On the Couch: Writers Analyze Sigmund Freud

by Andrew Blauner (editor)

Featuring twenty-five leading writers, an all-new collection of colorful and candid essays and other pieces about Freud and his legacy today

With never-before-published contributions by André Aciman • Sarah Boxer • Jennifer Finney Boylan • Susie Boyt • Gerald Early • Esther Freud • Rivka Galchen • Adam Gopnik • David Gordon • Siri Hustvedt • Sheila Kohler • Peter D. Kramer • Philip Lopate • Thomas Lynch • Daphne Merkin • David Michaelis • Rick Moody • Susie Orbach • Richard Panek • Alex Pheby • Michael Roth • Casey Schwartz • Mark Solms • Colm Tóibín • Sherry Turkle

W. H. Auden described Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) as “a whole climate of opinion. / Under whom we conduct our differing lives.” The controversial father of psychiatry and psychoanalysis, Freud charted the human unconscious, brought us the talking cure, and wrote books that now rank among the classics of world literature. In On the Couch , the great analyst is analyzed by some of today’s great writers and thinkers, who help us understand the man who has helped us understand ourselves as much, if not more, than anyone else, ever. The result is a fresh, multifaceted reassessment of Freud’s continuing relevance and influence on ideas, literature, culture, science, and more.

Here, Colm Tóibín writes about Freud, World War I, Henry James, and Thomas Mann; Adam Gopnik explores Freud’s Civilization and Its Discontents ; Susie Orbach considers Freud’s “ordinary unhappiness” and D. W. Winnicott’s “good enough”; Jennifer Finney Boylan reflects on penis envy and transgender; Peter Kramer describes how new science and drugs have revolutionized psychology since Freud; Susie Boyt, one of Freud’s great-granddaughters, spends the night at the Freud Museum in London; Siri Hustvedt examines Freud’s divided reception today; and there’s much more.

Filled with insights, provocation, and humor, On the Couch offers an original and nuanced portrait of Freud as a complex figure who, for all his flaws, forever changed how we see ourselves and the world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Essays

360 pages, Hardcover

Published May 14, 2024

Reviews

[Kate O'Shea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm absolutely sure that someone of a more academic bent would get lots more out of this book. However I read it as an interested bystander who isnt too sure whether psychoanalysis is everything it's cracked up to be. I asked for the book because I thought there'd be more for someone like me.

What you actually get is a decent mix of devotees and sceptics, academics and non-academics, historians, fiction writers and those who have subjected themselves, on occasion, to some form of therapy or another. I count myself amongst the last even though my therapy was more gentle and only lasted for as long as my health anxiety (this during Covid, after a stroke and a husband with cancer). Therapy, for me, worked wonderfully and it was as simple as - busy your mind, do something that fills the panic space - so I began learning Japanese and then Russian.

After reading others thoughts on psychoanalysis (and, as one writer put it, neither would I "sell the family home" in order to undergo therapy) I am still skeptical. However I have not read Freud and I think, to have an opinion, you need to go to the source. So, perhaps when I'm feeling clever, I might just do that.

On the whole the book is interesting, it is not an easy read in parts but it does raise lots of questions about mind and brain. It is fascinating to hear what erudite minds make of the great Freud (or the grapefruit, as someone misheard).

I listened to the audio version which was well read - very clear and measured which is what you need in a book like this.

Thanks to Netgalley and RB Media for the advance review copy.

[Abbey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very entertaining and informative book!
I had a lot of fun hearing about Freud’s life from so many different perspectives, from his connection to his dogs to his style of working with patients.
Details of Anna Freud also peaked my attention, and gave me more to research in my own time.
There’s no doubt that Freud’s work and theories still impact us today, and I was amazed by the ways that it bleeds into so many aspects of life and how his research has sparked new ideas about the human brain.
I knew very very little about Freud’s life before this book, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about the “father of psychology” through a humorous and educational bundle of essays.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the Couch is a collection of essays and stories in which writers reflect on some aspect of Freudianism or Freud himself. Like most anthologies, the writing in this work varied in rating. I was surprised by how much the topics varied as well - for instance some works are personal reflections on how Freudianism has shown up in the author’s life while others are historical recounts of Freud’s life or work. There is even one purely fictional short story with a Freudian twist. All essays are well-written and those that delve into history are clearly throughly researched. I listened to the audiobook version of this novel and really liked the voices of both narrators.

I really enjoyed learning more about Freud and his life but the essays that were the strongest in my opinion were the personal pieces. The entries Penis Envy by Jennifer Finney Boylan, My Oedipus Complex by David Michaelis, and Growing up Freudian by Peter D. Kramer were highlights to me. However, I gave more essays in this collection 2s and 3s than I did 4s and 5s. I ultimately struggled to maintain attention through some of the entries.

This novel is definitely worth a read if you are interested in learning more about Freud - just know that you will read about him from a wide varied of perspectives and through writings that may not all be to your liking.

Thank you to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for access to this audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Ashley]

DNF, tried soooo hard to finish in order to review for NetGalley... But this just wasn't for me.

