John Forrester's "Dispatches from the Freud Wars" is a fascinating
discussion of why Freud, unlike Marx--at the moment--won't leave us
alone and how much of our thinking is impossible without his ideas.
Freud's most vehement critics prove repeatedly that ours is his
century. -- Hanif Kureishi "The Observer"
John Forrester...has seen that the reactions to Freud are
themselves an interesting commentary on our culture as a whole. His
latest book consists of six essays on Freud and his effects,
focusing on the various kinds of reactions to and interpretations
of him. While by no means an unqualified admirer, he assumes that
Freud is a supremely important figure in the twentieth-century's
attempt to understand itself...I enjoyed this book; it is written
in a vigorous, discursive style, provocative and illuminating...It
is nice to be reminded by this book that psychoanalytic ideas exist
in a wider "zeitgeist", and are there not just to be worked with,
but also to be played with. -- Susan Budd "International Journal of
Psycho-Analysis"
An expert at the shifting sands of philosophical argument,
Forrester continually undercuts the grounds of the varieties of
criticisms aimed at psychoanalytic theory, technique and cultural
significance. Love him or hate him, Forrester rightly insists, we
cannot pretend that Freud did not exist, and that his extensive
writings have not permanently influenced the 20th century's
received views on human nature, hermeneutics and the nature of
scientific inquiry...To a large extent then, this a book about
reading Freud, rhetorically structured so that the final charges of
misreading leveled against such critics of psychoanalysis as
Frederick Crews and Adolph GrA1/4nbaum ring convincing and true.
Forrester's accomplishment here is to deflect the accusations of
psychoanalysis as pseudo-science back onto the accusers, who do not
understand that psychoanalysis is not, and never was intended to
be, rocket science. -- Renee Kingcaid "Psychoanalytic Studies"
[This book, along with "Truth Games"]...present[s] a series of
eight wide-ranging but interconnected essays. Taken as an ensemble,
they deal with the history of psychoanalysis, redefinitions of
psychoanalysis and what it means to be a Freudian, psychoanalytic
readings of contemporary cultural issues, discussions of the
scientific status of psychoanalysis and an impassioned defence of
psychoanalysis...The essays are elegantly written, and open up a
number of new perspectives on these issues, as well as putting
forward new formulations of more familiar ones...Anyone interested
in the history of psychoanalysis and the cultural location of
psychoanalysis today is likely to find these essays stimulating,
engaging and inviting of dialogue. -- Sonu Shamdasani "Medical
History"
[These] six long, probing essays on Freudian psychoanalysis and its
cultural legacy...stand in welcome contrast to some of the recent
facile debunkings of Freudianism. Forrester...writes on topics
ranging from justice and envy to the deeper meaning of the
sculptures and other objects from classical antiquity that Freud
collected. He is particularly adept at making cross-cultural and
interdisciplinary links...The great merit of Forrester's book is
that it takes both Freud and his critics seriously. The author is
both rigorous about classical psychoanalysis's limitations and
deeply respectful of its enormous contributions to our culture and
specifically our understanding of the self. He has made a profound,
sometimes scintillating, contribution to the history of this most
multifaceted science and craft.
