From the Editors

Any scholar—whether studying timeless sacred texts, ancient Greek mythology, Joyce's Ulysses, or the works of William Shakespeare—knows the sensation of drilling deeper and deeper, each turn revealing a new meaning or a new understanding of an entire body of work. The range and depth of interpretations offered by devoted scholars—those who plumb texts for newly discovered or freshly-linked meanings—provide a deepened appreciation for the works at hand. In this issue, we offer four very different reviews pertaining to the work of Lacan. Each reviewer brings new insights and innovative approaches to diverse aspects of Lacanian thought. Each seeks to interpret and bring meaning to the complexity of Lacan's written words, while commenting thoughtfully on the contributions of authors and editors who have studied and compiled these works. Our reviewers' observations span a range of topics that highlight why scholars continue to return to the works of Lacan—brilliant teacher, complex thinker, often inscrutable writer.

God, it has often been said, is in the details. In his book essay, “The Need for Nothing: Lacanian Theory and the Sacred,” Todd Dean offers a far-reaching exploration on Lacan's ideas about religion and the sacred, exploring from within a Lacanian framework the notion of mystery, the sacred, and the unknowable. Dean reflects that from Lacan's point of view, “The point is, there is an unknown—and unknowable—Thing that the subject is always striving to know and engage.” Examining the writings of Richard Boothby (Embracing the Void: Rethinking the Origin of the Sacred), Carl Waitz and Theresa Clement Tisdale (Lacanian Psychoanalysis and Eastern Orthodox Christian Anthropology in Dialogue), and Rob Weatherill (Lacan in the End Times), Dean considers the psychological underpinnings of religious philosophies and guides the reader through Lacan's views on religion and psychoanalysis.