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171 episodes
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Why Theory Todd McGowan & Ryan Engley
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- TV & Film
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4.8 • 83 Ratings
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Why Theory brings continental philosophy and psychoanalytic theory together to examine cultural phenomena.
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Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis
Ryan and Todd outline the arguments of Freud's Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis and highlight the key ideas that appear in this work. They also discuss what Freud mentions here that he doesn't address elsewhere.
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Suture
Ryan and Todd delve into the concept of suture, as first developed by Jacques-Alain Miller. They trace the deformation that it underwent through the history of film studies and examine a few films where we can see the different understandings of suture at work.
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Extimacy
Ryan and Todd discuss the Jacques Lacan's neologism "extimacy," which first occurs in Seminar VII and then disappears. But they theorize that this concept offers an excellent starting point for grasping Lacan's entire project, despite his own sparse use of it.
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Prequel
Ryan and Todd explore the prequel as a narrative form. They consider its radical potential and how it might function ideologically. They discuss prequels such as Fire Walk With Me and Better Call Saul.
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Modernist Novel
Ryan and Todd theorize the modernist novel as a specific literary form, defined not by its time period but by its structural exigencies. They relate this form to the importance of the ending that function as a cut in the narrative movement rather than as a summation of all that has happened, which contrasts it with previous iterations of the novel.
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Endings
Ryan and Todd explore the problem of the ending, focusing on when and why the ending becomes important in film and television. They discuss the relationship between the ending of life and the ending of a work of art, especially in terms of psychoanalytic thinking.
Customer Reviews
Addictive
I’m completely addicted to this show. These guys are amazing. Their conversation is effortlessly smart, surprising at times, and often very funny too. I feel like I’m sitting in a bar listening to two of the most interesting people sharing deep thoughts and cultural comments and it makes me want to join their table. This podcast makes my hour commute to work every morning bearable. When I studied philosophy at Oxford it was never this much fun…These are scholars who really entertain and their chemistry together is exceptional.
Um, like, um
Loved the contentof the first two episodes I listened to, but unfortunately couldn’t survive the um’s, like’s and constant apologies.
Best Podcast out there.
Physchanalysis, Cultural Theory, Film Theory, Capitalism, Debt. Discussed with humour, panache, care and clarity. Just wish there could be more