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Labyrinths: Emma Jung, Her Marriage to Carl, and the Early Years of Psychoanalysis
A sensational, eye-opening account of Emma Jung’s complex marriage to Carl Gustav Jung and the hitherto unknown role she played in the early years of the psychoanalytic movement.
Clever and ambitious, Emma Jung yearned to study the natural sciences at the University of Zurich. But the strict rules of proper Swiss society at the beginning of the twentieth century dictated that a woman of Emma’s stature—one of the richest heiresses in Switzerland—travel to Paris to "finish" her education, to prepare for marriage to a suitable man.
Engaged to the son of one of her father’s wealthy business colleagues, Emma’s conventional and predictable life was upended when she met Carl Jung. The son of a penniless pastor working as an assistant physician in an insane asylum, Jung dazzled Emma with his intelligence, confidence, and good looks. More important, he offered her freedom from the confines of a traditional haute-bourgeois life. But Emma did not know that Jung’s charisma masked a dark interior—fostered by a strange, isolated childhood and the sexual abuse he’d suffered as a boy—as well as a compulsive philandering that would threaten their marriage.
Using letters, family interviews, and rich, never-before-published archival material, Catrine Clay illuminates the Jungs’ unorthodox marriage and explores how it shaped—and was shaped by—the scandalous new movement of psychoanalysis. Most important, Clay reveals how Carl Jung could never have achieved what he did without Emma supporting him through his private torments. The Emma that emerges in the pages of Labyrinths is a strong, brilliant woman, who, with her husband’s encouragement, becomes a successful analyst in her own right.
Clever and ambitious, Emma Jung yearned to study the natural sciences at the University of Zurich. But the strict rules of proper Swiss society at the beginning of the twentieth century dictated that a woman of Emma’s stature—one of the richest heiresses in Switzerland—travel to Paris to "finish" her education, to prepare for marriage to a suitable man.
Engaged to the son of one of her father’s wealthy business colleagues, Emma’s conventional and predictable life was upended when she met Carl Jung. The son of a penniless pastor working as an assistant physician in an insane asylum, Jung dazzled Emma with his intelligence, confidence, and good looks. More important, he offered her freedom from the confines of a traditional haute-bourgeois life. But Emma did not know that Jung’s charisma masked a dark interior—fostered by a strange, isolated childhood and the sexual abuse he’d suffered as a boy—as well as a compulsive philandering that would threaten their marriage.
Using letters, family interviews, and rich, never-before-published archival material, Catrine Clay illuminates the Jungs’ unorthodox marriage and explores how it shaped—and was shaped by—the scandalous new movement of psychoanalysis. Most important, Clay reveals how Carl Jung could never have achieved what he did without Emma supporting him through his private torments. The Emma that emerges in the pages of Labyrinths is a strong, brilliant woman, who, with her husband’s encouragement, becomes a successful analyst in her own right.
411 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 8, 2016
52 people are currently reading
874 people want to read
About the author
Catrine Clay
15 books18 followersCatrine Clay has worked for the BBC for over twenty years, directing and producing award-winning television documentaries. She won the International Documentary Award and the Golden Spire for Best History Documentary, and was nominated for a BAFTA. She is the author of King, Kaiser, Tsar and Trautmann’s Journey, which won a British Sports Book Award for Biography of the Year and was runner-up for the William Hill Sports Book Award. She is married with three children and lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
January 12, 2017
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b082x79jDescription: The story of Emma Jung, her marriage to Carl and the early years of psychoanalysis. Emma Jung was clever, ambitious and immensely wealthy, one of the richest heiresses in Switzerland, when she met and fell in love with Carl Jung, a handsome but penniless medical student. She was only 17, too young to understand Carl's complex personality or conceive of the dramas that lay ahead.
It was a highly unconventional marriage with many labyrinthine twists and turns. Emma was forced to fight with everything she had in order to come to terms with Carl's brilliant but complicated character and to keep her husband close to her. His belief in polygamy led to many extra-marital involvements with women he met when they became his patients. A ménage a trois with a former patient, Toni Wolff lasted some thirty years. But the marriage endured and Emma realised her ambition to become a noted analyst in her own right.
