Albert Rothenberg, M.D. first described or discovered a process he termed "homospatial thinking," which consists of actively conceiving two or more discrete entities occupying the same space, a conception leading to the articulation of new identities. Homospatial thinking has a salient role in the creative process in the following wide variety of fields: literature, the visual arts, music, science, and mathematics. This cognitive factor, along with "Janusian thinking," clarifies the nature of creative thinking as a highly adaptive and primarily nonregressive form of functioning.
(Incidentally, Significant Moments contains several quotes from Shakespeare's play The Tempest in which the character Prospero is banished to a magical island.)
My use of military references as a metaphor for a civilian job termination is based on the following quote from a section in Significant Moments that discusses the life and personality of Friedrich Nietzsche.
There is a section of my book Significant Moments whose manifest content describes the job termination of the psychoanalyst Jeffrey Masson by the Sigmund Freud Archives, where Masson served as Projects Director.
Superimposed on the text are numerous references to the military and particularly the Dreyfus Affair that involved a French Army Captain, Alfred Dreyfus, who was believed to have sold French military secrets to the German government. Dreyfus -- who was innocent -- was found guilty of treason, stripped of his military commission and exiled to Devil's Island for life, as punishment.
Superimposed on the text are numerous references to the military and particularly the Dreyfus Affair that involved a French Army Captain, Alfred Dreyfus, who was believed to have sold French military secrets to the German government. Dreyfus -- who was innocent -- was found guilty of treason, stripped of his military commission and exiled to Devil's Island for life, as punishment.
(Incidentally, Significant Moments contains several quotes from Shakespeare's play The Tempest in which the character Prospero is banished to a magical island.)
My use of military references as a metaphor for a civilian job termination is based on the following quote from a section in Significant Moments that discusses the life and personality of Friedrich Nietzsche.
He spoke of life in military metaphor: as a war with battles, retreats and campaigns.
--Leonard Shengold, Soul Murder: The Effects of Childhood Abuse and Deprivation.
Bob Simon's book Forty Days is about the capture of the CBS News correspondent (and two colleagues) by Iraqi troops during the Persian Gulf War in 1991.
Emile Zola's novel The Debacle is about the Franco-Prussian War in 1870-71.
_______________________________
One must visualize . . .
Peter Gay, Freud: For the Marble Tablet.
. . . Masson’s . . .
Bob Simon's book Forty Days is about the capture of the CBS News correspondent (and two colleagues) by Iraqi troops during the Persian Gulf War in 1991.
Emile Zola's novel The Debacle is about the Franco-Prussian War in 1870-71.
_______________________________
One must visualize . . .
Peter Gay, Freud: For the Marble Tablet.
. . . Masson’s . . .
Janet Malcolm, In the Freud Archives.
. . . situation at this moment. He was forty years old, a psychopathologist with towering ambitions, impressive self-confidence, and small income. He had failed, . . .
. . . situation at this moment. He was forty years old, a psychopathologist with towering ambitions, impressive self-confidence, and small income. He had failed, . . .
Peter Gay, Freud: For the Marble Tablet
—after all, . . .
—after all, . . .
David Evanier, The Arrest.
. . . to secure the fame he wanted and thought he deserved. For several years he had been reconnoitering from an exposed outpost, with incredible tenacity, reaching for a general theory of the mind. Now he no longer knew where he stood. He was like a brave officer venturing far into enemy territory only to sense abruptly that his troops have deserted him, and that, in any case, the war may not be worth fighting.
. . . to secure the fame he wanted and thought he deserved. For several years he had been reconnoitering from an exposed outpost, with incredible tenacity, reaching for a general theory of the mind. Now he no longer knew where he stood. He was like a brave officer venturing far into enemy territory only to sense abruptly that his troops have deserted him, and that, in any case, the war may not be worth fighting.
Peter Gay, Freud: For the Marble Tablet
There I stood . . .
There I stood . . .
Charles Dickens, Great Expectations.
. . . in Eissler’s apartment . . .
. . . in Eissler’s apartment . . .
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
. . . intent on . . .
. . . intent on . . .
Jack London, The Valley of the Moon.
. . . playing it to the end.
. . . playing it to the end.
Franz Kafka, The Trial.
I knew it was really happening. There was no sense of disbelief.
I knew it was really happening. There was no sense of disbelief.
Bob Simon, Forty Days.
Still the atmosphere of unreality, the . . .
Still the atmosphere of unreality, the . . .
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
. . . strangely cinematic . . .
. . . strangely cinematic . . .
Bob Simon, Forty Days.
. . . quality of the meeting, persisted to the end.
. . . quality of the meeting, persisted to the end.
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
Where were the camera positions? Where was the director?
Where were the camera positions? Where was the director?
Bob Simon, Forty Days.
I felt very much like . . .
I felt very much like . . .
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
. . . a “subordinate officer” . . .
. . . a “subordinate officer” . . .
Bradley F. Smith, Reaching Judgment at Nuremberg.
