In Memory of Sigmund Freud (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: W. H. Auden
- First Published: 1940
- Type of Work: Elegy
- Genres: Poetry, Elegy
- Subjects: Sex or sexuality, Psychology or psychologists, 1940’s, World War II, Alienation, Mental illness, Death or dying, Nazism or Nazis, Austria or Austrians, Psychiatry or psychiatrists, Fascism, Psychotherapy or psychotherapists, Mind and body
The Poem
“In Memory of Sigmund Freud” is an elegy to the famous psychologist written in twenty-eight alcaic stanzas. W. H. Auden read works by Sigmund Freud when he was very young, and Freudian theories played an important part in Auden’s poetry throughout his life. Although the poem is a fitting tribute to the creator of psychoanalysis, it is better studied as a description of Freud’s importance to Auden and his influence on Auden’s own psychological, political, and aesthetic theories than as a precise description of Freud’s character or theories.
The first...
[The entire page is 1505 words long]
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