A Young Girl's Diary: Prefaced With A Letter By Sigmund Freud

by Hermine Hug-Hellmuth, M. Eden Paul (translator), Cedar Paul (translator)

THE best preface to this journal written by a young girl belonging to the upper middle class is a letter by Sigmund Freud dated April 27, 1915, a letter wherein the distinguished Viennese psychologist testifies to the permanent value of the document: "This diary is a gem. Never before, I believe, has anything been written enabling us to see so clearly into the soul of a young girl, belonging to our social and cultural stratum, during the years of puberal development. We are shown how the sentiments pass from the simple egoism of childhood to attain maturity; how the relationships to parents and other members of the family first shape themselves, and how they gradually become more serious and more intimate; how friendships are formed and broken. We are shown the dawn of love, feeling out towards its first objects. Above all, we are shown how the mystery of the sexual life first presses itself vaguely on the attention, and then takes entire possession of the growing intelligence, so that the child suffers under the load of secret knowledge but gradually becomes enabled to shoulder the burden. Of all these things we have a description at once so charming, so serious, and so artless, that it cannot fail to be of supreme interest to educationists and psychologists.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, History, Essays, Memoir

125 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1919

About the author

Hermine Hug-Hellmuth (born Hermine Hug Edle von Hugenstein) was a psychoanalyst, and earlier the author of "A young girl's diary" ("Tagebuch eines halbwüchsigen Mädchens") originally published anonymously by Sigmund Freud.

Reviews

[Doris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this when I was in college and was enchanted by it. I just read it again, and still
really liked it. Her diary covers the period from age 12 or so to 14. As far as I can tell she
is living in Austria or perhaps Germany in the early 1900s, the youngest of three children in an upper middle class family of some nobility. She is bright, romantic, and naive. She and her best friend
are desperate to learn about the wider world, while the adults in her life try their best to prevent it. I really got to know this child and care for her, sympathizing with all she has had to endure, and
what, as the diary ends, she has yet to endure.

[Duygu · Rating 1 out of 5]

orijinali nasıl bilmiyorum ama çevirisi google translateden yapılmış gibi. Halalar teyzeler karışmış, cümleler anlaşılmıyor. İmla hatalari var fakat önsözde belirtildiği gibi orijinalinde de benzer hataları korumak adına olabilir.

[Quinn Staley]

Basically Amazon sold me this ebook under the guise of it being Anne Franks diary. I read 66% of a random child’s diary before realizing it wasn’t the right book.

Marking this as finished just bc I wasted my time and I’m angry 🙃

[Nhu Khue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just another personal story.

[Shah.Yari · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is exceptional! Recommend it to everyone.

[Merve I · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oda yayinlari cevirisi daha iyi olmaliydi. Ingilizceden cevirinin etkisi olmali ama Frau ve Herr'ler aynen kalmis ve cok fazla cevirmen notu vardi. Ceviri dikkatimi cok sık dagitti.

[MauroMC · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started reading this diary a little 'joke thinking about my twelve years old daughter . There is no real story, but events of daily life. Nevertheless they are to recognize between the lines several aspects of the aristocracy of the time. An inordinate admiration for the military class; a naive but clear social classification; aversion towards Jews.
The heart of the matter is the curious search of the secrets of life hidden behind sexuality. This made me think: how much less, would it be dark and hard the relationship between the sexes if arguments related to sexuality were better explained? By a clarification within families or school facilities?
With different accents, even today there are barriers between generations regarding these subjects, that are considered somehow taboo. In different societies and religions that is even more extreme.
At the end of the day, a simple diary offering topics to think about.
The ending is sad, especially if a bit you get passionate to the vicissitudes of small writer.

[Sra Booksstyle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fue publicado en 1919 y al comenzar a leerlo, me hizo recordar mucho a "El diario de Anna Frank".
Es muy parecido en el formato y ambos están narrados por niñas que cuentan como es su vida.
Este libro nos cuenta a detalle como la joven Grete busca saber sobre la sexualidad y como en ese momento era algo indebido que una niña sepa e investigué ese tema.
También nos relata sus amoríos, la vida social que llevaba, la pérdida de un ser querido y el rol que cumplía la mujer en ese momento.
En mi opinión fue un libro que nos puedo ilustrar a la perfección aquella época.
Es un género que no leo mucho pero no me desagradó.

[Annmarie · Rating 2 out of 5]

this is truly the musings of a pre-teen to early teenage girl, nothing terribly remarkable happens (except for the death of her mother which is no more monumental than other upsetting events) as we follow her growing up. however, it is, of course, all of tremendous import to the young girl. The sudden, unexpected ending was frustrating. Surely, her thoughts going forward would have been much more interesting and revealing.

I suppose this is what the diary of an 11 - 14 year old girl reads like. It does however, provide an inside view, a snapshot of a different culture, time and place.

[De'h · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting as a study. It made me go back and rethink about my thoughts at the time. Sure i had forgotten but i would be happy to have kept a diary myself.
It's a nice "book" for it ties you to the girl, and personally the ending was so shocking that i couldn't decide with myself if I would have wanted the diary to continue or if i was glad it ended for it would have been too much painful.
Last, since it's not a work of art, but a tool of study i rate it 3 stars.

[Laurenm52 · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this was not a page-turner type of read, it was interesting to have an inside look into the life of a young girl (or as Rita would prefer it, lady) from Vienna from the early 1900s. The 3 stars was not entirely due to the fact that it was not a typical enthralling read, but because the end came as a bit of a shock. I typically love an unexpected ending, but this one did not give me the all the information that I would have wanted from that sort of ending.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

good from a psychological perspective as you were able to enter a young girl's mind but the story line was a bit boring and focused on far less important things but I guess that is the way of teenagers

[miser odette · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok

[Spallis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the entire book... thinking this was Anne Frank's diary. Wow. I'm really shocked right now. I just made the realization minutes ago. Well... great read nonetheless... but... holy... I thought something was off, but...