. . . charged with treason . . .
. . . charged with treason . . .
Jean-Denis Bredin, The Affair: The Case of Alfred Dreyfus.
. . . who was about to be . . .
. . . who was about to be . . .
Charles Dickens, David Copperfield.
. . . sentenced to death by hanging.
. . . sentenced to death by hanging.
Bradley F. Smith, Reaching Judgment at Nuremberg.
The movie sense . . .
The movie sense . . .
Bob Simon, Forty Days.
. . . was a protecting presence:
. . . was a protecting presence:
Bayard Taylor, Beauty and the Beast, and Tales of Home.
The men facing me were playing their parts as officers and interrogators. Their costumes were good, the accents just right. I was playing mine. We were all aware that these were just the opening scenes, and were anxious not to fluff our lines.
The men facing me were playing their parts as officers and interrogators. Their costumes were good, the accents just right. I was playing mine. We were all aware that these were just the opening scenes, and were anxious not to fluff our lines.
Bob Simon, Forty Days.
I thought it out at the time, feeling the need for vindication and desiring to be at peace with my conscience. But this vindication did not satisfy. Nor to this day can I permit my manhood to look back upon these events and feel entirely exonerated. The situation was something that really exceeded rational formulas for conduct and demanded more than the cold conclusions of reason. When viewed in the light of formal logic, there is not one thing of which to be ashamed; but nevertheless a shame rises within me at the recollection, and in the pride of my manhood I feel that my manhood has in unaccountable ways been smirched and sullied.
I thought it out at the time, feeling the need for vindication and desiring to be at peace with my conscience. But this vindication did not satisfy. Nor to this day can I permit my manhood to look back upon these events and feel entirely exonerated. The situation was something that really exceeded rational formulas for conduct and demanded more than the cold conclusions of reason. When viewed in the light of formal logic, there is not one thing of which to be ashamed; but nevertheless a shame rises within me at the recollection, and in the pride of my manhood I feel that my manhood has in unaccountable ways been smirched and sullied.
Jack London, The Sea Wolf.
I was frightened, but a corner of my mind was doing a critique. We need a new scriptwriter, I thought. These lines are too hackneyed. If we have to go through all this, does it have to be so unremittingly grade B?
I was frightened, but a corner of my mind was doing a critique. We need a new scriptwriter, I thought. These lines are too hackneyed. If we have to go through all this, does it have to be so unremittingly grade B?
Bob Simon, Forty Days.
Emerging front and center . . .
Emerging front and center . . .
Matthew Gurewitsch, Risk Taker Supreme: Is Daniel Day Lewis Too Good To Be a Movie Star?
. . . Jeffrey Masson . . .
. . . Jeffrey Masson . . .
Tom Wells, Wild Man: The Life and Times of Daniel Ellsberg.
—his proud forehead, nose curved like a scythe, and square jaw now displayed in profile—heard with malevolence, his thin lips pressed tight, his tense brows soaring in open contempt, like a defiant student forced to stand by for an address by the principal. That face would have told in a silent movie.
—his proud forehead, nose curved like a scythe, and square jaw now displayed in profile—heard with malevolence, his thin lips pressed tight, his tense brows soaring in open contempt, like a defiant student forced to stand by for an address by the principal. That face would have told in a silent movie.
But then he spoke, and plunged into a concerto. Henceforward the other voices would be the orchestra; . . .
Matthew Gurewitsch, Risk Taker Supreme: Is Daniel Day Lewis Too Good To Be a Movie Star?. . . Masson’s . . .
Janet Malcolm, In the Freud Archives.
—deep, rolling, bold, like a cello, splendid in antagonism, yet lyric—the solo. Not bound by the sense of the words, its cantilenas, its roars, its occasional tortured squeaks made incantatory music of their own.
—deep, rolling, bold, like a cello, splendid in antagonism, yet lyric—the solo. Not bound by the sense of the words, its cantilenas, its roars, its occasional tortured squeaks made incantatory music of their own.
Matthew Gurewitsch, Risk Taker Supreme: Is Daniel Day Lewis Too Good To Be a Movie Star?
"Please tell me why I am being fired from my position. I was a full professor at the University of Toronto when you offered me this job, and I gave up a tenured faculty position to accept it. You and Muriel . . .
"Please tell me why I am being fired from my position. I was a full professor at the University of Toronto when you offered me this job, and I gave up a tenured faculty position to accept it. You and Muriel . . .
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
. . . Muriel Gardiner, a Vienna-trained psychoanalyst . . .
. . . Muriel Gardiner, a Vienna-trained psychoanalyst . . .
Ralph Blumenthal, Did Freud's Isolation Lead Him to Reverse Theory on Neurosis?
. . . you both . . .
. . . you both . . .
William Shakespeare, Pericles, Prince of Tyre.
. . . assured me it was for life. I have a . . .
. . . assured me it was for life. I have a . . .
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
. . . wife and daughter . . .
