The Anti-Oedipus Project — Read This First
Welcome to the Anti-Oedipus Project!
You’ve probably found your way here because you’re interested in reading Anti-Oedipus. Or perhaps, you’ve stumbled upon this blog post by chance. Either way, welcome!
Anti-Oedipus is a landmark book written by French philosophers Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari in 1972. As the title suggests, Deleuze and Guattari seek to dismantle Sigmund Freud’s Oedipus complex. However, in their exploration, they illustrate how the myth of Oedipus permeates modern society.
In this blog post, I will outline a reading approach that explores the book’s central argument. My aim is to offer a thorough breakdown of what I consider the essential sections.
While I’ve read most of Anti-Oedipus, I’m far from completing a detailed analysis of each section (which is why many sections on my blog remain blank). In any case, I’ll be adding analysis bit by bit as I find time or gain better understanding of different parts of the text.
Disclaimer: I am not the arbiter of everything Anti-Oedipus. Please feel free to comment with criticism. I want to understand the text better — just like you!
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For all of the blog posts examining sections of Anti-Oedipus, I will be using this version of the text:
- Deleuze, Gilles and Guattari, Félix. (1972). Anti-Oedipus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia. University of Minnesota Press.
Reading Outline
1.1–1.3: The Three Syntheses of the Unconscious
Deleuze and Guattari begin Anti-Oedipus by isolating three syntheses of the unconscious. The three syntheses are three perspectives of the same process; they are three ways of looking at the same thing.
Chapter 1.1: In the first section, Deleuze and Guattari introduce the first synthesis, referred to as the connective synthesis or the production of production. They characterize the energy within this synthesis as “libido.” The first synthesis is guided by “and … and then.”
Chapter 1.2: In the second section, Deleuze and Guattari introduce the second synthesis, referred to as the disjunctive synthesis or production of recording. They characterize the energy within this synthesis as “Numen.” The second synthesis is guided by “either … or … or”
Chapter 1.3: In the third section, Deleuze and Guattari introduce the third synthesis, referred to as the conjunctive synthesis or production of consumption. They characterize the energy within this synthesis as “voluptuous.” The third synthesis is guided by “so it’s … ”
The three synthesis are an explanation for how subjectivity comes to be. Deleuze and Guattari don’t assume that subjectivity is an a priori.
2.3–2.8: The Five Paralogisms
Previously, we noted the three syntheses of the unconscious. Now, Deleuze and Guattari dive into how the three syntheses can be misused. One might assume there to be three paralogisms, each corresponding to one of the three syntheses, explaining how each synthesis can be misused; however, Deleuze and Guattari identify five paralogisms. These paralogisms illustrate how desire represses itself, ultimately culminating in fascism.
Chapter 2.3: The first paralogism isolates a misuse of the first synthesis.
Chapter 2.4: The second paralogism isolates a misuse of the second synthesis.
Chapter 2.5: The third paralogism isolates a misuse of the third synthesis.
Chapter 2.6: This section summarizes the first three paralogisms.
Chapter 2.7: The fourth paralogism isolates social and psychic repression.
Chapter 2.8: The fifth paralogism isolates the presence of neurosis and psychosis. (This is essentially Michel Foucault’s argument in his book Discipline and Punish. Deleuze and Guattari’s first four paralogisms describe the conditions that precede one’s policing of others and themselves.)