See also 'A Dangerous Method' (2011) from a play by Christopher Hampton
May 1, 2022
I liked the audiobook and the way it was written and narrated. Although not as interesting for me as I thought. But glad I have it ago as psychology is something I'm very interesting in as a whole
April 1, 2017
Emma Rauschenbach Jung was one of the wealthiest women in Switzerland and Carl Jung was among the poorest men. After her marriage at a young age, Emma provided Carl with an elegant lifestyle and became his colleague. She performed analysis, wrote papers and was President of the Psychological Society (which sounds like a resort where papers were presented and ideas shared) in Zurich. What could have been dynamic picture book marriage was marred by Carl’s “rages” and infidelities.
The author begins with a compelling scene where the Jung’s visit the Freud’s for a family dinner. After this, The narrative goes back to Emma’s and Carl’s childhoods and the timeline stays linear, The interesting prose that describes the dinner with the Freud’s does not recur.
You learn of Emma’s family’s decision that she not be educated, her interest in the legend of the Holy Grail, her “wedding”, her early married life at the Burgholzli asylum, how she and Carl designed and built their state-of-the-art home (flush toilets and electricity), had 5 children, enjoyed family life while coping with Carl’s “rages”, tolerated of Jung’s female “guests”, and how she became an analyst, wrote papers, gave lectures and traveled.
There is a good description of daily life in Switzerland during WWI.
The author presents a lot of information, but it seemed more like a series of events than a portrait. In the end, I didn’t feel that I knew either Emma or her “labyrinth”.
If you are interested in Emma and/or Carl Jung you will want to read this book for its informational content.
The author begins with a compelling scene where the Jung’s visit the Freud’s for a family dinner. After this, The narrative goes back to Emma’s and Carl’s childhoods and the timeline stays linear, The interesting prose that describes the dinner with the Freud’s does not recur.
You learn of Emma’s family’s decision that she not be educated, her interest in the legend of the Holy Grail, her “wedding”, her early married life at the Burgholzli asylum, how she and Carl designed and built their state-of-the-art home (flush toilets and electricity), had 5 children, enjoyed family life while coping with Carl’s “rages”, tolerated of Jung’s female “guests”, and how she became an analyst, wrote papers, gave lectures and traveled.
There is a good description of daily life in Switzerland during WWI.
The author presents a lot of information, but it seemed more like a series of events than a portrait. In the end, I didn’t feel that I knew either Emma or her “labyrinth”.
If you are interested in Emma and/or Carl Jung you will want to read this book for its informational content.
May 17, 2017
I like Jennifer Senior's take (from the NYT):
“Labyrinths” was well received when published in England this summer. Yet throughout the first half of the book, no matter how much I squinted, I could not discern why. The subject is rich, definitely, and Jungian analysis has a groovy, woo-woo sort of appeal. But Ms. Clay’s sourcing is thin. She devotes pages of filler to the glorious architecture of Middle Europe — sounding uncomfortably close to the sales pitch for a Viking River Cruise — and to the menu at the Jungs’ wedding, and to the wares of the Bahnhofstrasse, and to the costume of the day. ... It all seems a clumsy attempt at trompe l’oeil, to give the illusion of depth. // My l’oeil wasn’t tromped.Hehe! I agree. Not all is executed well in this book but it was still interesting and reminded me of just how new and strange the ideas of early Freudian and Jungian psychoanalysis were to the European world. In the end I was glad that I persevered through the elaborate scene-setting and silliness. There are repetitions and redundancies, and the structure could have been tighter, but by the end the cumulative effect was a vivid picture of the fascinating Emma Jung's excellent mind and generosity of spirit (and Carl Jung's uh ... complicated personality and adherence to non-monogamy).
November 4, 2016
I received an uncorrected proof copy of this book from HarperCollins.
