Reviews

Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis by Sigmund Freud, James Strachey

adrianasturalvarez's review against another edition

5.0

I didn't read this to learn about psychotherapy, Freud's body of work has been mostly superseded in contemporary psychology as I understand. I did read this for his exceptional way of thinking and for his entertaining and enlightening prose. This book is based on a series of 28 lectures he gave to mostly non-professionals so it reads loosely and with plenty asides. I'll be honest, I'm less intrigued by his work on dreams than I am on his conception of the unconscious but what I really find interesting in these lectures is his work on transference. Freud comes alive when he is able to ground his theory into colorful examples. The man was a fantastic storyteller.

I'm not sure who I would recommend this to. Other writers going down similar rabbit holes, perhaps. I can say that as an introduction to Freud for anyone who is interested, there really is no better place to start than here.