Ever since Freud made his first major statements about female sexuality and psychology, his views have been the focus of intense debate—both within psychoanalysis and without. By now, the lines of battle have become so many and so criss-crossed that it is not easy to see the original causus belli clearly. This anthology will encourage current and new generations of debaters, and discourage the circulation of simplistic versions of what Freud supposedly said about women.
Chronologically arranged, this first volume to collect Freud’s writing about women shows clearly how his views arose, then were refined, systematized, and revised. Certain theories stayed constant—such as the notion of universal bisexuality—while others changed. Elisabeth Young-Breuhl, in her comprehensive introduction, illuminates the theory and tracks the core elements. Each selection, based on the James Strachey translation, carries a brief commentary; and an annotated bibliography covers field developments since Freud’s death. While appreciating the genius of Freud, this anthology aims not to present a point of view but to allow readers to discern for themselves the evolution of Freud’s thinking.
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Although it is customary to credit Freud’s self-analysis, it may be more accurate, Alexander Welsh argues, to say that psychoanalysis began when The Interpretation of Dreams was published in the last weeks of the nineteenth century. Only by going public with his theory–that dreams manifest hidden wishes–did Freud establish a position to defend and embark upon a career. That position and career have been among the most influential in this century.
In August 1899, Freud wrote to Wilhelm Fliess of the dream book in terms reminiscent of Dante’s Inferno. Beginning from a dark wood, this modern journey features “a concealed pass though which I lead the reader–my specimen dream with its peculiarities, details, indiscretions, bad jokes–and then suddenly the high ground and the view and the question, Which way do you wish to go now?” Physician that he is, Freud appoints himself guide rather than hero, yet the way “you” wish to go is very much his prescribed way.
In Welsh’s book, readers are invited on Freud’s journey, to pause at each concealed pass in his seminal work and ask where the guide is taking them and why. Along the way, Welsh shows how Freud’s arbitrary turnings are themselves wishful, intended to persuade by pleasing the reader and author alike; that his interest in secrets and his self-proclaimed modest ambition are products of their time; and that the book may best be read as a romance or serial comedy. “Some of the humor throughout,” Welsh notes, “can only be understood as a particular kind of fine performance.” Welsh offers the first critical overview of the argument in Freud’s masterpiece and of the author who presents himself as guide.
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Tags: Career, D Psy, D Psychology, Psych, Psychology, Theories