Born in 1882, Emma Rauschenbach was "one of the richest heiresses in Switzerland" (3). Clever and ambitious, Emma always wanted to study the natural sciences at the University of Zurich, but was discouraged because of her family's desire for her to follow the dictates of Swiss society that decreed that she must prepare for marriage. However, her mother did encourage Emma to marry Carl Jung, "the son of a poor pastor of the Swiss Protestant Reformed Church" (3). Carl was just embarking on a career as a doctor for the insane, which was regarded as the lowest rung in the medical profession. It was an odd choice for a wealthy young woman, but Emma was intrigued by her husband's profession and from very early in their marriage assisted him closely with his professional work.
More than a biography of Emma Jung, this is truly a portrait of a marriage, one that was complex and full of both hardships and love. Carl seems to have been a difficult husband. Clay describes him as having a split personality that Carl himself referred to as "Personality No 1" and "Personality No 2;" the two differed in nearly every way: "sure and unsure, optimistic and pessimistic, introverted and extroverted, sensitive and insensitive, brilliant yet obtuse, genial yet given to violent rages, cold under warm, dark under light - always split, and that split always hidden. Secret" (26-27). The vastly variable versions of her husband made their home life difficult throughout their over fifty years of marriage. Emma too struggled, primarily with the strictures placed on a wife and mother, as their eventual five children together kept her largely at home while her husband was still free to pursue his intellectual pursuits. Another major point of contention in the marriage was Carl's insistence on the need for their marriage to be "polygamous" or an open marriage, in which he brazenly flaunted his infatuations (often with patients) and mistresses in front of his faithful wife.
Throughout all of their struggles, the internationally renowned work in psychoanalysis made famous by Jung would likely not have happened without Emma's quiet presence in the background. "Without Emma keeping the steady rhythm of family life going he might have cracked" (214). Emma was also a huge support to her husband professionally, helping him keep up with patients, correspondence, and paperwork during his many travels. In nearly every way, theirs was a "joint career" (320).
After fifty-three years of marriage, Emma died of cancer in 1955, survived by her husband, five children, and nineteen grandchildren. Disappointingly, after a biography that was intimately intertwined with the life of her husband, the author failed to include any insight into Carl's remaining days after his wife's death. This biography was an interesting inside look into the woman who is much lesser known to history but deserves just as much renown as her husband. I found Emma's choice to defy social convention and marry a man with no social standing or personal wealth inspiring and an indication of her affection for Carl but also her deep interest in intellectual pursuits, which she knew would be fueled by Carl. By the many sources referenced in this book, Emma appears to have been a thoughtful, down to earth, clever woman that fulfilled her familial expectations while also still managing to carve out some time for her own interests and academic pursuits.
Born in 1882, Emma Rauschenbach was "one of the richest heiresses in Switzerland" (3). Clever and ambitious, Emma always wanted to study the natural sciences at the University of Zurich, but was discouraged because of her family's desire for her to follow the dictates of Swiss society that decreed that she must prepare for marriage. However, her mother did encourage Emma to marry Carl Jung, "the son of a poor pastor of the Swiss Protestant Reformed Church" (3). Carl was just embarking on a career as a doctor for the insane, which was regarded as the lowest rung in the medical profession. It was an odd choice for a wealthy young woman, but Emma was intrigued by her husband's profession and from very early in their marriage assisted him closely with his professional work.
More than a biography of Emma Jung, this is truly a portrait of a marriage, one that was complex and full of both hardships and love. Carl seems to have been a difficult husband. Clay describes him as having a split personality that Carl himself referred to as "Personality No 1" and "Personality No 2;" the two differed in nearly every way: "sure and unsure, optimistic and pessimistic, introverted and extroverted, sensitive and insensitive, brilliant yet obtuse, genial yet given to violent rages, cold under warm, dark under light - always split, and that split always hidden. Secret" (26-27). The vastly variable versions of her husband made their home life difficult throughout their over fifty years of marriage. Emma too struggled, primarily with the strictures placed on a wife and mother, as their eventual five children together kept her largely at home while her husband was still free to pursue his intellectual pursuits. Another major point of contention in the marriage was Carl's insistence on the need for their marriage to be "polygamous" or an open marriage, in which he brazenly flaunted his infatuations (often with patients) and mistresses in front of his faithful wife.
