Description: "These days, who still has a soul?" asks Julia Kristeva in this psychoanalytic exploration. Kristeva reveals a new kind of patient, symptomatic of an age of political upheaval, mass-mediated culture, and the dramatic overhaul of familial and sexual mores. She poses a troubling question: Is the psychic space that we have traditionally known disappearing?

Kristeva finds that the psychoanalytic models of Freud and Lacan need to be reread in light of this new patient, a product of a crisis of values resulting from a loss of ideology and a deterioration of belief. Each patient, she contends, suffers from a unique malady which must be targeted. Kristeva also draws on the work of psychologist Helene Deutsch and the writer Germaine de Stael to understand women's experience and contributions within the broader context of contemporary history. Delving into art, literature, autobiography, and theories of language, she continues with an exploration of cultural products ranging from the Bible to the work of Leonardo da Vinci.

Julia Kristeva offers the hope that these maladies harbor new creative potential, and new hope for the soul -- if we can comprehend their effect on the individual and collective experiences of our time.

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