[This book, along with "Truth Games"]?present[s] a series of eight
wide-ranging but interconnected essays. Taken as an ensemble, they
deal with the history of psychoanalysis, redefinitions of
psychoanalysis and what it means to be a Freudian, psychoanalytic
readings of contemporary cultural issues, discussions of the
scientific status of psychoanalysis and an impassioned defence of
psychoanalysis?The essays are elegantly written, and open up a
number of new perspectives on these issues, as well as putting
forward new formulations of more familiar ones?Anyone interested in
the history of psychoanalysis and the cultural location of
psychoanalysis today is likely to find these essays stimulating,
engaging and inviting of dialogue. -- Sonu Shamdasani "Medical
History"
For the lay reader "Dispatches from the Freud Wars" is not an easy
read, but it is one bound to leave us rethinking the most pervasive
and commonplace aspects of our daily lives and surrounding
communities. John Forrester's breadth of knowledge is
admirable--astonishing, really. And he does succeed in realigning
our vision, clarifying an epoch by confronting us with perspectives
that shift from dazzlingly wide to uncomfortably narrow...Taken
together, the essays comprise a multi-faceted approach to Freud, a
man not to be approached in any simple or narrow manner, as
Forrester makes abundantly clear. -- Elizabeth Templeman "Southern
Humanities Review" (10/01/1999)
Forrester, interestingly, uses Freud's thinking to reconsider such
subjects as the links between envy and justice, and the nature of
discretion as opposed to transgression...[His] book is consistently
challenging. -- Paul Roazen "Globe & Mail"
"Dispatches from the Freud Wars" is compulsively readable, a
revision of Freud's life and thought, brilliantly written, full of
enticing detail. -- A.S. Byatt "The Sunday Times"
ÝThese¨ six long, probing essays on Freudian psychoanalysis and its
cultural legacy...stand in welcome contrast to some of the recent
facile debunkings of Freudianism. Forrester...writes on topics
ranging from justice and envy to the deeper meaning of the
sculptures and other objects from classical antiquity that Freud
collected. He is particularly adept at making cross-cultural and
interdisciplinary links...The great merit of Forrester's book is
that it takes both Freud and his critics seriously. The author is
both rigorous about classical psychoanalysis's limitations and
deeply respectful of its enormous contributions to our culture and
specifically our understanding of the self. He has made a profound,
sometimes scintillating, contribution to the history of this most
multifaceted science and craft.
ÝThis book, along with "Truth Games"¨...presentÝs¨ a series of
eight wide-ranging but interconnected essays. Taken as an ensemble,
they deal with the history of psychoanalysis, redefinitions of
psychoanalysis and what it means to be a Freudian, psychoanalytic
readings of contemporary cultural issues, discussions of the
scientific status of psychoanalysis and an impassioned defence of
psychoanalysis...The essays are elegantly written, and open up a
number of new perspectives on these issues, as well as putting
forward new formulations of more familiar ones...Anyone interested
in the history of psychoanalysis and the cultural location of
psychoanalysis today is likely to find these essays stimulating,
engaging and inviting of dialogue. -- Sonu Shamdasani "Medical
History"
Although there were many reasons for thinking that the
complacencies of the American psychoanalytic establishment deserved
a thorough shaking-up, it is disconcerting that an impression may
be now abroad that psychoanalysis deserved to be seen as junk
science. On this score Forrester is, in my opinion, on the side of
the angels. He takes Freud seriously as a figure within
intellectual history, and in the last chapter of this book
Forrester tries to deal with criticisms...Forrester rightly sees
Freud as part of the Western moral thought, a thinker whose ethical
practices and preachings deserve close scrutiny. -- Paul Roazen
"Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences"
Freud could hardly have a doughtier champion. Forrester's writerly
and polemical skills are impressive, and make for an utterly
fascinating book. -- A. C. Grayling "Financial Times"
Here there are excellent essays on Freud's lurid relationship with
Sandor Ferenczi, and on Freud the collector of antiquities. --
Justin Wintle "The Independent"
In his stimulating analysis, the author brings to bear an
impressive array of thinkers: St. Augustine, Nietzsche, Lacan,
Ferenczi, Rawls, Crews, Sulloway, and Derrida, among many others.
The scope, clarity, and constrained passion of the present study
place it among the outstanding works on the subject for scholars
and serious lay readers.
John Forrester is well known for his translations of Lacan and for
his books on psychoanalysis. This excellent collection of essays is
elegantly readable. The title essay presents a measured, reasonable
defense of Freud which neither conceals his flaws nor blackens his
character. -- Anthony Storr "The Times"
Refreshingly, John Forrester wagers 'that the more we know about
Freud--the more one has unlearned what one was hardwired to know
about him--the more interesting and surprising and
thought-provoking he becomes.' Your Freudian education could begin
here.
This volume delves into the heart of the current Freud debates. As
an erudite scholar from the department of History and Philosophy of
Science at Cambridge University, Forrester brings impeccable
credentials to his exegesis. -- George Hough, Ph.D "Bulletin of the
Menninger Clinic"
Where Forrester hits the mark is his insight on the passionate
intensity of the battles between Freud and his critics, and the
analogy he makes between this struggle and the one between analyst
and his or her patient. It may be possible, in fact, to read the
entire commentary on Freud as that between analysand and analyst,
all projecting part of their shadow onto Freud and struggling in
the trenches of transference and countertransference. It is to
Forrester's credit that he sees this and shows it to us in this
provocative book. -- Claire Douglas "Washington Post Book World"
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