Throughout all of their struggles, the internationally renowned work in psychoanalysis made famous by Jung would likely not have happened without Emma's quiet presence in the background. "Without Emma keeping the steady rhythm of family life going he might have cracked" (214). Emma was also a huge support to her husband professionally, helping him keep up with patients, correspondence, and paperwork during his many travels. In nearly every way, theirs was a "joint career" (320).
After fifty-three years of marriage, Emma died of cancer in 1955, survived by her husband, five children, and nineteen grandchildren. Disappointingly, after a biography that was intimately intertwined with the life of her husband, the author failed to include any insight into Carl's remaining days after his wife's death. This biography was an interesting inside look into the woman who is much lesser known to history but deserves just as much renown as her husband. I found Emma's choice to defy social convention and marry a man with no social standing or personal wealth inspiring and an indication of her affection for Carl but also her deep interest in intellectual pursuits, which she knew would be fueled by Carl. By the many sources referenced in this book, Emma appears to have been a thoughtful, down to earth, clever woman that fulfilled her familial expectations while also still managing to carve out some time for her own interests and academic pursuits.
February 20, 2024
What was truly valuable for me in this book was learning more about the early years of and relationships within psychoanalytic circles in Europe and the wider world. I really respect the author for the tremendous amount of reading, interviews and research that must have gone into this. I also didn't mind the nitty-gritty details of the age and Carl and Emma's world that some other people critisized about the book. I was also fascinated to learn more about the Zurich Psychological Society, life with Bleuler at the Bürgholzli, life in Switzerland during the world wars, high society in Switzerland and worlwide travel at the dawn of the century, women entering the psycholy movement, Freud's social personality etc etc. In fact, these are actually the parts why I'm most glad I read this book. What I could care less about was actually Emma and Carl's relationship, which, I also feel I did not find out much about.
I kept cringing at the author's continuous use of the motives of "split Carl", the "labyrinths of the marriage", "Carl's infatuations", "clever and modest Emma", "Carl and the stone", "Carl's personality number 1 and 2".... which felt to me more like the author's attempt to dogmatically push some form of narrative into a topic, which is not really helping me, the reader, actually understand these people. And, like other reviewers, I'm not sure how much research and proof is behind these statements.
Altogether I would recommend this book to someone interested in Carl Jung and Emma's brief life story, or someone interested in the other side of the Freud-Jung conflict. But not so much to someone wishing to be entertained, or to find out more about Emma and Carl's relationship, or actual facts about Carl's alleged cheating on his wife, or about the actual basics and the birth of Carl's theories. I was also hoping to learn more about the origins of Carl's ideas on the collective unconscious, which is barely mentioned in this book.
I kept cringing at the author's continuous use of the motives of "split Carl", the "labyrinths of the marriage", "Carl's infatuations", "clever and modest Emma", "Carl and the stone", "Carl's personality number 1 and 2".... which felt to me more like the author's attempt to dogmatically push some form of narrative into a topic, which is not really helping me, the reader, actually understand these people. And, like other reviewers, I'm not sure how much research and proof is behind these statements.
Altogether I would recommend this book to someone interested in Carl Jung and Emma's brief life story, or someone interested in the other side of the Freud-Jung conflict. But not so much to someone wishing to be entertained, or to find out more about Emma and Carl's relationship, or actual facts about Carl's alleged cheating on his wife, or about the actual basics and the birth of Carl's theories. I was also hoping to learn more about the origins of Carl's ideas on the collective unconscious, which is barely mentioned in this book.
December 19, 2020
Аз предпочитам истинските, а не толкова художествените биографии. Но след като се заговорил с една много симпатична жена на щанда на издателството по време на Алеята на книгата, си купих няколко от тяхната поредица.
Започнах с тази за Ема Юнг, всичко около тази тема ми е интересно. И я прочетох за един ден, защото е написана леко и ненатрапчиво. Препоръчвам я!
Аз лично научих доста интересни неща за ранните години на психоанализата и за взаимоотношенията между Фройд и Юнг. Книгата предлага и интересен поглед в кухнята на това звездно семейство, в което всеки сън, да не говорим кошмар, се анализира в детайли и е от огромно значение.
