Jacques Lacan (1901-81) was one of the most original and controversial thinkers of the post-war period. His ideas had a profound effect on the intellectual movements of his time and his work is of continuing importance to a wide range of disciplines: psychoanaytic theory and practice, literary criticism, critical social theory, linguistics, cinemma, art criticism and political science. This title aims to give a clear and helpful exposition on some 40 key terms. Each entry outlines the idea, locating it within Lacanian discourse, and the evolution of the term within the development of Lacan's ideas. A list of references is provided at the end of each entry.