The Routledge Guidebook to Freud's Interpretation of Dreams

Freud’s seminal work The Interpretation of Dreams helped to shape the culture of modernism of the twentieth century and launched the discipline of psychoanalysis, which continues influence our understanding of human subjectivity and the workings of the unconscious today but the original text is complex and quite dense for anyone who is unfamiliar with Freud’s work. Tracing the evolution of the text from a regional theory of psychopathology, to Freud’s model for the ‘apparatus of the soul’ which outlines the formation of some of his best known theories, The Routledge Guidebook to Freud’s The Interpretation of Dreams provides an accessible introduction to Freud’s work which assesses: Freud’s life and the historical context of the text A critical discussion of the text, which examines its relation to Freud’s attempts to create a theory of human subjectivity The cultural impact of The Interpretation of Dreams Offering a close reading of the text, this is essential reading for anyone studying this enormously influential work.

Table of Contents Part 1. Introduction: The Work in Context Short Overview of Freud’s Life. Hysteria and Dreams: From the Pathological to the Universal. A Book with Eight Prefaces: Evolution of the Text. Part 2. The Basic Argument: Every Dream Is A Wish The "forest": Freud’s account of dream research (Interpretation of Dreams, chapter 1). The "defile": Freud’s specimen dream. (Interpretation of Dreams, chapter 2). The "open prospect": Dreaming as wish fulfillment. (Interpretation of Dreams, chapter 3). Complications: Dream Distortion and the Concept of Dream Work (Interpretation of Dreams, chapter 4). Part 3. The Mechanics of Dreaming Dream Material (Interpretation of Dreams, chapter 5) Self-Analysis and Freud’s Own Dreams Typical Dreams and the Oedipus Complex Dream-Work (Interpretation of Dreams, chapter 6) Dream Symbols and the Struggle of the Text Secondary Revision, Day-Dream and Fantasy Part 4. An Emerging Model of Mind The seventh chapter and the Project for a Scientific Psychology Revisions and extensions of the dream theory in Freud’s later works. Part 5. A Book for the Century. A Brief Reception History Daring to Dream: Some Practical Advice for Teachers and Students.

Richard H. Armstrong is Associate Professor of Classical Studies and Fellow in the Honors College, University of Houston. He has published extensively on the reception of ancient culture, translation studies, and the history of psychoanalysis.