Podcast Summary: New Books in Psychoanalysis

Episode: Jonathan House, “Laplanche: An Introduction”

Host: Philip Lance
Guest: Jonathan House
Date: June 5, 2018

Overview of the Episode

This episode explores the work and significance of French psychoanalyst Jean Laplanche, focusing on the newly published book Laplanche: An Introduction (Unconscious in Translation, 2015). Guest Jonathan House—psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, translator, editor, and publisher—discusses his deep involvement in translating and promoting Laplanche’s work in the English-speaking world. The conversation ranges from Laplanche’s biography and theoretical contributions to practical recommendations for those who wish to study his complex ideas, particularly regarding sexuality and the unconscious.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Jonathan House’s Background and Multiple Roles (02:21–06:12)

• House’s Professional Journey: He was first an internist, worked in the labor movement, then retrained as a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst. Currently, he focuses on psychoanalysis and psychotherapy, while teaching and engaging in translation and publishing work.
  • “I earned my bread by the practice of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy. And that's my full time job, which I also adore.” (03:57, House)
• Teaching and Location: House teaches at Columbia University, is involved with its Institute for Psychoanalytic Training, and maintains a practice in Manhattan.
• Psychoanalytical Practice as a Vocation: House humorously compares being a psychoanalyst to being a “Rolls Royce mechanic”—a specialist dealing with intricate, high-maintenance tasks (05:11).

Genesis and Structure of Laplanche: An Introduction (07:25–10:38)

• Purpose of the Book: The book was developed to address the lack of English translations of Laplanche’s work, centering on an essay by Dominique Scarfone (a broad introduction to Laplanche).
• Book Contents:
  • Scarfone’s Essay: Central overview of Laplanche’s theories.
  • Additional Texts: Includes Laplanche’s own early and late writings, some co-authored with Pontalis.
  • Translators Involved: Dorothea Bonnegau Katz and House himself contributed to translations.
• “My notion was we were going to do Dominique's piece as the center...then take a very early piece by Laplanche...and then take the latest work that he'd done.” (09:58, House)

The Unconscious in Translation Publishing Venture (11:23–13:34)

• Motivation: Founded specifically to make Laplanche’s untranslated work available to English readers.
  • “There’s a lot of stuff that is going to get translated...so this is the notion of translating what wouldn’t otherwise be translated into English.” (13:16, House)
• Wider Mission: House’s ambition expanded to include translation of other important psychoanalytic texts unlikely to be translated via mainstream publishers.

Qualifications and Origins as a Translator (13:34–18:27)

• Origin Story: House had no formal qualifications in French translation; he learned through necessity—originally translating Laplanche’s work to clarify Freud’s perplexing concepts of sexuality for himself.
• Important Early Article: Laplanche and Pontalis’s 1964 paper on sexuality, initially read in English, motivated House to learn French better and attempt his own translations.

The Significance of Laplanche and The Language of Psychoanalysis (18:27–23:29)

• On The Language of Psychoanalysis: More than a dictionary—mini-essays that explicate Freud’s terms, central to both clinical and academic users internationally.
  • “They’re really small little essays and an attempt to give a sense of the meaning of words in Freud's work.” (18:40, House)
• Laplanche’s Relation to Freud: Laplanche’s entire project was a deep, critical engagement with Freud–not duplication, but an inventive extension and sometimes correction.
  • “The phrase [Laplanche] uses...is he wants to put Freud to work.” (21:43, House)
  • Quoting Roy Schafer: “There isn’t a single page of Freud on which he isn’t profoundly wrong…and yet where he’s wrong, he’s still…asking new questions...sometimes the answers he’s giving are still the best ones we have.”_ (22:02, House)

Why Laplanche? A Fresh Approach to Sexuality (23:29–24:43, 37:15–46:43)

• Centrality of Sexuality: Laplanche brings sexuality back as the “motor” of psychoanalysis, recovering what House and many contemporary analysts feel has been neglected or distorted.
  • “What Laplanche and Pontalyse do, and what Laplanche does is...clarify the distinction between instinct and drive, but also to point out the problems Freud had...” (38:28, House)
• Instinct vs. Drive: Laplanche—building on Freud—clarifies and rescues the distinction. English translations historically conflated the terms (trieb and instinct), leading to conceptual confusion.
• General Theory of Seduction: Instead of discarding Freud’s “seduction theory,” Laplanche generalizes it: adult sexuality (especially unconscious) is introduced to the child through normal caregiving, thus shaping the unconscious from the outside in.

