«MDUL»Change of address«MDNM»

            8 November l9O8  35 Chicora Avenue  Toronto

Dear Professor Freud,

«IP4,0»Many thanks for your kind letter.«FN1.××Letter missing.

»  I am ashamed to say it took me two weeks to translate completely, for I am not familiar with Old German characters.

First as to Stekel.  I gather your opinion from the fact that you promised to enclose his address, and then "forgot" to do so.  Acting on this broad hint I have written to Kennedy advising him not to take any further steps.  It is some time since I read the brochure and I gave it to Kennedy, a patient of mine, to read, first to occupy him in learning German, and secondly to shew him I was not alone in supposing that all neuroses did not come from the stomach as is generally taught.  I did not like Stekel's «MDUL»Angstzustände«MDNM» much, because of its style.  He quite forgets or has never thought whom he is speaking to, which is a fatal mistake.  If he is writing for those familiar with psycho‑analysis then he could say all he wanted to in a short article.  If he is writing for those not familiar with psycho‑analysis then he should be more intelligible.  When he says "Der [Die] Kleine steht vor der Thür = Der Penis steht vor der Hosen‑Thür",«FN1.××The original reads "Ihre Kleine steht vor dem Tor: der Penis vor der Hosentüre," see Stekel (1908, p. 156); trans. by Gabler (1923, p. 206) as "'Her little girl was at the gate':  the penis at the gate of the trousers."

» that may be quite true, I do not dispute it, but it certainly is not «MDUL»obvious«MDNM» to a lay reader, and only "puts his back up", as we say, to read what seems to him to be foolish.  Such things need much longer exposition than Stekel gives, and not his airily dogmatic assumption of their obviousness.  I like his classifica~tion of Angstzustände very much, and suppose it comes from you.«FN1.××Stekel classified anxiety conditions with reference to symptoms as a language of organs which symbolically express unconscious feelings.  In his preface to Stekel (1908), Freud gave most of the credit to Stekel for the "observations and all the detailed opinions and interpretations" contained in the study, and limited his share of influence to recommending the use of the term  'anxiety hysteria' (Freud, 1908f), a category used by Freud to denote certain kinds of phobias as found, for example, in the case of 'Little Hans', see Freud (1909b, pp. 115‑117), and Jones (1913b).

»  It ought to supersede Janet's psychasthenia which is a term covering cases of hysteria, neurasthenia and dementia precox, «FN1.××Janet distinguished two principal categories of the psychoneuroses, hysteria and psychasthenia.  The latter category was divided by Janet into the phobias and obsessions, see Pierre Janet, «MDUL»Les Obsessions et la psych­asthénie«MDNM», vol. 1; and Pierre Janet and F. Raymond, «MDUL»Les Obsessions et la psychasthénie«MDNM», vol. 2 (Paris: Alcan, 1903); and Ellenberger (1970, pp. 374‑77).

» in my opinion.  I have just read Abraham's book with great interest.  That subject opens up an enormous field, as I can tell from some reading I have done in English mythology and fairy tales.  It is beautiful to trace the connections between different legends in the same and different countries, and in getting further and further back to see how inevitably we get back to the source of life, the old grand theme.«FN1.××In his early writings Karl Abraham was especially concerned with the theory of symbols and myths.  In the most important of these, he connected myths with dreams and viewed both as wish‑fulfillment fantasies, see Abraham (1909).»  I should like to write a brochure for your series on Wunscherfüllung im Spielen des Kindes,«FN1.××'Wishfulfillment in Children's Play' for the «MDUL»Schriften«MDNM» series.  Although the study was not undertaken by Jones, he did display a marked interest in neurological research and children during his early years (Jones, 1904, 1905b, 1905c, 1907b, 1907g, 1907h, 1908a, 1908c), and his curiosity about children's play at this stage in his career makes it easier to understand his support of Melanie Klein in later years, from 1925 onwards.» if I could only write German. I suppose you don't publish any in English?

I have had some interesting cases lately, one especially of hypomanie«FN1.××Jones (1909e).

» in which your mechanisms shewed plainly the basis of the case and at the same time the nature of the Mass and Holy Communion as being a symbol for "Verlegung von Unten nach Oben".«FN1.××"Transpositions from a lower to an upper part of the body", see Jones (1909e, p. 215), and Freud (1900a, p. 387).