Ценно е и синтезираното буквално в три страници описание на Цюрих преди и по време на Първата Световна война: “А Цюрих процъфтяваше като културен център, приютил бежанци от всички страни. Писатели, художници, музиканти, революционери, политически измамници, подбудители, се тълпяха там, събираха се в кафенета и паркове, говореха, спореха, пиеха, сплетничеха”.
“Стефан Цвайг, отседнал в хотел тук, се научи да внимава какво казва и пише:”Камериерката, която изпразва кошчето, телефонистката, сервитьорът, който стои подозрително близо и ни обслужва незабележимо по-мудно, всички те служат на чужди сили.””
Няма да издавам повече. Симпатична, непретенциозна книжка.
Единствената ми забележка! Не знам как е в оригинала, но ако бях издател, бих се постарала обезателно да издиря и включа наколкото фотографии, които така подробно са описани в книгата, но всъщност липсват!
May 6, 2024
A treia biografie despre Jung pe care o citesc. Atat cat poate fi cunoscut,din ce am citit; mi-am format o opinie despre el.
Fireste, m-a interesat si sotia lui,fara de care nu ar fi ajuns niciodata ce este astazi.
Cartea aceasta nu mi-a placut in mod deosebit.
Autoarea mi se pare departe de a fi impartiala in legatura cu CG Jung, reise frecvent cat ii este de antipatic, in contrast cu Emma Jung.
M-am uitat si pe bibliografia acestei carti, si, chiar si asa, am ramas cu impresia unei fictiuni mai degraba decat a unei biografii.
Intr-un fel, pe buna dreptate. De unde sa stim noi dialogurile si relationarea dintre cei doi, dincolo de speculatie si propria imaginatie.
Aceasta biografie imi intareste ideea ca "psihologia" este departe de a fi o stiinta, si mai degraba o "arta" si imaginatie a creatorilor ei.
Fireste, m-a interesat si sotia lui,fara de care nu ar fi ajuns niciodata ce este astazi.
Cartea aceasta nu mi-a placut in mod deosebit.
Autoarea mi se pare departe de a fi impartiala in legatura cu CG Jung, reise frecvent cat ii este de antipatic, in contrast cu Emma Jung.
M-am uitat si pe bibliografia acestei carti, si, chiar si asa, am ramas cu impresia unei fictiuni mai degraba decat a unei biografii.
Intr-un fel, pe buna dreptate. De unde sa stim noi dialogurile si relationarea dintre cei doi, dincolo de speculatie si propria imaginatie.
Aceasta biografie imi intareste ideea ca "psihologia" este departe de a fi o stiinta, si mai degraba o "arta" si imaginatie a creatorilor ei.
January 6, 2017
From BBC Radio 4 - Book of the week:
The story of Emma Jung, her marriage to Carl and the early years of psychoanalysis.
Emma Jung was clever, ambitious and immensely wealthy, one of the richest heiresses in Switzerland, when she met and fell in love with Carl Jung, a handsome but penniless medical student. She was only 17, too young to understand Carl's complex personality or conceive of the dramas that lay ahead.
It was a highly unconventional marriage with many labyrinthine twists and turns. Emma was forced to fight with everything she had in order to come to terms with Carl's brilliant but complicated character and to keep her husband close to her. His belief in polygamy led to many extra-marital involvements with women he met when they became his patients. A ménage a trois with a former patient, Toni Wolff lasted some thirty years. But the marriage endured and Emma realised her ambition to become a noted analyst in her own right.
In the first episode, Carl meets Emma and breaks down her resistance to marriage - a seduction by intellect.
Readers: Deborah Findlay and Henry Goodman
Written by Catrine Clay
Abridged and produced by Elizabeth Burke
A Loftus production for BBC Radio 4.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b082x79j
The story of Emma Jung, her marriage to Carl and the early years of psychoanalysis.
Emma Jung was clever, ambitious and immensely wealthy, one of the richest heiresses in Switzerland, when she met and fell in love with Carl Jung, a handsome but penniless medical student. She was only 17, too young to understand Carl's complex personality or conceive of the dramas that lay ahead.
