Title: LOVE AND LOSS IN FREUD’S MOURNING AND MELANCHOLIA
Abstract: Mourning and Melancholia is one of Freud’s most revered works. Yet it is deeply
ambiguous and opaque. In particular, we leave it unsure of the extent to which
melancholic states are part of the human condition, rather than rare forms of mental
disorder. It is clear that melancholia is a condition of loss, but mystery attaches to
the question of what is lost and whether adult states relive or merely mimic earlier
infantile experiences. In addition, we remain uncertain of the relation between
melancholia and hysteria, as of that between melancholia and mania. The notions
of the ego-ideal, the super-ego and the part played by ambivalence also remain
vague and unresolved. I would be the first to grant the resonance and charm of the
essay. Who can resist the image of the shadow of the object falling across the ego,
or fail to be intrigued that ‘a man must become ill before he can discover truth…’
(Freud 1917:156)?1 Here, however, I want to examine not only the brilliance and
appeal of Mourning and Melancholia but its strange opacity.
Publication Year: 2002
Publication Date: 2002-03-11
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 1
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