» I suppose you agree with this?  I have come across an old English book on the Nightmare that would greatly interest you, for the writer relates cases that "hit one in the face", they so strikingly support your theory.  I am writing an article on the subject for Prince's journal.«FN1.××See Jones (1910m), which did not appear in Prince's journal, but which contains (p. 384) an extensive list of old books on nightmares.

»   Do you take his journal, by the way?  It is perhaps worth it.«FN1.××Morton Prince (1854‑1929), M. D. 1879 Harvard, taught neurology at the Harvard Medical School between 1895 and 1898, and at Tufts College Medical School between 1902 and 1912.  Prince's work on dissociation phenomena was undertaken between 1898 and 1911, and he published his important study on multiple personality in 1906.  Prince's relations with Freud were not good.  Freud had refused to contribute to the inaugural issue of Princes's «MDUL»Journal of Abnormal Psychology«MDNM» in 1906.  Moreover, Prince was accused by Freud and Jung of being non‑partisan: he had failed to attend the Salzburg congress and present his paper; negotiations had broken down to amalgamate Prince's «MDUL»Journal«MDNM» with Freud's and Jung's plan for a psychoanalytic journal; and he was especially prudish on the sexual issue.  See McGuire (1974: 117, 142, 175, 176, 205, 242).

»

Now coming to the difficult subject of writing.  Morton Prince wants Brill«FN1.××Abraham Arden Brill (1874‑1948), Austrian born, American physician, M.D. 1903, Columbia University.  Ardent follower of Freud, and rival of Jones in spreading psychoanalysis in the English‑speaking world.  Founded the New York Psychoanalytic Society in February 1911, taking priority over Jones who was the prime mover in the founding of the American Psychoanalytic Association in May 1911.

» and me to review your theories in his journal.  He is willing to publish it after as a brochure.  We have had much correspondence about it all, and I should greatly like your opinion as to the best method.  The one I have proposed is as follows.  A series of independent articles to be written by Brill and me separately, published in the Journal, and republished together in a book entitled "The Freudian Standpoint in Psychology" or something of the sort.  I would probably take the normal and Brill the abnormal part.  Thus he would write (1) Hysterie und alli[i]erte Zustände [allied conditions] (2) Dementia pr[a]ecox and the outlook on psychiatry.  (3) Sex development, children, abnormalities etc..  I might write (1) Origin and Interpretation of Dreams. (2) Daily Life.  Wit.  «MDUL»Versprechen«MDNM» etc.. (3) Symbolism in various mental processes, poetry, legends etc., etc..  (4) general introduction.  The total would be about l5O‑2OO pages.«FN1.××Each published separate works, see Brill (1912) and Jones, «MDUL»Papers«MDNM», 1st ed. 1913.

»  What do you think of that?  We must decide soon, as there is a great call for your work in America, especially in New York and Boston.  I think, if we are careful, that your theories can be introduced here with less prejudice being around than in [America]«FN1.××Crossed out in the original.» Germany.  (Verschreiben = Wünsch, dass "here" Canada bedeuten mag.).«FN1.××(Slip of the pen = wish; I would like "here" to mean Canada.)

»

Now I am going to ask you a couple of questions, if I may.  I do not apologise, for when people become founts of knowledge they must expect that other people will want to come to them to drink.  Would you kindly tell me (1) what explanation you have found in your analyses for widely distributed, non‑localised anaesthesia, e.g. hemie‑ or total anaesthesia.  Do you think that withdrawing of interest by internal concentration on the complexes is sufficient to account for it as an «MDUL»Aufmerksamkeitsablenkung«MDNM» [diversion of attention], or is there a more precise reason? (2) What mental types are there in Angstträume.  I have always found the subject is a passive, i.e. wish to be raped, whether it is a woman or a man who has the dream.  Can an active, male type have Angstträume and how does it then work?

You will see my questions are very simple, but people who are afraid to ask simple questions do not learn much, as they are often the most instructive kind of question.

And now I have bored you enough and will stop.  I need hardly say what a great pleasure it is to hear from you, and I shall be grateful for any advice in the little difficulties mentioned above.

With kindest regards,  Yours very sincerely  Ernest Jones.