Abstract
Beginning with the question of what constitutes perversion in the times in which we live, Astrid Gessert traces the evolution of theoretical formulations from Freud to Lacan. She notes the shift from a focus on transgression against some kind of norm to the question rather of how a subject manages their desire. While neurotic subjects suffer desire, reluctantly embracing substitutes that inevitably fail, the perverse subject makes demands, believing always that a particular object will do the trick. But in our time, Gessert argues, desire and demand have become confused. If the law-giving father does not function as he did and if there is such a surfeit of things instantly available in response to demand, where is the place for desire in these circumstances?
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Gessert, A. (2017). Exploring Transgression from a Lacanian Perspective. In: Caine, D., Wright, C. (eds) Perversion Now!. The Palgrave Lacan Series. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47271-3_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47271-3_3
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