. . . wife and daughter . . .
T.S. Eliot, Marina (editor’s note).
. . . a family I must provide for. Had I known this was just a trial period or that I needed to espouse the conventional views I never would have accepted the position."
. . . a family I must provide for. Had I known this was just a trial period or that I needed to espouse the conventional views I never would have accepted the position."
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
I am speaking to you now like a man with a rope round his neck. What do you imagine I am? A being in revolt? No.
I am speaking to you now like a man with a rope round his neck. What do you imagine I am? A being in revolt? No.
Joseph Conrad, Under Western Eyes.
" . . . My name and reputation is involved, the memory I shall leave behind here. . . . I am not here to salvage something for myself, or even to win the Board's approval for my action. I counted on being regarded by my colleagues henceforth as a dubious phenomenon, and am prepared for that. But I don't want to be regarded as a traitor or madman; that is a verdict I cannot accept. I have done something you must disapprove of, but I have done it because I had to, because it was incumbent upon me, because that is my destiny, which I believe in and which I assume with good will. If you cannot concede this much, then I have been defeated and have spoken with you in vain."
" . . . My name and reputation is involved, the memory I shall leave behind here. . . . I am not here to salvage something for myself, or even to win the Board's approval for my action. I counted on being regarded by my colleagues henceforth as a dubious phenomenon, and am prepared for that. But I don't want to be regarded as a traitor or madman; that is a verdict I cannot accept. I have done something you must disapprove of, but I have done it because I had to, because it was incumbent upon me, because that is my destiny, which I believe in and which I assume with good will. If you cannot concede this much, then I have been defeated and have spoken with you in vain."
Hermann Hesse, Magister Ludi: The Glass Bead Game.
Eissler was calmer now, and he said . . .
Eissler was calmer now, and he said . . .
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
. . . clearly and to the point . . .
. . . clearly and to the point . . .
The New Cassell’s German Dictionary (entry for the German word “rein”).
. . . that all that was true, and he would now tell me why I had to be fired. I was being fired for three reasons. "The first is the article that appeared in the New York Times. The second reason is the Zeplichal incident. Do you remember, Professor Masson? In one of the Silberstein letters, Freud told his friend that he was sending him a book by Zeplichal. I asked you to find out who this person was. You looked it up and said apparently he had written a book on geometry. But you were wrong, Professor Masson. The Zeplichal Freud had in mind had written a book on shorthand, not geometry." Here he paused to look up at me. Eissler was serious and apparently considered this almost a sin.
. . . that all that was true, and he would now tell me why I had to be fired. I was being fired for three reasons. "The first is the article that appeared in the New York Times. The second reason is the Zeplichal incident. Do you remember, Professor Masson? In one of the Silberstein letters, Freud told his friend that he was sending him a book by Zeplichal. I asked you to find out who this person was. You looked it up and said apparently he had written a book on geometry. But you were wrong, Professor Masson. The Zeplichal Freud had in mind had written a book on shorthand, not geometry." Here he paused to look up at me. Eissler was serious and apparently considered this almost a sin.
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
I was too stunned to respond.
I was too stunned to respond.
George Stephanopoulos, All Too Human: A Political Education.
"The third and last reason you are being fired is that you told Anna Freud that a letter published in German from Freud to Karl Kraus contained nine transcription errors. But in fact you were wrong. There were only six errors, not nine." Again, he looked absolutely indignant.
"The third and last reason you are being fired is that you told Anna Freud that a letter published in German from Freud to Karl Kraus contained nine transcription errors. But in fact you were wrong. There were only six errors, not nine." Again, he looked absolutely indignant.
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
The power of . . .
The power of . . .
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude.
. . . Eissler’s . . .
. . . Eissler’s . . .
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
. . . presence was such that . . .
. . . presence was such that . . .
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude.
. . . it was not necessary to demonstrate facts: it was enough . . .
. . . it was not necessary to demonstrate facts: it was enough . . .
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Living to Tell the Tale.
. . . for him . . .
. . . for him . . .
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude.
. . . to have said . . .
. . . to have said . . .
L. Frank Baum, The Scarecrow of Oz.
. . . something for it to be true, with no proofs other than the power of his talent and the authority of his voice.
. . . something for it to be true, with no proofs other than the power of his talent and the authority of his voice.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Living to Tell the Tale.
At once . . .
At once . . .
Jack London, The Sea Wolf.
. . . Dr. Eissler . . .
. . . Dr. Eissler . . .
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
. . . became an enigma.
. . . became an enigma.
Jack London, The Sea Wolf.
I before him did not know whether I stood on the ground or floated in the air. I've been telling you what we said—repeating the phrases we pronounced—but what's the good? They were common everyday words—the familiar, vague sounds exchanged on every waking day of life. But what of that? They had behind them, to my mind, the terrific suggestiveness of words heard in dreams, of phrases spoken in nightmares.
