He was the eldest son of middle-class parents: Alfred Charles Marie Lacan, a tradesman, and Emilie Philippine Marie (née Baudry). His sister, Magdeleine-Marie Emmanuelle, was born 25 December 1903. Marc-Marie (later changed to Marc-François), Lacan's youngest sibling, was born 25 December 1908. Lacan's childhood included an oppressive Christian atmosphere with regular domestic squabbles often involving his grandparents and his in-laws, who lived on the same block in Paris. The neighborhood was middle-class, and the family was well known in the food business as purveyors of vinegar, pickled foods, mustard, imported brandy, rum, and coffee. Lacan's paternal grandfather, Emile Lacan, had tyrannical tendencies, although Alfred Lacan was affectionate and tolerant. Lacan was named partly after his grandfather, and the elder Emile may have inspired young Jacques-Emile's recognition of the dictatorial notion of the "Name-of-the-Father" that informs his psychoanalytic theory and his literary interpretations.
Lacan was awarded his diplôme de médicine légist, qualifying him as a forensic psychiatrist, in 1931, and his doctorate d'état in 1932. Early in his career he was influenced by modern art and, in turn, inspired many artists, particularly from the Surrealist school. As a clinical psychologist he was accused of using unorthodox methods. His seminar series, offered from 1953 onward, usually at the Hôpital Sainte-Anne, established Lacan's reputation by attracting many French and international intellectuals.
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