Synopses & Reviews
What to read from the vast output of Sigmund Freud has long been a puzzle. Freudian thought permeates virtually every aspect of twentieth-century life; to understand Freud is to explore not only his scientific papers on the psycho-sexual theory of human development, his theory of the mind, and the basic techniques of psychoanalysis but also his vivid writings on art, literature, religion, politics, and culture.The fifty-one texts in this volume range from Freud's dreams, to essays on sexuality, and on to his late writings, including Civilization and Its Discontents. Peter Gay, a leading scholar of Freud and his work, has carefully chosen these selections to provide a full portrait of Freud's thought. His clear introductions to the selections help guide the reader's journey through each work.Most of the selections are reproduced in full. All have been selected from the Standard Edition, the only English translation for which Freud gave approval both to the editorial plan and to specific renderings of key words and phrases.The Freud Reader contains a full array of explanatory material:
a substantial general introductiona full chronologyintroductions to each selectiona selected bibliography
Synopsis
Freudian thought permeates virtually every aspect of 20th century life. To understand Freud is to explore not only his scientific papers but also his vivid writings on art, literature, politics, religion and culture.
The Freud Reader is the first single-volume work to bring together in accessible form Freud's ideas as a scientist, humanist, doctor and philosopher. It contains fifty-one key texts, spanning Freud's entire career from early case histories through his work on dreams, essays on sexuality, and on to his late writings, including Civilisation and Its Discontents.
Peter Gay, a leading scholar of Freud, has put together this selection to provide a full portrait of Freud's thought. He has also written clear introductions to the selected texts and a general introduction which places the man and his work in the context of his time and culture.