The Freud Reader

by Sigmund Freud, Peter Gay

Overview

The first single-volume work to capture Freud's ideas as scientist, humanist, physician, and philosopher.

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.

Many 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393314038
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	09/17/1995
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	896
Sales rank:	680,167
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) is one of the twentieth century's greatest minds and the founder of the psychoanalytic school of psychology. His many works include The Ego and the Id; An Outline of Psycho-Analysis; Inhibitions; Symptoms and Anxiety; New Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis; Civilization and Its Discontent, and others.

Peter Gay (1923—2015) was the author of more than twenty-five books, including the National Book Award winner The Enlightenment, the best-selling Weimar Culture, and the widely translated Freud: A Life for Our Time.

Editorial Reviews

Author of numerous books on Freud, including a highly regarded biography ( Freud, LJ 7/88), Gay offers the general reader a comprehensive survey of Freud's psychoanalytical, political, and philosophical writings. Preceded by a meaty introduction that emphasizes Freud's commitment to science and reason, this single-volume work includes some 50 of Freud's texts, organized chronologically with headnotes. The selections range from case studies and theoretical discussions about dreams, anxiety, and anal eroticism to essays on lay analysis and religion as humankind's obsessional neurosis. Read sequentially, they allow readers to trace Freud's conceptual shift from a topographic theory of the mind to his structural theory of drives. A scholarly work for students and those wanting more than a cursory look.-- Janice Arenofsky, formerly with Arizona State Lib., Phoenix

Library Journal

Selections span Freud's career from early case histories through his work on dreams, essays on sexuality, and his later philosophical writings. Most are reproduced in full and have been selected from the standard edition. Gay ties all together with an analytical introduction, chronology of life and work, and commentary throughout. Ideal size book for reading and browsing marred only by the inexplicable use of poor quality (and acidic) paper. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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