Mari Ruti is Associate Professor of Critical Theory at the University of Toronto and author of Reinventing the Soul: Posthumanist Theory and Psychic Life.

"…[a] splendid book … In exploring such subtending themes as the relation of loss to creativity and the meaning of love, fantasy, and character development, Ruti stands in the tradition of humanist writers who have bridged the disciplinary gaps between philosophy, psychotherapy, and the human sciences." — CHOICE"Ruti's bracing postmodernist sensibility is well ballasted by genuine open-mindedness and even a refreshing dash of humanism. Her eloquent argument that 'psychoanalysis teaches us to make a virtue of contingency' should be heeded not only by scholars of literature and philosophy but also by practicing clinicians." — Peter L. Rudnytsky, coeditor of Psychoanalysis and Narrative Medicine"Passionate, persuasive, ambitious and caring—Ruti cogently bridges ontological issues into psychoanalytic thought." — Ellen McCallum, author of Object Lessons: How to Do Things with Fetishism

• Introduction1. The Art of Living2. The Pursuit of Happiness3. The Remaking of Fate4. The Fall of Fantasies5. The Residue of LoveEpilogueNotesIndex

Mari Ruti is Associate Professor of Critical Theory at the University of Toronto and author of Reinventing the Soul: Posthumanist Theory and Psychic Life.

"…[a] splendid book … In exploring such subtending themes as the relation of loss to creativity and the meaning of love, fantasy, and character development, Ruti stands in the tradition of humanist writers who have bridged the disciplinary gaps between philosophy, psychotherapy, and the human sciences." — CHOICE"Ruti's bracing postmodernist sensibility is well ballasted by genuine open-mindedness and even a refreshing dash of humanism. Her eloquent argument that 'psychoanalysis teaches us to make a virtue of contingency' should be heeded not only by scholars of literature and philosophy but also by practicing clinicians." — Peter L. Rudnytsky, coeditor of Psychoanalysis and Narrative Medicine"Passionate, persuasive, ambitious and caring—Ruti cogently bridges ontological issues into psychoanalytic thought." — Ellen McCallum, author of Object Lessons: How to Do Things with Fetishism

• Introduction1. The Art of Living2. The Pursuit of Happiness3. The Remaking of Fate4. The Fall of Fantasies5. The Residue of LoveEpilogueNotesIndex

Mari Ruti is Associate Professor of Critical Theory at the University of Toronto and author of Reinventing the Soul: Posthumanist Theory and Psychic Life.

"…[a] splendid book … In exploring such subtending themes as the relation of loss to creativity and the meaning of love, fantasy, and character development, Ruti stands in the tradition of humanist writers who have bridged the disciplinary gaps between philosophy, psychotherapy, and the human sciences." — CHOICE"Ruti's bracing postmodernist sensibility is well ballasted by genuine open-mindedness and even a refreshing dash of humanism. Her eloquent argument that 'psychoanalysis teaches us to make a virtue of contingency' should be heeded not only by scholars of literature and philosophy but also by practicing clinicians." — Peter L. Rudnytsky, coeditor of Psychoanalysis and Narrative Medicine"Passionate, persuasive, ambitious and caring—Ruti cogently bridges ontological issues into psychoanalytic thought." — Ellen McCallum, author of Object Lessons: How to Do Things with Fetishism

• Introduction1. The Art of Living2. The Pursuit of Happiness3. The Remaking of Fate4. The Fall of Fantasies5. The Residue of LoveEpilogueNotesIndex