I before him did not know whether I stood on the ground or floated in the air. I've been telling you what we said—repeating the phrases we pronounced—but what's the good? They were common everyday words—the familiar, vague sounds exchanged on every waking day of life. But what of that? They had behind them, to my mind, the terrific suggestiveness of words heard in dreams, of phrases spoken in nightmares.
Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness.
Eissler was a quirky man, a strange and finally a lovable man.
Eissler was a quirky man, a strange and finally a lovable man.
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
One side or the other of his . . .
One side or the other of his . . .
Jack London, The Sea Wolf.
. . . many-sided . . .
. . . many-sided . . .
Maynard Barbour, That Mainwaring Affair.
. . . nature was perfectly comprehensible, but . . .
. . . nature was perfectly comprehensible, but . . .
Jack London, The Sea Wolf.
. . . the several . . .
. . . the several . . .
Charles Darwin, Origin of Species.
. . . sides together were bewildering.
. . . sides together were bewildering.
Jack London, The Sea Wolf.
I did not want to push him. I did not want to hurt him. Something terrible was going on inside him; he was not capable of talking about it, but it was real, and I was the source of his pain. I did feel bad for him. But I could not let the others off so lightly.
I did not want to push him. I did not want to hurt him. Something terrible was going on inside him; he was not capable of talking about it, but it was real, and I was the source of his pain. I did feel bad for him. But I could not let the others off so lightly.
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
He knew some of these men personally, and thought they were a very mediocre lot.
He knew some of these men personally, and thought they were a very mediocre lot.
Emile Zola, The Debacle.
I turned to them, and I said, "Well, Dr. Eissler has told you the reasons why I am being fired. I want to ask you, do you all feel so strongly about Zeplichal?" For a moment, they looked confused ("Who??"), then there was murmured assent, "Yes, indeed, you got Zeplichal wrong, terrible, a terrible incident."
I turned to them, and I said, "Well, Dr. Eissler has told you the reasons why I am being fired. I want to ask you, do you all feel so strongly about Zeplichal?" For a moment, they looked confused ("Who??"), then there was murmured assent, "Yes, indeed, you got Zeplichal wrong, terrible, a terrible incident."
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
In truth, there was very little reasoning or none at all. Their method was one of assertion, assumption, and denunciation.
In truth, there was very little reasoning or none at all. Their method was one of assertion, assumption, and denunciation.
Jack London, The Sea Wolf.
I was stripped of all rank, like a disgraced soldier.
I was stripped of all rank, like a disgraced soldier.
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
It should be unnecessary to state, at least to my friends, that I was shocked.
It should be unnecessary to state, at least to my friends, that I was shocked.
Jack London, The Sea Wolf.
Dreyfus's astonishment was greater still, for General Boisdesffre was absent. He was received instead by an odd and solemn officer in uniform, who introduced himself as . . .
Gribelin, archivist of the Section of Statistics.
Jean-Denis Bredin, The Affair: The Case of Alfred Dreyfus.
Among the few Jewish officers in the French army was Captain Alfred Dreyfus, who had risen to a post on the general staff. . . . On October 15, 1894, Captain Dreyfus was arrested on the charge of selling French military plans to the German government.
Dreyfus's astonishment was greater still, for General Boisdesffre was absent. He was received instead by an odd and solemn officer in uniform, who introduced himself as . . .
Jean-Denis Bredin, The Affair: The Case of Alfred Dreyfus.
. . . the chief advocate . . .
Bradley F. Smith, Reaching Judgment at Nuremberg.
. . . "Commandant du Paty de Clam." In the rear of the room there were three men in civilian garb who were unknown to Dreyfus. These were Armand Cochefort, head of Criminal Investigation, his secretary, and Felix Gribelin, archivist of the Section of Statistics.
Jean-Denis Bredin, The Affair: The Case of Alfred Dreyfus.
Among the few Jewish officers in the French army was Captain Alfred Dreyfus, who had risen to a post on the general staff. . . . On October 15, 1894, Captain Dreyfus was arrested on the charge of selling French military plans to the German government.
Solomon Grayzel, A History of the Jews.
Du Paty invited Dreyfus to fill in the identificatory section of his inspection form, as his aides looked on. Then du Paty, whose right hand was covered by a black silk glove, said to Dreyfus: "I have a letter to write and present to General Boisdesffre for his signature. I've hurt my finger. Can you write it for me?" Dreyfus agreed to the odd request, and sat down at a small table, ready for the dictation.It was then that Commandant du Paty, leaning over Dreyfus, dictated to him a meticulously composed text.
Paris, October 15, 1894
Having the most serious reasons, Sir, for temporarily retaking possession of the documents I had passed on to you before taking off on maneuvers, I beseech you to have them brought immediately to me by the bearer of the present letter, who is an individual to be trusted. . . .
Du Paty continued his dictation with deliberate slowness.
