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The law of the mother is made up of words charged with pleasure and suffering that leave their mark on us in early childhood. In this groundbreaking book, Genevi�ve Morel explores whether it is possible for the child to escape subjection from this maternal law and develop their own sexual identity.Through clinical examples and critical commentary, the book illustrates the range and power of maternal influence on the child, and how this can generate different forms of sexual ambiguity. Using a Lacanian framework which revises the classical idea of the Oedipus complex, the book is not only a major contribution to gender studies but also an invaluable aid to the clinician dealing with questions of sexual identity. The book avoids many of the moral and political prejudices that paralyse twenty-first century society, be they related to legislation on marriage, parentage or adoption, the status of "mental health," or the limits to the supposed ownership of the human body.Insightful and revealing,The Law of the Motherwill be of great interest to Lacanian psychoanalysts, as well as to researchers in the fields of gender studies and sexuality.
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The Law of the Mother The law of the mother is made up of words charged with pleasure and suffering that leave their mark on us in early childhood. In this groundbreaking book, Geneviève Morel explores whether it is possible for the child to escape subjection from this maternal law and develop their own sexual identity. Through clinical examples and critical commentary, the book illustrates the range and power of maternal influence on the child, and how this can generate different forms of sexual ambiguity. Using a Lacanian framework which revises the classical idea of the Oedipus complex, the book is not only a major contribution to gender studies but also an invaluable aid to the clinician dealing with questions of sexual identity. The book avoids many of the moral and political prejudices that paralyse twenty-first century society, be they related to legislation on marriage, parentage or adoption, the status of “mental health”, or the limits to the supposed ownership of the human body. Insightful and revealing, The Law of the Mother will be of great interest to Lacanian psychoanalysts, as well as to researchers in the fields of gender studies and sexuality. Geneviève Morel is a psychoanalyst practicing in Paris and Lille. She is a member of the Association Lilloise pour la Psychanalyse et son Histoire and of the group Savoirs et Clinique. Her previous books include Sexual Ambiguities (Routledge). THE CENTRE FOR FREUDIAN ANALYSIS AND RESEARCH LIBRARY Series Editors: Anouchka Grose, Darian Leader, Alan Rowan CFAR was founded in 1985 with the aim of developing Freudian and Lacanian psychoanalysis in the UK. Lacan’s rereading and rethinking of Freud had been neglected in the Anglophone world, despite its important implications for the theory and practice of psychoanalysis. Today, this situation is changing, with a lively culture of training groups, seminars, conferences, and publications. CFAR offers both introductory and advanced courses in psychoanalysis, as well as a clinical training programme in Lacanian psychoanalysis. It can provide access to Lacanian psychoanalysts working in the UK, and has links with Lacanian groups across the world. The CFAR Library aims to make classic Lacanian texts available in English for the first time, as well as publishing original research in the Lacanian field. OTHER TITLES IN THE SERIES The Marks of a Psychoanalysis Luis Izcovich Obsessional Neurosis edited by Astrid Gessert Lacan Reading Joyce Colette Soler The Law of the Mother: An Essay on the Sexual Sinthome Geneviève Morel www.cfar.org.uk https://www.routledge.com/The-Centre-for-Freudian-Analysis-and-ResearchLibrary/book-series