Jouissance

Literary/ Cultural Context Note

Litencyc Editors (Independent Scholar - Europe)

The Literary Encyclopedia. WORLD HISTORY AND IDEAS: A CROSS-CULTURAL VOLUME.

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Concept (psychoanalysis)

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Date of occurrence 1953

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A French word which derives from the verb

jouir

meaning to have pleasure in, to enjoy, to appreciate, to savour; with a secondary meaning, as in English, of having rights and pleasures in the use of, as in the phrases “she enjoyed good health”, “she enjoyed a considerable fortune”, and “all citizens enjoy the right of freedom of expression”. The derived noun,

jouissance

, has three current meanings in French: it signifies an extreme or deep pleasure; it signifies sexual orgasm; and in law, it signifies having the right to use something, as in the phrase

avoir la jouissance de quelque chose

. The word becomes relevant to cultural and literary studies through its usage by the psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan to signify the condition or bliss, arrival, merging with the other, which…

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274 words

Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Jouissance". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 January 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=602, accessed 21 November 2024.]

Jouissance

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