"I recall for your benefit that it is a matter of:
1. A note on the hydraulic brake of the 120 cannon on the manner in which. . . ."
At that moment du Paty brutally interrupted the dictation. "What is the matter, Captain? You are trembling!" "My fingers are cold," answered Dreyfus, who continued to write. "My fingers were cold," Dreyfus would later write, "for the temperature was quite chilly outside, and I had been in a heated room for only a few minutes."
Why did Du Paty suddenly challenge Dreyfus? "To unsettle his self-assurance," he would later claim, attributing to Dreyfus alternatively a revealing agitation and the perfect calm of a polished fraud. Dreyfus awaited the rest of the dictation. Du Paty addressed him still more brutally. "Pay attention. This is serious." Dreyfus was offended by the harshness of the bizarre remark, but he continued to write in response to the dictation, attempting to "write better."
"it functioned in maneuvers;
2. A note on covering troops;
3. A note on Madagascar."
"Dreyfus had regained his composure," Du Paty would write. "It was useless to pursue the experiment." Whereupon du Paty rose, solemnly placed his hand on Dreyfus's shoulder, and . . .
Jean-Denis Bredin, The Affair: The Case of Alfred Dreyfus.
. . . in a tone of great contempt . . .
. . . in a tone of great contempt . . .
Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass.
. . . spoke these words: "In the name of the law I arrest you. You are accused of the crime of high treason."
. . . spoke these words: "In the name of the law I arrest you. You are accused of the crime of high treason."
Jean-Denis Bredin, The Affair: The Case of Alfred Dreyfus.
One of the impressive things about paranoid literature is precisely the elaborate concern with demonstration it almost invariably shows. One should not be misled by the fantastic conclusions that it is not, so to speak, argued out along factual lines. The very fantastic character of its conclusions leads to heroic strivings for "evidence" to prove that the unbelievable is the only thing that can be believed. . . . But respectable paranoid literature not only starts from certain moral commitments that can be justified to many non-paranoids but also carefully and all but obsessively accumulates "evidence."
One of the impressive things about paranoid literature is precisely the elaborate concern with demonstration it almost invariably shows. One should not be misled by the fantastic conclusions that it is not, so to speak, argued out along factual lines. The very fantastic character of its conclusions leads to heroic strivings for "evidence" to prove that the unbelievable is the only thing that can be believed. . . . But respectable paranoid literature not only starts from certain moral commitments that can be justified to many non-paranoids but also carefully and all but obsessively accumulates "evidence."
Richard Hofstadter, The Paranoid Style in American Politics.
"Why did you say that Freud renounced the seduction theory to line his pockets with money?"
"Why did you say that Freud renounced the seduction theory to line his pockets with money?"
"But I never said any such thing."
"Yes you did, I heard it from a patient who was present when you said it."
"But that's crazy, excuse me, that's absurd."
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
Where am I? Is this a dream?
Where am I? Is this a dream?
Victor Hugo, Les Miserables.
Another analyst told Eissler that he too, had heard the same accusation, but was not free to declare his source.
Another analyst told Eissler that he too, had heard the same accusation, but was not free to declare his source.
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
"But . . . that's absurd!" he cried.
"But . . . that's absurd!" he cried.
Feodor Dostoyevski, The Brothers Karamazov.
"From that first moment on . . . the phenomenon that would dominate the entire Affair was in operation. It was no longer carefully verified facts and scrupulously examined matters which formed opinion; it was a sovereign, pre-established, and irresistible belief which distorted facts and realities."
"From that first moment on . . . the phenomenon that would dominate the entire Affair was in operation. It was no longer carefully verified facts and scrupulously examined matters which formed opinion; it was a sovereign, pre-established, and irresistible belief which distorted facts and realities."
Jean-Denis Bredin, The Affair: The Case of Alfred Dreyfus.
One of the older analysts present said that the . . .
One of the older analysts present said that the . . .
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
. . . New York Times . . .
. . . New York Times . . .
Tom Wells, Wild Man: The Life and Times of Daniel Ellsberg.
. . . article had been a personal embarrassment to him as a psychoanalyst. What did I have to say to that? I had nothing to say to that.
. . . article had been a personal embarrassment to him as a psychoanalyst. What did I have to say to that? I had nothing to say to that.
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
What did I care!
What did I care!
Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness.
I did not want to be discourteous and tell him that I really didn't give a damn what personal discomforts he had suffered on behalf of my views about the seduction theory.
I did not want to be discourteous and tell him that I really didn't give a damn what personal discomforts he had suffered on behalf of my views about the seduction theory.
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
Without replying . . .
Without replying . . .
Franz Kafka, The Trial.
. . . Jeffrey Masson . . .
. . . Jeffrey Masson . . .
Phyllis Grosskurth, The Secret Ring: Freud's Inner Circle and the Politics of Psychoanalysis.
. . . remained standing where he was for a moment.
. . . remained standing where he was for a moment.
Franz Kafka, The Trial.
All at once something startling happened.
All at once something startling happened.
Thomas Mann, Tristan.
Enraged by the betrayal involved, . . .
