Introduction

Many texts about anxiety are based either in the philosophical tradition or within the medical model under the guise of discussions about post-traumatic stress disorder. In the case of fantasy, however, the usual sources of discussion are in literary and cultural criticism. Bringing the two together offers the scope for a book with an original theme. The balance between clinical ideas, philosophical ideas and literary sources is aimed at keeping both potential audiences interested.

Clinical and Theoretical Perspectives

Clinicians may find the idea of thinking dialectically helpful with their patients. Although this approach is implied in both Freud and Lacan, this is the first book to put dialectics centre stage in terms of understanding the patient's discourse.

For General Readers

As far as general readers are concerned, most texts on fantasy do not home in on the contribution of anxiety to the constantly changing content of fantasy.

New Approach to Anxiety

This book offers a new approach to the problem of anxiety. It suggests that our fantasies (both public and private) offer the key to understanding our anxieties and vice versa.