, well written resource for both discovering new terms and for reminding oneself of familiar terms.
Overall, I found McGowan extremely knowledgeable about both Lynch and Lacan. His analyses are illuminating and fresh. If you're a casual reader, this will be a difficult book to start with and I would recommend Michel Chion's "David Lynch" instead. However, if you're comfortable in the field of psychoanalytic film theory, I highly recommend this book as an outstanding example of what Lacanian analysis can do.
Summary of The Impossible David Lynch (Film and Culture Series)
Todd McGowan launches a provocative exploration of weirdness and fantasy in David Lynch's groundbreaking oeuvre. He studies Lynch's talent for blending the bizarre and the normal to emphasize the odd nature of normality itself. Hollywood is often criticized for distorting reality and providing escapist fantasies, but in Lynch's movies, fantasy becomes a means through which the viewer is encouraged to build a revolutionary relationship with the world.
Considering the filmmaker's entire career, McGowan examines Lynch's play with fantasy and traces the political, cultural, and existential impact of his unique style. Each chapter discusses the idea of impossibility in one of Lynch's films, including the critically acclaimed Blue Velvet and The Elephant Man; the densely plotted Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive; the cult favorite Eraserhead; and the commercially unsuccessful Dune. McGowan engages with theorists from the "golden age" of film studies (Christian Metz, Laura Mulvey, and Jean-Louis Baudry) and with the thought of Sigmund Freud, Jacques Lacan, and Hegel. By using Lynch's weirdness as a point of departure, McGowan adds a new dimension to the field of auteur studies and reveals Lynch to be the source of a new and radical conception of fantasy.
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