Enraged by the betrayal involved, . . .
David Tell, Toobin, Too Bad.
. . . the analyst . . .
. . . the analyst . . .
Lucy Beckett, Richard Wagner: Parsifal quoting Arnold Whittal.
. . . turned on him with extraordinary vehemence and accused him of . . .
. . . turned on him with extraordinary vehemence and accused him of . . .
Roger Cohen, Kohl Resigns German Party Post After He Is Rebuked for Scandal.
—"[having] abandoned all the major tenets of psychoanalysis." This was probably true, but I was not sure how he knew. "Let me read what you wrote," and he proceeded to read from . . .
—"[having] abandoned all the major tenets of psychoanalysis." This was probably true, but I was not sure how he knew. "Let me read what you wrote," and he proceeded to read from . . .
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
. . . his copy of . . .
. . . his copy of . . .
Aldous Huxley, Crome Yellow.
. . . the New York Times, . . .
. . . the New York Times, . . .
Tom Wells, Wild Man: The Life and Times of Daniel Ellsberg.
. . . which he handled as he might have a bottle labeled POISON!
. . . which he handled as he might have a bottle labeled POISON!
Barbara W. Tuchman, The Zimmermann Telegram.
But then he did a most astonishing thing—he added the following sentence: "And now I no longer believe in repression or the unconscious." This was as if in a meeting of senior Vatican officials, one of the cardinals were to announce that he no longer believed in the Holy Trinity, . . .
But then he did a most astonishing thing—he added the following sentence: "And now I no longer believe in repression or the unconscious." This was as if in a meeting of senior Vatican officials, one of the cardinals were to announce that he no longer believed in the Holy Trinity, . . .
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
. . . the Virgin . . .
. . . the Virgin . . .
The New Cassell’s German Dictionary (entry for German word “rein”).
. . . Father and Son . . .
. . . Father and Son . . .
Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 8 (Part I: Veni, Creator Spiritus).
. . . or even the existence of God. When there was a murmur of disapproval I had to object. "But I never wrote those lines. They are not in the article at all. You have simply invented them."
. . . or even the existence of God. When there was a murmur of disapproval I had to object. "But I never wrote those lines. They are not in the article at all. You have simply invented them."
"Yes," he said, . . .
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
. . . like the Queen in “Alice [in Wonderland]” . . .
. . . like the Queen in “Alice [in Wonderland]” . . .
Bradley F. Smith, Reaching Judgment at Nuremberg (quoting Francis Biddle, Nuremberg War Crimes Tribunal).
. . . "they are here in black and white."
. . . "they are here in black and white."
I leaned over to see what he was quoting, and noted that he had penciled in the lines he was citing. I said so.
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
“This is sheer nonsense!”
“This is sheer nonsense!”
Franz Kafka, The Trial.
"You have added those lines. They are not part of the article."
"You have added those lines. They are not part of the article."
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
Naturally I . . .
Naturally I . . .
Franz Kafka, The Trial.
. . . protested, grew indignant.
. . . protested, grew indignant.
Jean-Denis Bredin, The Affair: The Case of Alfred Dreyfus.
At this moment . . .
At this moment . . .
Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
. . . the chief advocate . . .
. . . the chief advocate . . .
Bradley F. Smith, Reaching Judgment at Nuremberg.
. . . who had been for some time busily writing in his notebook, called out “Silence!”, and read out from his book, “Rule Forty-two. . . . ”
. . . who had been for some time busily writing in his notebook, called out “Silence!”, and read out from his book, “Rule Forty-two. . . . ”
Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
"Whosoever will have engaged in machinations or shared information with foreign powers . . . will be punished by death."
"Whosoever will have engaged in machinations or shared information with foreign powers . . . will be punished by death."
Jean-Denis Bredin, The Affair: The Case of Alfred Dreyfus.
. . . by death?
. . . by death?
William Shakespeare, King Lear.
(I’m imagining this)
(I’m imagining this)
Don Delillo, The Names.
It was as though I . . .
Sigmund Freud, The Interpretation of Dreams.
. . . was breaching national security by selling military secrets or something.
It was as though I . . .
Sigmund Freud, The Interpretation of Dreams.
. . . was breaching national security by selling military secrets or something.
Joel Glenn Brenner, The Emperors of Chocolate: Inside the Secret World of Hershey and Mars.
I felt my heart pounding wildly, like that of a man facing a firing squad . . .
I felt my heart pounding wildly, like that of a man facing a firing squad . . .
William Styron, Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness.
True to his temperament, . . .
True to his temperament, . . .
Barbara W. Tuchman, The Guns of August.
. . . the accused . . .
. . . the accused . . .
Franz Kafka, The Trial.
. . . persisted in maintaining his innocence, explained incoherently that he . . . loved his homeland, his profession, that he was incapable of betrayal. "A rather theatrical pose," . . .
