Freud's traumatic memory : reclaiming seduction theory and revisiting Oedipus

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Title:

Freud's traumatic memory : reclaiming seduction theory and revisiting Oedipus

Author:

Marcel, Mary, 1961-

ISBN:

9780820703657

9780820703640

Personal Author:

Marcel, Mary, 1961-

Publication Information:

Pittsburgh, Pa. : Duquesne University Press, c2005.

Physical Description:

ix, 221 p. ; 24 cm.

Contents:

Introduction : the asymmetry of taboo and the unbearable idea -- 1. Freud's seduction -- 2. Freud and French forensic medicine -- 3. Analyzing Freud's arguments in "the aetiology of hysteria" -- 4. Reconsidering Freud's recanting : scientific and therapeutic failures -- 5. Freud finds Oedipus -- 6. Seducing power : Laius and the crisis over the rape of a citizen boy -- 7. Seducing the scapegoat : Greek mythology and father-daughter incest -- 8. Freud as twentieth century patient.

Abstract:

"One of the most debated questions in Freud scholarship concerns why, after touting traumatic childhood sexual abuse as the cause of hysteria, Freud turned away from seduction theory and instead created the Oedipus complex and the theory of childhood sexuality." "Answers vary, For Freudians, the attempt to locate the reality principle within repressed memories was impossible, because, as Freud noted as early as 1897, there is no reality principle in the unconscious." "In this study, Mary Marcel applies the most recent clinical work on trauma and recovered memory to Freud's own memories. Her use of rhetorical analysis reveals that Freud's own reasons for abandoning the seduction theory were unfounded and misanalyzed."

"Marcel's book is a comprehensive analysis of both the original Oedipus myths and the Greek myths of father-daughter incest. Closely analysing Freud's biography, his early career, his letters to his confidante Wilhelm Fliess, and the Oedipus myth in its full complexity, Marcel applies a multiplicity of methods and casts a completely new light on what is in fact Freud's thorough misrepresentation of both Oedipus and the incest taboo. By analyzing Freud's arguments, recovered memories from self-analysis and misuse of classical sources, Marcel uncovers why Freud turned away from seduction theory, misconstrued Oedipus, and was unable to cure his own neurosis."--BOOK JACKET.

Personal Subject:

Freud, Sigmund, 1856-1939.

Subject Term:

Oedipus complex.

Seduction -- Psychological aspects -- History.

Electronic Access:

Table of contents http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip052/2004023891.html

Copies:

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Item Barcode	Shelf Number	Copy	Status
Searching... 1:IIEMSA	1:GEN-BOOK	33168020386054	150.1952092 M314F 2005	1	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

One of the most important questions in Freud scholarship concerns why, after touting traumatic childhood sexual abuse as the cause of hysteria, Freud turned away from "seduction theory" and instead created the Oedipus complex and the theory of childhood sexuality. In this study, Mary Marcel applies the most recent clinical work on trauma and recovered memory to Freud's memories. Her use of rhetorical analysis reveals that Freud's own reasons for abandoning the seduction theory were unfounded and misanalyzed. Marcel relates how, near the beginning of his self-analysis in 1897, Freud recovered a memory of having been molested by his nurse in infancy. Deeply troubled, Freud misread a favorite Greek myth and created the Oedipus complex as a means of regaining a sense of control over himself and the nurse's crime. Marcel's book is a comprehensive analysis of both the original Oedipus myths and the Greek myths of father-daughter incest. Closely analyzing Freud's biography, his early career, his letters to his confidante Wilhelm Fliess and the Oedipus myth in its full complexity, Marcel applies a multiplicity of methods and casts a completely new light on what is in fact Freud's thorough misrepresentation of both Oedipus and the incest taboo. By analyzing Freud's arguments, recovered memories from self-analysis and misuse of classical sources, Marcel uncovers why Freud turned away from seduction theory, misconstrued Oedipus, and was unable to cure his own neurosis.