It was a highly unconventional marriage with many labyrinthine twists and turns. Emma was forced to fight with everything she had in order to come to terms with Carl's brilliant but complicated character and to keep her husband close to her. His belief in polygamy led to many extra-marital involvements with women he met when they became his patients. A ménage a trois with a former patient, Toni Wolff lasted some thirty years. But the marriage endured and Emma realised her ambition to become a noted analyst in her own right.
In the first episode, Carl meets Emma and breaks down her resistance to marriage - a seduction by intellect.
Readers: Deborah Findlay and Henry Goodman
Written by Catrine Clay
Abridged and produced by Elizabeth Burke
A Loftus production for BBC Radio 4.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b082x79j
Want to read
September 24, 2017Labyrinths: Emma Jung, Her Marriage to Carl and the Early Years of Psychoanalysis by Catrine Clay – review
in: https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...
in: https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...
February 26, 2017
I do not often read non-fiction for pleasure but this was truly fascinating. What an interesting life!
April 11, 2017
Loved this! A really wonderful story full of amazing people - and I was very pleased to learn about Emma Jung. What a brilliant woman. Blog post coming soon...
January 17, 2025
Every famous man has a woman (or in some cases, like C.G. Jung, multiple women) behind him doing his editing, talking through his developing ideas with him, taking care of the house in his presence AND absence, filling out paperwork, etc. etc.
This book did an excellent job of covering the tumultuous yet solid marriage of Emma and Carl. Sometimes, the author’s choice of ordering of events was difficult to follow, opening to book with the couple’s later visits with Freud rather than just starting at the beginning of Emma’s life to provide context but overall I found myself thoroughly enjoying this audiobook!
Moreover, the author sprinkled in some late 1800s/early 1900s cultural history of Switzerland, providing a backdrop to the personal dramas of the Jung family. Revolutionary fervor was alive and well in Europe at the time!
My favorite quote that the author inserted, from the editor of a German newspaper, Der Bundt, showing that while things change much stays the same:
“An automobilist is a capitalist gone mad! Who sits at the wheel of this appalling vehicle? A speed fanatic, an addict of self indulgence, a show off! “
This book did an excellent job of covering the tumultuous yet solid marriage of Emma and Carl. Sometimes, the author’s choice of ordering of events was difficult to follow, opening to book with the couple’s later visits with Freud rather than just starting at the beginning of Emma’s life to provide context but overall I found myself thoroughly enjoying this audiobook!
Moreover, the author sprinkled in some late 1800s/early 1900s cultural history of Switzerland, providing a backdrop to the personal dramas of the Jung family. Revolutionary fervor was alive and well in Europe at the time!
My favorite quote that the author inserted, from the editor of a German newspaper, Der Bundt, showing that while things change much stays the same:
“An automobilist is a capitalist gone mad! Who sits at the wheel of this appalling vehicle? A speed fanatic, an addict of self indulgence, a show off! “
July 10, 2017
През 1899 едва седемнайсетгодишната Ема Раушенбах, една от най-богатите наследници в Швейцария, се влюбва в Карл Юнг, беден Irrenarz (лекар, грижещ се за душевноболни) – най-неуважаваната медицинска дисциплина. Родителите на Ема насърчават любовната й връзка с доктор Юнг. Искат тя да е щастлива, освен това въпреки плебейския си произход и непрестижната си професия Карл е много интелигентен и трудолюбив.
Никой не подозира колко далеч ще стигне този свръхамбициозен млад човек, когото самият Фройд посочва за свой професионален наследник. Започнал кариерата си като скромен асистент, Юнг ще стане светило в непознатото досега поле на психоанализата и към него ще се обръщат за помощ най-богатите и значими личности на тогавашната епоха.
Никой не подозира колко далеч ще стигне този свръхамбициозен млад човек, когото самият Фройд посочва за свой професионален наследник. Започнал кариерата си като скромен асистент, Юнг ще стане светило в непознатото досега поле на психоанализата и към него ще се обръщат за помощ най-богатите и значими личности на тогавашната епоха.
