Catherine Clément
Catherine Clément | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date and age |
| Nationality | French |
| Occupation | Philosopher, novelist, feminist, literary critic |
| Known for | Works on psychoanalysis and French feminism |
Notable work | The Weary Sons of Freud, The Lives and Legends of Jacques Lacan, Opera: The Undoing of Women |
Catherine Clément (born 10 February 1939) is a prominent French philosopher, novelist, feminist theorist, and literary critic. She studied at the École Normale Supérieure under Claude Lévi-Strauss and Jacques Lacan, becoming a leading figure in French feminism and écriture féminine.[1][2] Clément has authored over 40 works, including essays on anthropology and psychoanalysis, and novels, while engaging critically with psychoanalytic institutions from a feminist and leftist viewpoint.[3]
Her contributions bridge philosophy, literature, and psychoanalysis, often challenging the establishment of Freudian and Lacanian practice as elitist and disconnected from social concerns.[2]
Biography
Clément received her degree in philosophy from the École Normale Supérieure and pursued studies in anthropology and psychoanalysis under influential figures including Lévi-Strauss and Lacan.[1][2] As a self-identified Communist, feminist, and former analysand, she has reflected on her personal history alongside the evolution of psychoanalysis and the French left.[2]
Works on Psychoanalysis
Clément's psychoanalytic writings offer anthropological and political critiques of the field, particularly Parisian psychoanalysis.
- In The Weary Sons of Freud (1978), she condemns psychoanalysis as an institution disdainful of cure, serving a narcissistic intelligentsia. She contrasts theoretical insights with the "obsessive imitations" of Lacan by his followers, advocating an activist and feminist restoration.[2][1]
- The Lives and Legends of Jacques Lacan (1983) portrays Lacan biographically, reconnecting with her experiences as an act of fidelity while navigating myths surrounding him.[4][5]
- Other works include Opera: The Undoing of Women (1988, English 1999), exploring psychoanalysis and cultural critique.[3]
She critiques Freud's "acceptance of excrescence" and Lacanian practice for prioritizing tragic aesthetics over healing, invoking cases like the Wolf Man and figures like Groddeck.[2]
Feminism and Collaborations
A key member of French feminism, Clément collaborated with writers such as Hélène Cixous and Julia Kristeva. Her work examines women's coping mechanisms through stories of rites, saints, and case studies.[1]
Legacy
Clément's critiques anticipated broader dialogues on analysis versus therapy, highlighting psychoanalysis's literary dimensions over empirical cure.[2] Her autobiography Mémoire (2009) reflects on her trajectory.[3]
Selected Publications
- The Weary Sons of Freud (1978)[2]
- The Lives and Legends of Jacques Lacan (1983)[4]
- Opera: The Undoing of Women (1988)[3]
- Theo’s Odyssey (novel, 1992, English 2000)[3]
- Mémoire (autobiography, 2009)[3]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Catherine Clément". Karnac Books.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 "The Weary Sons of Freud". Goodreads.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 "Catherine Clément". Seagull Books.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "The Lives and Legends of Jacques Lacan". Internet Archive.
- ↑ "The Lives and Legends of Jacques Lacan". Google Books.