. . . persisted in maintaining his innocence, explained incoherently that he . . . loved his homeland, his profession, that he was incapable of betrayal. "A rather theatrical pose," . . .
Jean-Denis Bredin, The Affair: The Case of Alfred Dreyfus.
. . . the chief advocate . . .
. . . the chief advocate . . .
Bradley F. Smith, Reaching Judgment at Nuremberg.
. . . would explain. "I allowed the torrent to die down; it may well have been a set piece prepared in the event of an arrest."
. . . would explain. "I allowed the torrent to die down; it may well have been a set piece prepared in the event of an arrest."
Jean-Denis Bredin, The Affair: The Case of Alfred Dreyfus.
There arose a hubbub of talk, arguments, suggestions.
There arose a hubbub of talk, arguments, suggestions.
Boris Pasternak, Dr. Zhivago.
"You should not have spoken to the New York Times," said one [member of the Freud Archives board], and another added, "You showed poor judgment." "You should have been more discreet," added another.
"You should not have spoken to the New York Times," said one [member of the Freud Archives board], and another added, "You showed poor judgment." "You should have been more discreet," added another.
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
It was just one of those overwhelming moments.
It was just one of those overwhelming moments.
Monica Crowley, Nixon in Winter.
"I don't think it mattered what the article said—they weren't going to like it. Nobody is allowed to judge them, especially not the press."
"I don't think it mattered what the article said—they weren't going to like it. Nobody is allowed to judge them, especially not the press."
Joel Glenn Brenner, The Emperors of Chocolate: Inside the Secret World of Hershey and Mars.
But I believe that my supposed personality, my supposed motivation, and my supposed hunger for publicity really had little to do with what was bothering these men. I believe that they could not get over the fact that . . .
But I believe that my supposed personality, my supposed motivation, and my supposed hunger for publicity really had little to do with what was bothering these men. I believe that they could not get over the fact that . . .
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
. . . months earlier . . .
. . . months earlier . . .
Thomas Hardy, A Pair of Blue Eyes.
. . . pictures of me . . .
. . . pictures of me . . .
Mary Roberts Rinehart, Dangerous Days.
. . . had appeared in the New York Times . . .
. . . had appeared in the New York Times . . .
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
. . . including one in which . . .
. . . including one in which . . .
Mary Williams Walsh, David Bloom, 39, Dies in Iraq; Reporter Was With Troops (New York Times, Monday, April 7, 2003).
. . . I was probably not dressed properly.
. . . I was probably not dressed properly.
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
Come! Come!
Come! Come!
Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 8 (quoting Goethe, Faust (Part II) (Final Scene)).
. . . Dr. Masson: . . .
. . . Dr. Masson: . . .
International Psychoanalytic Association, Letter to J. Moussaieff Masson.
. . . said one of the stiffer analysts there, “you well know that . . .
. . . said one of the stiffer analysts there, “you well know that . . .
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
. . . Freud is quite right—
. . . Freud is quite right—
Gustav Mahler, Letter to Alma Mahler (September 4, 1910).
. . . the analyst should be anonymous, unknown.”
. . . the analyst should be anonymous, unknown.”
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
Er ist nicht reinlich
Er ist nicht reinlich
Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 8 (quoting Goethe, Faust (Part II) (Final Scene)).
. . . said another, . . .
. . . said another, . . .
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
. . . quoting Freud.
Ariel Shaw, The Cult of the Virgin Mary And It’s Effect on Women’s Sexuality.
. . . quoting Freud.
Ariel Shaw, The Cult of the Virgin Mary And It’s Effect on Women’s Sexuality.
That is, it is . . .
Stewart Edward White, The Blazed Trail.
. . . not seemly . . .
. . . not seemly . . .
Proverbs 19:10.
. . . not pure . . .
. . . not pure . . .
Job 25:5.
. . . for an analyst to . . .
. . . for an analyst to . . .
Reuel Marc Gerecht, The Counterterrorist Myth.
. . . allow his picture to appear in the paper.
. . . allow his picture to appear in the paper.
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
It was undoubtedly the feeling of . . .
It was undoubtedly the feeling of . . .
Albert Camus, The Plague.
. . . many analysts that the . . .
. . . many analysts that the . . .
Mohamed Moftah, Tea on the Lawn.
. . . analytic space was like an operating theater. It had to be kept . . .
. . . analytic space was like an operating theater. It had to be kept . . .
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
. . . free from stain, . . .
. . . free from stain, . . .
Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 8 (quoting Goethe, Faust (Part II) (Final Scene)).
. . . pure and unsullied as possible. The influence of . . .
. . . pure and unsullied as possible. The influence of . . .
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
. . . the outside world . . .
. . . the outside world . . .
Albert Camus, The Plague.
. . . had to be kept to a minimum. The analytic instrument must be immaculate.
. . . had to be kept to a minimum. The analytic instrument must be immaculate.
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
One of the others spoke up . . .
One of the others spoke up . . .
John Buchan, The Thirty-Nine Steps.
. . . in a menacing tone . . .
