A French word which derives from the verb jouir meaning to have pleasure in, to enjoy, to appreciate, to savour; with a secondary meaning, as in English, of having rights and pleasures in the use of, as in the phrases “she enjoyed good health”, “she enjoyed a considerable fortune”, and “all citizens enjoy the right of freedom of expression”. The derived noun, jouissance, has three current meanings in French: it signifies an extreme or deep pleasure; it signifies sexual orgasm; and in law, it signifies having the right to use something, as in the phrase avoir la jouissance de quelque chose. The word becomes relevant to cultural and literary studies through its usage by the psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan to signif

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Published 01 January 2004

Citation: Clark, Robert. "Jouissance". The Literary Encyclopedia. 1 January 2004.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=602, accessed 9 February 2010.]