Dec 19, 2009

In Memory of Sigmund Freud | In Memory of Sigmund Freud

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...

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In Memory of Sigmund Freud | In Memory of Sigmund Freud

At a glance:

The Poem

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