Literature review: Freud's Dream of Interpretation

 

Citation:

Frieden, Ken. Freud's Dream of Interpretation, State University of New York Press, 1990. ProQuest Ebook

    Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/rutgers-ebooks/detail.action?docID=3408353.

Summary: Ken Frieden writes a summary of and commentary on Sigmund Freud's own book, "The Interpretation of Dreams." He focuses on Freud's reactions to instances of dream interpretation mentioned in the Old Testament, particularly Joseph and Daniel. The work is also critical of Freud's theories, as Frieden points out that the whole point of Freud's work was to establish dream interpretation as a legitimate practice, and he sometimes seems to contradict himself. 

Author: Ken Frieden is a professor of Judaic studies at Syracuse University. He is involved in the Departments of English, Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, and Religion. Frieden writes about Jewish literature. He has written and published several of his own works, as well as edited works for others.

Key Terms: Freud; Judaism; Dream Interpretation

Quotes: 

“Wishes do not merely precede dreaming; they often color the commitment to interpretation.” (pp. 3)

"The initial task for The Interpretation of Dreams is to establish dream interpretation as a valid field of scientific inquiry." (pp. 10)

“Jacob favors Joseph, and the narrative reflects this preference; as the central protagonist, Joseph dominates every scene in which he appears.” (Frieden, pp. 49)

Value: My paper includes Freud's opinions on dream interpretation, as well as Jewish dream interpretation. Frieden's work perfectly combines these two topics and adds some commentary of his own.