[Marinna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will start by saying that I'm a psychotherapist. I'm NOT a psychoanalyst, but like many who have pursued a career in the field of psychology, Freud has always been a character of interest. I was curious to hear takes on Freud, especially as many of his theories now feel a bit outlandish and outdated. This book was interesting, but I don't know if I would say I actively enjoyed it. The collection of stories were obviously related with the common thread of Freud, but some felt like they were more historical and others seemed to just be reflections that would fall into the "weird" category.... like exploring penis envy and being sexually attracted to your mom. I mean I knew it was a book about Freud, but it was just not what I was expecting.

The narration was really great! I have listened to Perry Daniels before and he one of my favorites to listen to. Dina Pearlman also did a great job. I enjoyed that the book had different narrators for different stories, as they otherwise may have flowed too closely together.

Again, this was not what I was expecting to listen to. There were a few stories I was entertained by, and I did learn quite a bit about Freud. I didn't know his wife's sister lived with them, that he had 6 children, and that his cancer was so bad that his dogs couldn't stand the foul smell. I would definitely be interested in learning more about Sigmund Freud's life, but probably not so interested in others' musing on how he has impacted their life.

Thank you to NetGalley, HighBridge Audio, and the narrators, writers, and editor of this ALC for this audiobook!

[Smithereens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclosure #1 I listened to this collection of essays in audio format, and it was probably not the right format for me. I’m used to audio-books for fiction, even big ones (I listened to Stephen King’s 11.22.63 all 36 hours of amazing story), but I’m not that used to audio non-fiction. I thought that given that I listen to many podcasts, that would not be a problem. Turns out, this collection was a bit difficult to follow. Some essays were really going into details I did not follow and I had trouble concentrating for some 30 minutes on some specific topics, so I DNF-ed a few (maybe 3 or 4). Apart from that, the reading was clear and nice to listen to.

Read the rest at https://smithereens.wordpress.com/202...

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley. I received a free copy of this book for review consideration.

[James S. · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are few people in history whom I detest more than Freud. He was a total pseudoscientific fraud as well as an unpleasant and harmful person. His influence has been toxic, especially on the field of psychology (obviously), but also on literary studies, where his theories are still talked about as if they haven't been totally discredited.

I thought this book would be a skeptical look at Freud's influence, but instead it's a collection of essays from writers about the influence Freud has had on them. Most of the writers are generally sympathetic to Freud, as the editor himself seems to be, so the main effect this anthology had on me was one of anger. Do not recommend.

[Vittoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
This collection of a say dealt with anything you can think about a person in this case Freud.
In fact, the topics various from Freud’s life to his approach on psychoanalysis and I would say
that the first one is the one that interests me the most and made me want to continue the book and the narrators were great.
I’ve never studied philosophy, but I always wanted to so this book made me more curious about the subject.

Thank you to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for access to this audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Paul Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

I nearly didn't read this, but in the end it was quite fun. It's a real mix of perspectives and essay types - some of them didn't work for me, but some did. It was interesting to see the range of meanings that Freud has for people in today's society. I would see that as the main justification of the book - a demonstration of how differently he resonates with people depending on their backgrounds and their life experiences. I like Sarah Boxer's essay "its complicated" and her two sets of cartoon books (in the Floyd Archive and Mother May I?) sound fun. I also liked Freud Now by Siri Hustvedt.

[Steffi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This audiobook was interesting for the most part & I enjoyed both the male & female narrators. The essays were a bit all over the place in this collection. I personally enjoyed listening to the history of Freud & his great impact on psychoanalysis. Some of the essays, however, were hard to finish. There were personal experiences mixed in with biographical material. Definitely an interesting mix.

[Lena Barnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Skipped about 2 of the essays. This book is just an abundance of essays written about Mr. Freud and psychoanalysis.

It is pretty literary, and unless you’re super into psychology and TED talks, I wouldn’t recommend.

I would recommend just searching, “Penis Envy” by Jennifer and read that essay alone, it was my favorite!

[Scotty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the majority of the essays/stories in this anthology, and the ones I didn't thoroughly enjoy were still pretty decent. I learned a good amount, but, more importantly, this collection made me think and grapple with some of my own conceptions and thoughts. I think I'd like to get my own copy of this book so I can revisit bits after reading more related material.

[Jeni Baykoca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every story is written by a different psychotherapist about Freud, from different niches and focuses. Especially the earlier stories were ones I really liked - they were more about his theories as applied to the contemporary stance of psychotherapy. Towards the end it was more biographical about Freud, which were still good, it’s just not my interest area.

[Louis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting collection of essays, some more than others. Particular highlights include the work of short fiction, and the later essays analysing Freud's work as pieces of storycraft rather than scientific papers.

3.5/5

[Carly Gillum · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was such an interesting read - especially for someone whose knowledge of Freud is just starting to grow.

I really enjoyed the essays included in this collection, and hope to revisit them once I have more Freudian context to back them up/understand them better.