Hysteria

by Julia Borossa

Hysteria was once simultaneously physical illness, an illness without physical symptoms - and something unmistakably feminine. Freud and Charcot diagnosed Hysteria as psychological trauma manifesting itself through the body - its cure resting between therapy and medicine. Hysteria examines, too, some of the hysterical identifications' of our time, from dictatorship to pop culture.

Genres: Nonfiction

80 pages, Paperback

First published March 18, 1997

Reviews

[Liāna]

The text is hard for dumbasses like me but honestly it doesn’t provide much insight if you have ever heard the word hysteria in your life. Like some of the stereotypes are still a thing so no surprises there. The book is short though so that could be the reason for surface level insight

[ana]

Was a pretty hard read, difficult to follow, but that might just be from my lack of knowledge in the subject.

[Jim Linstead]

Nice little book giving an overview of hysteria with some good details and an interesting read.

[Emily]

I took a graduate level course on hysteria in literature in college. I read Freud and Breuer and feminist theory and novels and poetry and I still didn't have a grasp of what hysteria meant until I read this small 80 page book. Since Hippocrates the definition of hysteria has been the subject of debate but this author makes a grounded argument that hysteria on the individual level in whatever modern psychological term we call it today or mass hysteria in whichever of the various forms we see it in modern life is essentially rebellion. After reading this book I'll definitely continue learning about the history of hysteria for what it has to show about the oppression of women and homosexuals and to learn more about the nature of psychology, as hysteria was the neurosis modern western psychology was founded on. Also, this book is not anywhere near as challenging as the other one I've read in the series, Guilt.

[Ali]

easy read, interesting, mostly objective without sexist perspective. provides clear and short and interesting understanding of hysteria.

[Talična]

diplomski se napisao sam od sebe!