Creativity and Perversion

by Janine Chasseguet-Smirgel

What is the relationship between creativity and perversion? The boundary between the world of art and 'the artful universe of the pervert' is carefully explored in this study.Beyond the banal or picturesque variations in sexual behavior, there lies an essential dimension of the human condition, a permanent temptation of the mind. It is the wish to escape our limitations, to replace our world with one where all things are possible. Led on by hubris, 'the artful universe' of perversion dethrones God-the-Father and rewrites the Bible. It aims to transmute reality, to revert to confusion and chaos.Chasseguet-Smirgel draws on a wide range of films, plays, and writers--including de Sade, Oscar Wilde and H.G. Wells. Examples from these sources are closely interwoven with clinical case material. Although she does not conform to the classic analytical scheme, she reviews the psychoanalytic literature and remains faithful to Freud's thought.Emphasizing the relations between perversion, narcissism, and idealization, she places the problem of perversion within the endless struggle of humanity against reality."A theorist of great originality and power." -- Christopher Lasch"…gives the reader a comprehensive view of Chasseguet-Smirgel's theoretical frame, her creative exploration of the intersection of some of the most challenging and complex areas of psychoanalytic perversion, narcissism and aggression, particularlly as these relate to artistic creativity, group psychology and political ideology." -- Otto Kernberg

Genres: Psychology, Psychoanalysis

Hardcover

First published October 28, 1984

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Janine Chasseguet-Smirgel provides us with excellent insight on the analysis of sexual perversions. She provides us with psychoanalytic insights on the writings of Sade and the development of the anal-sadistic universe as well as provides us with a detailed re-reading of some of Freud's famous case studies: Little Hans and The Wolf Man. Although many homosexuals and transgender individuals would cry "foul" on Chasseguet-Smirgel's use of the word "pervert" it brings to light the crucial importance of human creativity and navigating soul crushing stress of castration. Chasseguet-Smirgel provides us with an interesting revelation that the prospect of indulging a creative perversion remains an integral part in human state of consciousness. She writes, "As I have already stated, all of us are open to the perverse solution which constitutes a balm for our wounded narcissism and a means of dissipating our feelings of smallness and inadequacy. This temptation can lead to our losing the love for truth and replacing it with a taste of sham." For this reason, Creative Perversions makes an excellent book for anyone interested in the subject matter of psychoanalysis and the formation of sexual creative perversions as well as "other perverse solutions" such as homicide.

[Nader]

this book will change your life