Jouissance

Literary/ Cultural Context Note

Litencyc Editors (Independent Scholar - Europe)

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

Domains

Concept (psychoanalysis)

Dates

Date of occurrence 1953

Places

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 …

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274 words

Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Jouissance". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 January 2004 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=602, accessed 23 November 2024.]

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Jouissance

Domains

Dates

Places

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