Describing the Russian novelist as ‘not far behind Shakespeare’ in the canon of creative artists, Freud found Dostoevsky’s insights into the human psyche profound and compelling. Indeed, in this short text, published in 1928, Freud traces a literary tradition from Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, through Shakespeare’s Hamlet to Dostoevsky’s The Brother’s Karamazov, of works that grappled with the same ‘Oedipal’ dynamics that became the very core of psychoanalytic intervention. In this 4 week reading group we will not only explore Freud’s provocative readings of some of Dostoevsky’s ket texts, but also experience why the founder of psychoanalysis drew so heavily on creative writers for inspiration.
The group will meet from 14 May – 11 June, with a reading week on 28 May. Weekly meetings will take place online on Tuesdays, 17.30 – 19.00 BST. All attendees will be emailed the recording of each session afterwards to catch up. The group’s capacity is limited to 10 people only.
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Tom DeRose – Group Facilitator
Tom DeRose is Research Manager at the Freud Museum London. His research focusses on the cultural and philosophical aspects of Freudian theory. His most recent publication is ‘The Battle for the Voice: Psychoanalysis and Music’, in ed. Tambling, The Bloomsbury Handbook to Literature and Psychoanalysis (Bloomsbury, 2023).
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