Start by studying some texts from the notoriously loopy “Ecrits.” You will gain confidence. Lacan's style is like poetry. Start with "The Mirror Stage as Formative in the Function of the I," "The Signification of the Phallus," "The Function and Field of Speech and Language in Psychoanalysis," "Seminar of the Purloined Letter," "The Situation on Psychoanalysis in 1956," and "Function and Field."

Pick this up to aid in your journey. The best way to learn Lacan (at least it was for me), is to read a variety of interpretations from different people, with each person adding something new and different to the sometimes opaque concepts, giving you different readings and angles of the material, thus supplementing your own readings of the source texts. Just what is "Das Ding," again?

Never forget that Lacanian Psychoanlysis is a clinical practice. This work introduces "praxis:" how Lacan relates to the real world. It is a brilliant book. It talks about the differences between Neurotics, Psychotics, and Perverts. The appendices includes a list of terms (buttonholes, fundamental fantasy, etc) and a list of books and lectures where Lacan and Freud discuss them.

THE fundamental cornerstone of psychoanalysis is "The Unconscious," and Lacan said that it was "structured like a language." But what does this actually mean? What is it, and how does Saussurian linguistics come into play. This book delves deeply and clearly into the idea of the Unconscious. The best explanations I've found so far about The Phallus and the Parental Metaphor. As essential as Fink.

Lacan once famously said that women "do not exist. Well, which is it: is Lacanian psychoanalysis a patriarchical theoretical system which seeks to subordinate, or at least denegrate, women's positions, or is it one of the most powerful systems to examine patriarchy in any meaningful way? This book supports the latter thesis in a strikingly convincing way.

Now read the second seminar.

Take a little break now with this DVD of a seminar by Zizek, where one can see how cultural analysis is done using Lacanian theory. THE best Lacan/Zizek documentary, however, is the film "The Pervert's Guide to Cinema." It can only be purchased online. Supposedly there is a "Pervert's Guide to Ideology" in the works as well- can't wait!

A very important seminar.

Now read the "Ethics..."

The essential commentary...

The commentary.

Here is a terrific biography of THE man.

Use your new Lacanian powers to understand the impossible "David Lynch." Lacanian analysis of possibly America's greatest living filmaker, by Todd McGowan.

"Tarrying with the Negative"...

and "The Parallax View."

There are a couple of ongoing Lacanian inspired series out there worth looking into. There is the SIC series, of which the first is (a very interesting subject) "Gaze and Voice as Love Objects."

In this book psychoanalysis gets its apology, and Roudinesco defends its importance as a legitimate therapy and well as a unique "way of knowing."

Ethical theory #1. Lacan buggering Kant and producing monsterous offspring.

Not out yet and haven't read, but looks fascinating. Lacanian analysis of crime scene photos taken from crimes committed in England between 1955 and 1970. Discusses cases using the neurotic, psychotic, perverted psychoanalytic paradigm. Part of the Short Ciruit series edited Slavoj Zizek.