The Interpretation of Dreams

First published in November 1899, on the eve of the century, "The Interpretation of Dreams" is the originator of concepts such as the Oedipus complex and the notion, now taken for granted, that our daily lives are governed not only by conscious decisions but by unconscious pressures. Although it inaugurated the new practice and discipline of psychoanalysis, its most lasting impact has been on our social and cultural outlook, on how we interpret literature and art, and on the language in which we do so. This new translation is based on the original text. Reading the first theory Freud actually put forward in 1899 and how it fits into the rest of his early work. Joyce Crick's translation aims to capture the pace of Freud's style, freed from the jargon and Victorian elaborations of James Strachey's famous version. In his introduction Ritchie Robertson examines "The Interpretation of Dreams" not only as a scientific essay but also as an autobiographical and cultural document. The notes enable the reader to trace how Freud's ideas were stimulated by his wide reading and by his everyday professional and family life.