The Interpretation of Dreams

By Sigmund Freud

Book Overview

&&LIInterpretation of Dreams&&L/I, by &&LBSigmund Freud&&L/B, is part of the &&LIBarnes & Noble Classics&&L/I&&LI &&L/Iseries, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of &&LIBarnes & Noble Classics&&L/I: New introductions commissioned from today's top writers and scholars Biographies of the authors Chronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events Footnotes and endnotes Selective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work Comments by other famous authors Study questions to challenge the reader's viewpoints and expectations Bibliographies for further reading Indices & Glossaries, when appropriate All editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. &&LIBarnes & Noble Classics &&L/Ipulls together a constellation of influences--biographical, historical, and literary--to enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works.&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" &&L/P&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"Claiming he had discovered the "royal road to the unconscious," &&LSTRONGSigmund Freud&&L/B published &&LIThe Interpretation of Dreams&&L/I at the turn of the twentieth century, and thus laid the foundation for his innovative technique of psychoanalysis. Largely ignored at first, the book would eventually be considered Freud's most important work, one that, like Darwin's &&LIThe Origin of Species&&L/I, revolutionized the way human beings view themselves.&&L/P&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" &&L/P&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"The raw material for &&LIThe Interpretation of Dreams&&L/I was provided by Freud himself. Spurred on by the death of his father, he began analyzing his own dreams, in the process recreating lost childhood memories and uncovering the roots of his own neuroses. He concluded that dreams were filled with latent meaning, their bizarre imagery and peculiar narratives concealing deep-seated, instinctual motives and desires. For example, his own problems stemmed from a repressed desire for his mother and hostility towards his father--the now-famous Oedipal complex. By revealing how the seemingly trivial nonsense of dreams reflect important personal issues in the dreamer's present and past life, Freud created a key that unlocked the vital secrets of the unconscious mind.&&L/P&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" &&L/P&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"A fascinating and beautifully written book, &&LIThe Interpretation of Dreams&&L/I is an indefinable masterpiece that helped shape the mind of the twentieth century.&&L/P&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" &&L/P&&LSTRONGDaniel T. O'Hara&&L/B&&L/B is Professor of English and first holder of the Mellon Chair in Humanities at Temple University. He is the author of five books, most recently &&LIEmpire Burlesque&&L/I.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1593082983
• ISBN13: 9781593082987
• Release Date: October 2005
• Publisher: Barnes & Noble Classics
• Length: 530 Pages
• Weight: 1.12 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 5.8" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

great sci classic, perhaps to be seen as copernicus someday

This is the book that started the revolution in our view of human psychology: it uncovered the (always disputed) existence of the unconscious mind as well as created an entirely new mode of thinking about the human psyche.Strangely enough, it is also a fun and very informative read: there are great case studies of patients, charming autobiographical asides, and a rigorous snapshot of the science of dreams at the time. It is also beautifully written: ironically, though never the recipient of the Nobel prize, Freud did win the Goethe prize in Germany for his writing style. As Walter Kaufman said so eloquently, with his rich ironies and attention to the individual, Freud offered a way to reintroduce poetry into science.Certainly, much of what Freud thought is now disputed and discredited. Like Copernicus, whose model of our solar system failed in many respects, Freud also made fundamental errors, in particular his notorious over-emphasis of sexuality and the phallus. But we do not blame Copernicus for not seeing what Kepler, Newton, and later Einstein discovered: we value him as a step towards the unknown, as a pioneer, however timid. Freud will come to be seen the same way, as the discoverer of the unconscious mind.Warmly recommended.

the dynamics of dreams are the bedrock of thinking

Most reviewers see the value of this great work, which lays out the dynamics of the unconscious mind. Others have a variety of misconceptions: first, he was not a cocaine addict. He misunderstood cocaine [as most people did] and, briefly, recommended it to others, including his fiancee. When his close friend died of it, Freud realized his error.Second, one reader states that you can't find "measurements" to prove anything about dreams. As one who has practiced in the field, I can say that the reader can measure the truth of Freud's theory by using it to understand him or herself, by analyzing one's own dreams.The dynamics of dreams are:first, dreams are phylogenetic, i.e., inherited as a species; they are not ontogenetic, i.e., created by environmental factors.R.E.M. studies have shown for fifty years that our eyes move rapidly while dreaming as is we were watching a film. However, all of the people in a dream are different fragments of ourselves, of our wishes, of our interests.Second: this phylogenetic inheritance includes an innate propensity to think in pictures. Moving up the scale of consciousness, in Ucs. [unconsciousness, thinking is mostly pictorial but sometimes verbal]; in Pcs. [preconsciousness, i.e., in daydreaming, thinking is pictorial and verbal and partly in our control]; in Cs. [consciousness, thinking is mostly verbal but partly pictorial].Dreams have two main dynamics: one, displacement [in which the mind protects itself by displacing the troubling thought with a symbol]; two, condensation [in which the mind places symbols on top of one another in layers in order to make the troubling thought hard to find].Schizophrenics are hard to understand because much of their thinking is dominated by displacement and condensation while they are awake. Their speech has numerous layers of symbols - condensation.In displacement, there is a manifest meaning [that which appears evident] and a latent meaning [that which one has to dig for by piercing the condensation of the displacements.Any thinker, who chooses to simply understand, should avoid preconceptions or anger or a need to disdain or to repress. He or she should merely use the dynamics of dreaming to unravel his or her own dreams and daydreams [which can be analyzed with the same dynamics, except it is much easier because condensation is not as severe].Freud was originally sceptical of his own insights and, as a result, he sat on this work for about a year, being reluctant to believe himself. He finally realized he was being defensive, that he was trying to repress disturbing truths about himself that were also true of us as a species.In analysis, the analyst doesn't speak much because the best person in a position to understand himself is the patient . . . just as the best person in a position to understand his/her dream is the dreamer. Further, an analyst doesn't talk because he wants the patient to speak until he/she finally understands h

Life is like a dream

This book changed my life in a profound way. Freud taught me that everything is connected. He used dreams to illustrate this. During the few weeks I was reading this book, I began looking at everything around me as possibly symbolic and/or connected. It is amazing what is available when you are receptive to this information. Freud can teach you to see the meaning in your dreams, but these lessons apply to all of life.Freud also has such a disarming way of writing that I felt as if I knew the man as a friend once I was done reading.