Dostoevsky and Parricide

In this article, we will approach the topic of Dostoevsky and Parricide from different perspectives, with the aim of providing a complete and detailed view on this matter. We will explore its origins, its evolution over time, its relevance today and possible implications for the future. We will delve into its impact in various areas, from science to popular culture, including politics and economics. Additionally, we will analyze expert opinions and people's experiences related to Dostoevsky and Parricide, in order to shed light on its many facets and lesser-known aspects. Ultimately, this article will be a complete guide for those interested in thoroughly understanding Dostoevsky and Parricide and all its implications.

"Dostoevsky and Parricide" (German: Dostojewski und die Vatertötung) is an introductory article contributed by Sigmund Freud to a scholarly collection on the 1880 novel The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. The collection was published in 1928.[1] The article argues that it is no coincidence that some of the greatest works of world literature – including Oedipus Rex, Hamlet, as well as The Brothers Karamazov – all concern parricide, which in Dostoevsky's case Freud links to his epilepsy.

Ernest Jones termed the piece "Freud's last contribution to the psychology of literature and his most brilliant";[2] Freud himself however called it "this trivial essay. It was written as a favour for someone and written reluctantly".[3]

Gambling

The second section of Freud's essay turned away from a primary consideration of The Brothers Karamazov to consider the related question of Dostoevsky's gambling. Freud saw gambling as a defiant struggle with Fate (concealing the father figure);[4] the associated guilt was the reason for the gambler's compulsion to lose. As Freud himself put it with reference to Dostoyevsky's wife:[5]

"she had noticed that the one thing which offered any real hope of salvation – his literary production – never went better than when they had lost everything....When his sense of guilt was satisfied by the punishments he had inflicted on himself, the inhibition on his work became less severe."

See also

References

  1. ^ Ernest Jones, The Life and Work of Sigmund Freud (Penguin 1964) p. 590
  2. ^ Ernest Jones, The Life and Work of Sigmund Freud (Penguin 1964) p. 590
  3. ^ Quoted in J. Halliday/P. Fuller eds., The Psychology of Gambling (1974) p. 105
  4. ^ Otto Fenichel, The Psychoanalytic Theory of Neurosis (1946) p. 372
  5. ^ S. Freud, 'Dostoevsky and Parricide' in J. Halliday/P. Fuller eds., The Psychology of Gambling (1974) p. 170

Further reading

  • F. Dostoevsky, The Gambler (Penguin 1971)
  • Joseph Frank Dostoevsky (197?) Appendix 379-91


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