. . . in a menacing tone . . .
Joseph Conrad, Nostromo.
. . . as though it were a Star Chamber, not a group of fellow analysts.
. . . as though it were a Star Chamber, not a group of fellow analysts.
Phyllis Grosskurth, The Secret Ring: Freud’s Inner Circle and the Politics of Psychoanalysis.
This man . . .
This man . . .
Anne Katherine Green, Initials Only.
(meaning me)
(meaning me)
Oliver Goldsmith, The Vicar of Wakefield.
. . . in violation of all professional ethics . . .
. . . in violation of all professional ethics . . .
Harold C. Schonberg, The Great Conductors (quoting Cleveland Leader article about Leopold Stokowski, April 28, 1912).
. . . all rules . . .
. . . all rules . . .
Anne Katherine Green, Initials Only.
. . . caused his pictures to be published far and wide above the columns of fulsome matter . . .
. . . caused his pictures to be published far and wide above the columns of fulsome matter . . .
Harold C. Schonberg, The Great Conductors (quoting Cleveland Leader article about Leopold Stokowski, April 28, 1912).
. . . for all the world to read
. . . for all the world to read
Gustav Mahler, Letter to Alma Mahler (September 4, 1910).
Wave upon wave . . .
Wave upon wave . . .
Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 8 (quoting Goethe, Faust (Part II) (Final Scene)).
. . . of exclamations followed this statement.
. . . of exclamations followed this statement.
Maynard Barbour, That Mainwaring Affair.
The whole chorus . . .
The whole chorus . . .
Gustav Mahler, Letter to Alma Mahler (June 1910).
. . . of analysts . . .
. . . of analysts . . .
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
. . . it seemed, were now . . .
. . . it seemed, were now . . .
Fouad Ajami, The Poisoned Well (The New York Times, October 17, 2003).
. . . circling the highest peaks . . .
Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 8 (quoting Goethe, Faust (Part II) (Final Scene)).
. . . of absurdity.
. . . circling the highest peaks . . .
Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 8 (quoting Goethe, Faust (Part II) (Final Scene)).
. . . of absurdity.
Joseph Conrad, Chance.
I was with them . . .
I was with them . . .
Albert Camus, The Plague.
. . . with these men . . .
. . . with these men . . .
E.M. Forster, A Room with a View.
. . . and yet I was alone . . .
. . . and yet I was alone . . .
Albert Camus, The Plague.
. . . alone; his feelings and his happiness were of no account; he was of importance to . . .
. . . alone; his feelings and his happiness were of no account; he was of importance to . . .
Alma Mahler, Gustav Mahler: Memories and Letters.
. . . these others—the . . .
. . . these others—the . . .
H.G. Wells, When The Sleeper Wakes.
. . . members of the Board of Directors . . .
. . . members of the Board of Directors . . .
Harold C. Schonberg, The Great Conductors (Cincinnati Orchestra, letter of termination to Leopold Stokowski, 1912).
. . . only in so far as he reflected credit on themselves.
. . . only in so far as he reflected credit on themselves.
Alma Mahler, Gustav Mahler: Memories and Letters.
What had happened? Who was to blame?
What had happened? Who was to blame?
Leonard Shengold, Soul Murder.
I did not know the rules, and I was playing against enormous odds. Everybody in the room was older than I, and certainly everybody in the room thought of himself as wiser than I. There was some attempt to treat me with fatherly kindness but harshness.
I did not know the rules, and I was playing against enormous odds. Everybody in the room was older than I, and certainly everybody in the room thought of himself as wiser than I. There was some attempt to treat me with fatherly kindness but harshness.
J. Moussaieff Masson, Final Analysis.
I've never seen anything so unreal in my life.
I've never seen anything so unreal in my life.
Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness.
. . . it all seemed so ridiculous—
. . . it all seemed so ridiculous—
Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass.
The pervasive sense of madness is utterly impossible to convey in words.
The pervasive sense of madness is utterly impossible to convey in words.
Sidney H. Phillips, Trauma and War: A Fragment of an Analysis with a Vietnam Veteran.
It was . . . a mind-boggling enigma.
It was . . . a mind-boggling enigma.
Leonard Shengold, Soul Murder.
Like something out of Conrad.
Like something out of Conrad.
Sidney H. Phillips, Trauma and War: A Fragment of an Analysis with a Vietnam Veteran.
Do you see the story? Do you see anything? It seems to me I am trying to tell you a dream—making a vain attempt, because no relation of a dream can convey the dream-sensation, that commingling of absurdity, surprise, and bewilderment in a tremor of struggling revolt, that notion of being captured by the incredible which is the very source of dreams.
Do you see the story? Do you see anything? It seems to me I am trying to tell you a dream—making a vain attempt, because no relation of a dream can convey the dream-sensation, that commingling of absurdity, surprise, and bewilderment in a tremor of struggling revolt, that notion of being captured by the incredible which is the very source of dreams.
Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness.
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