Review - Killing Freud Twentieth-Century Culture And the Death of Psychoanalysis by Todd Dufresne Continuum, 2006 Review by E. James Lieberman, M.D., May 5th 2009 (Volume 13, Issue 19) "I still enjoy reading Freud and am happy to teach his work to my students." (162). This embrace of the founder of psychoanalysis contrasts with most everything else presented in this sparkling obituary of the profession. Dufresne, a relatively young Freud critic, teaches philosophy at Lakehead University, Ontario. Steeped in the history, literature and philosophy of the twentieth century and before, he jousts with deconstruction, Lacanian analysis and Freudo-Marxism, bringing humor and a creative flair to the task. While essential and challenging for Freud scholars, at least half the book is accessible to general readers. The book comprises thirteen chapters (some previously published in scholarly journals) with notes, bibliography and index. The first section reviews the beginnings of psychoanalysis, the influence of hypnosis and Freud's dismissal of that approach. Dufresne argues, however, that a substantial amount of powerful, unacknowledged suggestion pervades the analyst-patient relationship. The second section takes up theory and politics as well as history, and includes a fictional piece about a Canadian psychoanalyst who becomes Freud's patient in 1933. It rings true emotionally, proving Dufresne's talent as a scholar who can breathe life into history. The third major section is devoted to side issues that have hardly been mentioned before in this context: skating and dogs. Ernest Jones, Freud's English colleague and biographer also wrote on his own hobbies of ice skating and chess. Dufresne wields a formidable analytic talent himself in Psychoanalysis on Thin Ice, delving into power and control, mind and body, ecstasy and hidden eroticism. He explores Freud's late-life devotion to his dogs, partners in all psychoanalytic sessions. As a young student, Freud read Cervantes' story of Cipion, a smart listener and analytic forerunner missed by most biographers but important, since Freud signed some of his early letters Cipion. The book includes an interview with Dufresne, in which he positions himself among Freud critics, condemns Freudian interpretation as unscientific, self-serving garbage, and dismisses poststructuralism as a handmaiden of psychoanalysis. Dufresne deplores the failure of scholars to deal with facts that have been known for decades: against this regrettable culture of motivated disinterest, Killing Freud is issued as a provocation and call to scholarly debate. It succeeds very well at that. The debate might start about the form of discourse in the psychoanalytic
Review - Killing FreudTwentieth-Century Culture And the Death of
Psychoanalysisby Todd DufresneContinuum, 2006Review by E. James
Lieberman, M.D.,May 5th 2009 (Volume 13, Issue 19)"I still enjoy
reading Freud and am happy to teach his work to my students."
(162). This embrace of the founder of psychoanalysis contrasts with
most everything else presented in this sparkling obituary of the
profession. Dufresne, a relatively young Freud critic, teaches
philosophy at Lakehead University, Ontario. Steeped in the history,
literature and philosophy of the twentieth century and before, he
jousts with deconstruction, Lacanian analysis and Freudo-Marxism,
bringing humor and a creative flair to the task. While essential
and challenging for Freud scholars, at least half the book is
accessible to general readers.The book comprises thirteen chapters
(some previously published in scholarly journals) with notes,
bibliography and index. The first section reviews the beginnings of
psychoanalysis, the influence of hypnosis and Freud's dismissal of
that approach. Dufresne argues, however, that a substantial amount
of powerful, unacknowledged suggestion pervades the analyst-patient
relationship. The second section takes up theory and politics as
well as history, and includes a fictional piece about a Canadian
psychoanalyst who becomes Freud's patient in 1933. It rings true
emotionally, proving Dufresne's talent as a scholar who can breathe
life into history.The third major section is devoted to side issues
that have hardly been mentioned before in this context: skating and
dogs. Ernest Jones, Freud's English colleague and biographer also
wrote on his own hobbies of ice skating and chess. Dufresne wields
a formidable analytic talent himself inPsychoanalysis on Thin Ice,
delving into power and control, mind and body, ecstasy and hidden
eroticism. He explores Freud's late-life devotion to his dogs,
partners in all psychoanalytic sessions. As a young student, Freud
read Cervantes' story of Cipion, a smart listener and analytic
forerunner missed by most biographers but important, since Freud
signed some of his early lettersCipion.The book includes an
interview with Dufresne, in which he positions himself among Freud
critics, condemns Freudian interpretation as unscientific,
self-serving garbage, and dismisses poststructuralism as a
handmaiden of psychoanalysis. Dufresne deplores the failure of
scholars to deal with facts that have been known for decades:
against this regrettable culture of motivated disinterest,Killing
Freudis issued as a provocation and call to scholarly debate. It
succeeds very well at that. The debate might start about the form
of discourse in the psychoanalytic hour, the individual and
cultural significance of what has sometimes been called "The Jewish
confessional." 2009 E. James LiebermanE. James Lieberman, M.D.,
Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Emeritus, George Washington
University School of Medicine
