Becoming William James

by Howard M. Feinstein

For William James, work was the problem. Ultimately, going to work was the resolution, and James's quest for meaningful work remains as relevant at the end of the twentieth century as it was in the nineteenth. Weaving letters, diaries, drawings, and published texts, Becoming William James provides a convincing biographical analysis rich in detail and tone. In his new introduction, Howard M. Feinstein adds biological psychiatry to psychoanalytic and family systems theories to inform our understanding of a complex man. In addition, he discusses whether James's mental illness might have been treated with drugs.

Genres: Biography

384 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1984

Reviews

[Kiof]

The parts about invalidism are amazing. Check this (slightly modified) quote out:

"Besides protecting leisure and making pleasurable travel socially acceptable, invalidism served admirably to convey feelings that would have been difficult to express directly without ruffling the surface calm of the Victorian family. That one might hate the parent one also loved, resent the caretaker whose nurturing made invalidism possible, and loathe the domestic scene whose apparent peace shielded one from worldly struggles was unthinkable--or at least unmentionable. But an invalid of course could refuse to improve, bemoan his long list of complaints, and inflict pain on his anxious relatives. The perplexed caretaker felt the impact of the blow yet was unable to strike back at one so weak and helpless."

[Frank Spencer]

this one has some good illustrations, one set with photos of many of the Jameses through the years