Teresa de Lauretis makes a bold and orginal argument for the renewed relevance of the Freudian theory of drives, through close readings of texts ranging from cinema and literature to psychoanalysis and cultural theory.

In an era of backlash and supposed stagnation, feminist philosophers are still providing fresh and challenging perspectives - you just have to know where to look. Continental feminist theory continues to address pressing questions of equality and difference, identity and subjectivity. Modern thinkers such as Judith Butler, Kelly Oliver and Drucilla Cornell present strikingly new perspectives on sex, gender, sexual politics and the various social apparatuses that underlie gender inequality. Yet their theories are not always well received. This work is a response to the marginalization of these modern thinkers. In this volume, Ann J. Cahill and Jennifer Hansen collect the most groundbreaking work of the theorists. In their introductory pieces, Cahill and Hansen translate the often esoteric and mystifying work of the women in Continental philosophy to those outside the field and outside academia. With these essays, Continental Feminism Reader begins the process of reanimating feminist politics through the critical tool of its contributors.

Teresa De Lauretis makes a bold and orginal argument for the renewed relevance of the Freudian theory of drives, through close readings of texts ranging from cinema and literature to psychoanalysis and cultural theory.

..". a work that builds a substantial bridge between Freudian psychoanalysis and radical feminist thought, particularly on the subject of lesbianism.... Presenting a complex argument about an issue vital to the psychoanalytic endeavor as well as to feminist theory, The Practice of Love should stimulate a reconsideration of perversion and the construction of sexual fantasy. The illumination of the fantasies that make lesbian desire distinctive will necessarily open up our understanding of all sexuality." Jessica Benjamin, New York Times Book Review

"Teresa de Lauretis has entwined three books into one: a critical history of psychoanalytic theories of female homosexuality; a bold study of how lesbians keep disappearing from popular culture, especially film; and an original speculation on the dynamics of lesbian desire." Elisabeth Young-Bruehl

"An important and original contribution not only to lesbian and gay studies, but also to psychoanalytic theory and film criticism. De Lauretis brings a unique and valuable perspective to issues of great importance today in all these areas." Leo Bersani

"De Lauretis s influential theory gets top marks from sapphic scholars who know best." Out

In an eccentric reading of Freud through Laplanche and the Lacanian and feminist revisions, Teresa de Lauretis delineates a model of "perverse" desire and a theory of lesbian sexuality. The Practice of Love discusses classic psychoanalytic narratives of female homosexuality, contemporary feminist writings on female sexuality, and the evolution of the original fantasies into cultural myths or public fantasies."

"This wonderful book does nothing less than to create the next stage of feminist thought." Catharine R. Stimpson

"De Lauretis provides a way of thinking about feminism that accepts rather than tries to resolve differences, that refuses fixed definitional categories and insists instead on the contradictory and changing meaning of gendered identities." The Women s Review of Books

"This is not a new collection but it is still one of the best." Exceptional Human Experience

The essays in this collection represent very recent developments in feminist research and writing in the areas of history, scientific discourse, literary criticism, and cultural theory.

The contributors are: Teresa de Lauretis, Linda Gordon, Carroll Smith-Rosenberg, Ruth Bleier, Evelyn Fox Keller, Jessica Benjamin, Nancy K. Miller, Tania Modleski, Sondra O Neale, Sheila Radford-Hill, Cherrie Moraga, Biddy Martin, Chandra Talpade Mohanty, and Mary Russo."

"There is hardly a page in this collection of hard-thought andbrilliantly written essays that does not yield some new insight." -- HaydenWhite

..". de Lauretis's writing is brisk and refreshinglylucid." -- International Film Guide

The changing face of feminist discourse as reflected by the career of one of its preeminent scholars

"Figures of Resistance" brings together the unpublished lectures and little-seen essays of internationally renowned theorist Teresa de Lauretis, spanning over twenty years of her finest work. Thirty years after the height of feminist theory, this collection invites us to reflect on the history of feminism and take a hard look at where it stands today. Selected essays include "Sexual Indifference and Lesbian Representation," "The Lure of the Mannish Lesbian," "Eccentric Subjects," "Habit Changes," "The Intractability of Desire," and the unpublished article "Figures of Resistance." An introduction from feminist film scholar Patricia White provides an overview of the development of de Lauretis's thought and of feminist theory over past decades.