Freud on Women: A Reader

by Elisabeth Young-Bruehl

This is the first volume to collect Freud's writing about women. Chronologically arranged, it shows clearly how his views arose, then were refined, systematized, and revised. Certain theories stayed constant such as the notion of universal bisexuality while others changed.

Genres: Feminism, Psychology

412 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting. Offers a lot of information to the reader but lets the reader come to their own conclusions. It’s very interesting to see Freuds progression in thought

[Nicholas Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent Reader. I originally started it to get the "A Child is Being Beaten" essay, but found the rest of the collection much more useful. The collection is a great parsing of Freud's thought and its development. Many of the smaller, later essays are quite useful, though I'd say a good third of what's here isn't that memorable, at least to me. I definitely recommend a chronological reading for any not already familiar with these works.

As for the popular stigma of Freud and women, this reader presents a great unbiased and sympathetic reading. The book's introductions point out where conflicts or changes in Freud's thought lie, as well as highlight Freud's own (frequent) admittance of his own limits and uncertainties.

All in all, this book is great as a general introduction AND as a filler of essential essays for a more complete psychoanalytic library.

[Marybeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think you could combine this book with Woodhouse's No Bad Dogs & make up a drinking game...