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Identifying Dora's Desire

Identifying Dora's Desire case of Dora unravels, we follow Freud suspecting first that Dora desires Herr K., then that Dora desires her father, and then that this reactivated desire for her father is a screen for her desire for Herr K., and finally that it is, in fact, Frau K. whom Dora desires. One is left with the impression, that had Dora not walked out in the midst of her analysis, Freud would have proceeded to disclose someone else as the repressed object of her desire. Not surprisingly, those who re-examine the case consider whether Dora does, indeed, desire Frau K.; perhaps it is, after all, Herr K. whom she desires, or perhaps it is her father, or even her mother. For if hysterical symptoms are indicative of repressed desire then—in spite of the lies and pretences that circumscribe Dora's socio-familial world and account for much of her behaviour—there remains a desire to be disclosed. And it is not enough simply to 'stick to the text to understand it', as Lacan avers.1 The richness of Freud's account makes it possible to take up or ignore different aspects of the case as well as approach it in diverse ways. In his Ecrits, http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Paragraph Edinburgh University Press

Identifying Dora's Desire

Paragraph , Volume 22 (3): 248 – Nov 1, 1999

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References (1)

Publisher
Edinburgh University Press
Copyright
Copyright © Edinburgh University Press
ISSN
0264-8334
eISSN
1750-0176
DOI
10.3366/para.1999.22.3.248
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

case of Dora unravels, we follow Freud suspecting first that Dora desires Herr K., then that Dora desires her father, and then that this reactivated desire for her father is a screen for her desire for Herr K., and finally that it is, in fact, Frau K. whom Dora desires. One is left with the impression, that had Dora not walked out in the midst of her analysis, Freud would have proceeded to disclose someone else as the repressed object of her desire. Not surprisingly, those who re-examine the case consider whether Dora does, indeed, desire Frau K.; perhaps it is, after all, Herr K. whom she desires, or perhaps it is her father, or even her mother. For if hysterical symptoms are indicative of repressed desire then—in spite of the lies and pretences that circumscribe Dora's socio-familial world and account for much of her behaviour—there remains a desire to be disclosed. And it is not enough simply to 'stick to the text to understand it', as Lacan avers.1 The richness of Freud's account makes it possible to take up or ignore different aspects of the case as well as approach it in diverse ways. In his Ecrits,

Journal

ParagraphEdinburgh University Press

Published: Nov 1, 1999

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