Learning Laplanche: Practical Recommendations (24:43–36:16)

• Primary Texts: Start with Laplanche’s later essay collection Freud and the Sexual (“sexual” in italics)—specifically chapters 1, 2, 5, and 10.
  • “That would be sort of starting and get a sense of where Laplanche arrives by the time he's integrated all of his study over 40, 50 years.” (25:19, House)
• Secondary Literature: House recommends Dominique Scarfone’s essay (central to the book discussed), but admits it is complex. For easier introductions, he suggests:
  • Pascal Sauvayre’s article in the Journal of Contemporary Psychoanalysis [written “in Americanese”] targeting a US analytic audience.
  • Deborah Browning’s review in JAPA.
  • “Anyone who wants it can email me, and I'd be happy to send them any of this stuff.” (36:16, House)

Laplanche’s Biography and Intellectual Context (25:22–34:17)

• Early Life: Grew up in Burgundy; worked in the Resistance during WWII; academic studies in philosophy at elite French institutions.
• Analysis with Lacan: Underwent analysis with Lacan but intellectually broke from him over theoretical and political differences.
• Pursuit of Freud Translation: Led the French edition of Freud’s Collected Works—benefiting from hindsight and new discoveries unavailable to earlier translators.
• No Laplanchean “School”: Unlike Lacan, Laplanche did not found a psychoanalytic school—his approach was intellectually rigorous but less focused on clinical vignettes or followership.

Laplanche and Sexuality: The Seduction Theory Revisited (38:02–46:43)

• Freud’s Seduction Theory: Initially posited neuroses resulted from childhood sexual encounters with adults but later abandoned for a more biologically-rooted theory.
• Laplanche’s Correction: Laplanche asserts that the true origin of the unconscious and sexuality is intersubjective, not purely biological—a result of unconscious adult desire impacting the child.
  • “If I had, is there. One major contribution of Laplanche is that...Instead of abandoning the seduction theory, Laplanche suggests Freud should have generalized it.” (43:10, House)
• General Theory of Seduction: All child-caregiver relationships contain adult unconscious sexual content, making seduction universal at a psychic level.
• Anthropological Situation: Coined by Laplanche to capture the uniquely human experience of the unconscious developing via exposure to the enigmatic messages of adults.

Clinical and Theoretical Implications (51:30–54:47)

• “Translating the Unconscious”: Psychoanalysis involves helping patients put into words what was unconsciously communicated—and repressed—through early relationships (the “enigmatic signifiers” from caregivers).
• Endless Process: The unconscious can never be fully “translated,” so analysis is about facilitating new meanings rather than complete understanding.
  • “What do we do with patients? Well, both present tense and then, you know, so the here and now, but also the there and then.” (53:10, House)
  • “The enigmatic residues of interaction with our caretakers can never be fully translated…Thank God. That's what makes us curious.” (53:57, House)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Psychoanalysis:
  • “It's sort of like being a Rolls Royce mechanic.” (05:11, House)
• On Freud’s Contradictions:
  • “There isn’t a single page of Freud on which he isn’t profoundly wrong. And yet where he's wrong, he's often both asking new questions that are still questions...” (22:02, House)
• On Laplanche’s General Theory of Seduction:
  • “Instead of abandoning the seduction theory, Laplanche suggests Freud should have generalized it.” (43:10, House)
• On Laplanche’s Unique Stance:
  • “Perhaps unlike Lacan...he doesn't found a school of his own...his writing almost never goes into clinical cases...he didn't seem to want to have a followership.” (32:20, House)
• On Analytical Practice:
  • “If our patients, and we as subjects generally, are constantly trying to give new meaning, translate elements of our unconscious...that meaning may never be exhausted.” (53:10, House)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Jonathan House’s Background: 02:21–06:12
• Book’s Structure and Purpose: 07:25–10:38
• Origins of the Publishing Venture: 11:23–13:34
• Translation Journey and Early Encounters with Laplanche: 13:34–18:27
• The Language of Psychoanalysis and Laplanche’s Relation to Freud: 18:27–23:29
• Study Recommendations for Laplanche’s Work: 24:43–36:16
• Laplanche’s Intellectual Trajectory: 25:22–34:17
• Instinct vs Drive; General Theory of Seduction: 37:15–46:43
• Clinical Application and “Translating the Unconscious”: 51:30–54:47

Further Resources

• Unconscious in Translation Publishing:
  • Website: uitbooks.com (Use coupon code “Summer” for a discount as mentioned by House at 55:12)
• Recommended Readings:
  • Freud and the Sexual (House recommends chapters 1, 2, 5, 10)
  • Secondary essays: Pascal Sauvayre (Journal of Contemporary Psychoanalysis), Deborah Browning (JAPA)

Closing Note

Host Philip Lance and Jonathan House conclude by encouraging listeners to explore Laplanche’s evocative approach to psychoanalysis, validation of the “general theory of seduction,” and the importance of ongoing translation work for the field’s vitality.

For questions or access to recommended articles, House invites email contact—a rare and generous gesture for those wishing to engage further with Laplanche’s revolutionary thinking.