Synopses & Reviews
Swiss-born Carl Gustav Jung (1875and#150;1961) was one of the pioneers of psychology, largely responsible for the introduction of now-familiar psychological terms such as and#147;introvert,and#8221; and#147;extrovert,and#8221; and and#147;collective unconscious.and#8221; But in spite of this, Jung has often remained on the fringes of academic discourse. Seeking to understand Jung in view of not only his life, but also in light of his extensive reading and prolific writing, this new biography reclaims Jung as a major European thinker whose true significance has not been fully appreciated.
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Paul Bishop follows Jung from his early childhood to his years at the University of Basel and his close relationshipand#151;and eventual breakand#151;with Sigmund Freud. Exploring Jungand#8217;s ideas, Bishop takes up the psychiatristand#8217;s suggestion that and#147;the tragedies of Goetheand#8217;sand#160;Faustand#160;and Nietzscheand#8217;sand#160;Thus Spoke Zarathustraand#160;. . . mark the first glimmerings of a breakthrough of total experience in our Western hemisphere,and#8221; engaging with Jungand#8217;s scholarship to offer one of the fullest appreciations yet of his distinctive approach to culture. Bishop also considers the role that theand#160;Red Book, written between 1914 and 1930 but not published until 2009, played in the progression of Jungand#8217;s thought, allowing Bishop to provide a new assessment of this divisive personality. Jungand#8217;s attempt to synthesize the different parts of human life, Bishop argues, marks the man as one of the most important theorists of the twentieth century.
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Providing a compelling examination of the life of this highly influential figure, the concise and accessibleand#160;Carl Jungand#160;will find a place on the shelves of students, scholars, and both clinical and amateur psychologists alike.
Review
and#8220;This excellent addition to the Critical Lives series is, says Paul Bishop, and#8216;a biography of Jung in books.and#8217; In particular, Bishop locates Jung in a philosophical and literary context, demonstrating and#8216;how deeply and profoundly Jung belongs to a broader stream of thought in German culture.and#8217; For Jung, his library was his laboratory and so this approach is especially valuable in revealing the significance of analytical psychology as a cultural project. . . . a wonderfully rich intellectual biography.and#8221;and#160;
Review
andldquo;Unlike many biographies of Jung, this is a balanced, unbiased portrayal. As part of the andlsquo;Critical Livesandrsquo; series, the volume looks at Jungandrsquo;s life from childhood to death, examining the culture, contemporary thought, and philosophy of the time period.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;In his book Carl Jung, Bishop has woven a narrative of Jungandrsquo;s life that bypasses a linear history with a recursive and complex story that would make Jung proud. . . . An even-handed description of the intertwining influences that contributed to the creation of the Jung that we have come to know. . . . A masterful, albeit brief exposition.andrdquo;and#160;
Review
andldquo;A complex life has been given a sensitive and complex treatment, with many small corners of thought to dwell upon. Bishop has given both the student of Jung and the casual reader much to enjoy.andrdquo;
Synopsis
Carl Gustav Jung (1875and#150;1961), as well as being one of the pioneers of psychology, is one of the most controversial of thinkers: in spite of being largely responsible for the introduction of now-familiar psychological terms such as and#147;extrovertand#8221; or and#147;introvertand#8221;, Jung has often been sidelined, remaining on the fringes of academic discourse. In this new account Paul Bishop reclaims Jung as a major European thinker whose true significance, even now, is not fully appreciated.
Taking into account the role of Jungand#8217;s recently published Red Book in the progression of his thought, Carl Jung re-assesses this divisive personality, reading Jung in terms not only of his biography, but also in light of his extensive reading and output. Jung once remarked that and#147;the tragedies of Goetheand#8217;s Faust and Nietzscheand#8217;s Thus Spoke Zarathustra [. . .] mark the first glimmerings of a breakthrough of total experience in our Western hemisphere.and#8221; In this critical biography Bishop takes up this suggestion and engages with Jungand#8217;s scholarship in order to offer one of the fullest appreciations yet of his distinctive approach to culture. He finds in Jungand#8217;s attempt to synthesize all the different parts of human life an enterprise that marks him out as one of the most important theorists of the twentieth century.
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About the Author
Paul Bishop holds the William Jacks Chair of Modern Languages at the University of Glasgow and is the author of
Reading Goethe at Midlife: Ancient Wisdom, German Classicism, and Jung and
Jung's "Answer to Job": A Commentary.
Table of Contents
Abbreviations
Introduction: Biography and/as Poetry/Truth
1. A Child of Goethe
2. Secrets: Manikins and Pencil-cases in the Loft
3. Science or Spiritism?
4. Occultism, Psychoanalysis, and Beyond
5. Out with the New, in with the (Very) Old: From Psychoanalysis to Analytical Psychology
6. Back to the Future: Bollingen and Alchemy
7. A Voyage of Discovery to the Other Pole of the World
Conclusion: Jungand#8217;s Death and the Legacy of Analytical Psychology
References
Select Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements