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“Good books… are books to which one stands in rather the same relationship as to “good” friends, to whom one owes a part of one’s knowledge of life and view of the world… “Sigmund Freud, 1907
Delusions and Dreams in Jensen’s “Gradiva”: Freud and the Archaeological Imagination
Freud once said that he had read more books on archaeology than on psychology. Surrounding himself with 2,000 antiquities, he immersed himself in ancient culture, and drew continued inspiration from his archaeological books and objects when developing the concepts and methods of psychoanalysis.
In this special online talk in support of the Sigmund Freud Library Conservation Appeal, Professor Daniel Orrells (KCL) and Freud Museum Research Manager Tom DeRose, discuss one of the most important examples of Freud’s lifelong passion for archaeology from his library, his copy of the first edition of his monograph, Der Wahn und die Träume in W. Jensens “Gradiva” (Delusions and Dreams in Jensen’s “Gradiva”).
In 1907, Freud published his first full length analysis of a work of literature, Wilhelm Jensen’s ‘Pompeiian Fantasy’ novella entitled “Gradiva”. Freud was charmed by this short story, recommend to him by Jung, which tells of how a young archaeologist falls in love with the figure of a woman depicted in a bas-relief. The story not only appealed to Freud’s archaeological tastes, but also offered him an opportunity to illustrate the techniques of psychoanalysis, as the protagonist’s journey from delusion to reality could be compared to the analysand’s resolution of neurotic conflict on the psychoanalyst’s couch.
Freud was so enchanted by this Pygmalion-esque story that he ended up commissioning his own relief of Gradiva, which hangs dramatically on the door-jam at the entrance to his study at 20 Maresfield Gardens. In this talk we will trace the pathways of Freud’s archaeological desire through his analysis of the ‘delusions’ and ‘dreams’ in Jensen’s novella.
Biographies
Daniel Orrells is Professor of Classics at King’s College London. His research explores the reception of the ancient world in modern cultural and intellectual history. His books include Classical Culture and Modern Masculinity (Oxford, 2011) and Sex: Antiquity and Its Legacy (London, 2015). His forthcoming book is Antiquity in Print: Visualising Ancient Greece in the Eighteenth Century.
Tom DeRose is Research Manager at the Freud Museum London. He runs the Freud Museum Reading Group and hosts the Freud in Focus podcast. His research explores the philosophical aspects and cultural implications of Freud’s theories. His latest publication is, ‘The Battle for the Voice: Psychoanalysis and Music’, in ed. Tambling, The Bloomsbury Handbook to Literature and Psychoanalysis (London, 2023).
All registrants will receive their webinar link to join via Zoom. All attendees will also receive access to the recording, available to watch back for 1 month.
Sigmund Freud’s library is in urgent need of conservation
Ticket pricing: Suggested donation £10-£25.
All donations support the conservation of the library that shaped the creation of the ‘talking cure’.
Delusions and Dreams in Jensen’s “Gradiva” is in urgent need of conservation and is one of several at-risk titles in our Adopt-a-Book list.
Thank you for supporting the Sigmund Freud Library Conservation Appeal and helping to protect the entire collection of over 1,600 books in our care.
The Freud Museum London receives no regular Government funding and we are grateful to you for supporting our independent museum as generously as possible.