April 14, 2024
This book gives a good sense of what it was like to live with Jung. He was a difficult man in a lot of ways. If it wasn’t for his wife Emma, and also his various female associates, his depth psychology wouldn’t have developed. They were the foundation. Jung gave Emma the encouragement to live her own life and she became an analyst and scholar in her own right.
April 24, 2018
More about Carl and Sigmund than Emma. But an interesting lens at times.
August 30, 2017
Interesting, but dull. I listened to the audio-version and I often found my mind wondering while listening.
January 26, 2021
This engrossing account of the life of the legendary psychoanalyst Carl Jung and his relationship with his wife, Emma, provides a deep and objective portrait of the man behind the theories and the context in which his work was completed. I'd previously read Jung's autobiography, Memories, Dreams, Reflections, which piqued my interest in this fascinating man and his ideas, but in Labyrinths Clay patches up several of the holes Jung was unwilling to delve into by himself and allows the reader to peer with more clarity into his complicated life.
The first chapter describes the Jungs' first in-person meeting with Sigmund Freud and his family in Vienna, a visit that sets the stage for the fruitful but explosive relationship between the two men. Subsequent chapters explore, in roughly chronological fashion, the lives of Emma Rauschenbach and Carl Jung, from their formative childhoods into marriage and old age. Much of the narrative is constructed with excerpts from letters written by both Emma and Carl, as well as interviews with their children, grandchildren, and friends. An extensive bibliography also displays the depth of Catrine Clay's research.
The main insight to emerge from the book is the absolutely integral part Emma played in the life and work of Carl, one of the most influential psychologists of all time. On a practical level, Emma was the heiress to the Rauschenbach fortune, one of the largest in Switzerland. At the time of their marriage Carl was already more than 3,000 francs in debt (average weekly wage for a working man at the time: 30 francs), and the economic freedom that Emma's money afforded an indigent young Carl is what allowed him to pursue a career in the very unlucrative, fledgling field of psychology at all.
On a professional level Emma was also indispensable: early on she transcribed many of Carl's dreams and ideas as he dictated them to her, and throughout his career she undertook administrative duties like replying to correspondence and scheduling his therapy sessions. As her own understanding of psychotherapy grew, she became an accomplished analyst in her own right and even the president of the Zurich-based Psychological Club. She authored a book on the psychology of the legend of the Holy Grail which was published after her death. She often served in a conciliatory role to make up for the brash impudence of her strong-headed husband, smoothing over hurt feelings to enable future collaboration. Perhaps most importantly, she served as a sounding board for all of Carl's ideas, their relationship becoming the fertile intellectual collaboration that would produce many ideas foundational to modern psychology.
On a deeper spiritual and emotional level, the normalcy and stability of the family Emma created around Carl in their home on the shores of the lake of Zurich was the anchor and the salve that Carl's troubled soul needed to stay grounded and sane as he delved deeply into his unconscious mind. Jung was a pioneer in the field of psychology, which was not really even accepted as a science when he began his career, and he refused to reduce the complexity of human behavior down to a single primal driving factor like his colleagues Freud (sexuality) and Adler (will to power). Jung was also deeply imbued with a tendency towards the occult, as his mother's family was full of mystics, seers, and paranormal happenings. Much of Jung's work is an attempt to figure out the causes of debilitating psychological diseases like schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety, and devoting so much of his time and energy to people with these afflictions often brought Jung to the brink of his own sanity. There are several quotes from Jung in the book that express the sentiment that he himself was just as crazy as his patients. Without Emma and his family as the bedrock of his life, it is certain Jung would not have been able to dive as deeply as he did into human psychology without drowning in its miasma.
This brings us to a second main insight: Jung was himself a profoundly odd and multitudinous man, and his rejection of a thoroughly empirical and reductive model of human psychology allowed him to formulate much more radical theories with the potential to reach a wider swathe of humanity, but in the end may say more about his own individual psychology than that of humanity as a whole. He had an isolated childhood in a sleepy Swiss village that was marked by the depressed frailty of his mother, the existential conundrums of a father who would die when Jung was still a young man, and several odd dreams, habits, and neuroses. There are several times in the book where Jung himself diagnoses his own psychic troubles as 'all leading back to the father complex'. This perhaps explains much of Jung's relationship with Freud, who was several decades older and the authoritative doyen of the field of psychology at the time.
Much of the book is devoted to Freud's relationship with both Carl and Emma, drawing primarily often on their voluminous correspondence via mail. Freud viewed Jung as the heir to the psychoanalytic movement, the man who would assume the mantle of psychotherapy and bring it to the rest of the non-Jewish world. But in 1912, Jung published his own theory on the libido, Symbolisms of the Libido, in a direct contradiction of Freud's theories. Neither man would back down, and a rift opened up between the formerly intimate intellectuals that would last the rest of their lives. On a related note, another common topic in the book is the effect that Jung's female coterie of devotees had on his own marriage. Women, especially ones that became involved with Jung's ideas about psychology, seemingly could not resist falling in love with him and Carl often did a poor job of discouraging these 'infatuations'. In particular, Clay characterizes Jung's relationship with Toni Wolff as a menage a trois and details the jealousy and insecurity that Emma had to grapple with as she threatened Carl with divorce multiple times. Though Wolff was a constant weekly presence in their home until her death, Emma seemingly was able to come to terms with the arrangement and her bond with Carl only strengthened as the years passed.
One of the things I appreciated most about Labyrinths is the nuance it brought to my view of Jung the man. The fact is, Jung was a largely inattentive father and an unfair husband. He made a habit of leaving for months on speaking tours and other adventures, leaving Emma back home with the children. He was often unable to maintain friendships with other 'strong' men because his personality could be so domineering. Much of what he accomplished professionally was only possible because of the affluence he married into, and the rich American patrons he later cultivated. The picture that emerges of Carl is less flattering, but humanizing, and the reader comes to see Carl's work as the drive to understand the contents of his own troubled psyche in addition to that of his patients. Having both Labyrinths and Jung's autobiography under my belt, I feel much more prepared to dive into his oeuvre and understand the man behind the ideas.
As for the book itself, the merits of this work certainly outweigh its comparatively minor drawbacks. A fair amount of 19th and 20th century history gives life to the milieu Emma and Carl existed in, but the sheer amount of names and dates and foreign sounding places contained in the narrative can be mind-numbing at times. Especially the seemingly never-ending list of psychotherapists. I wish more space had been devoted to later periods of their lives, as much of the action takes place when they are young. I also wish Clay had delved more deeply into several of the controversies around Jung. Accusations about his attitude towards the Nazis and the African and Indian peoples he encountered during his later travels cast a racist, western-centric shadow over his work and I felt they could've been more extensively debunked (if they are indeed false). Also, there has to be evidence of whether or not Carl ever physically consummated any of his numerous 'infatuations', yet Clay demurs from telling us this crucial detail. Likely out of respect for Carl's legacy and living family members, many of whom she interviewed, but still. Oh well.
The first chapter describes the Jungs' first in-person meeting with Sigmund Freud and his family in Vienna, a visit that sets the stage for the fruitful but explosive relationship between the two men. Subsequent chapters explore, in roughly chronological fashion, the lives of Emma Rauschenbach and Carl Jung, from their formative childhoods into marriage and old age. Much of the narrative is constructed with excerpts from letters written by both Emma and Carl, as well as interviews with their children, grandchildren, and friends. An extensive bibliography also displays the depth of Catrine Clay's research.
The main insight to emerge from the book is the absolutely integral part Emma played in the life and work of Carl, one of the most influential psychologists of all time. On a practical level, Emma was the heiress to the Rauschenbach fortune, one of the largest in Switzerland. At the time of their marriage Carl was already more than 3,000 francs in debt (average weekly wage for a working man at the time: 30 francs), and the economic freedom that Emma's money afforded an indigent young Carl is what allowed him to pursue a career in the very unlucrative, fledgling field of psychology at all.
On a professional level Emma was also indispensable: early on she transcribed many of Carl's dreams and ideas as he dictated them to her, and throughout his career she undertook administrative duties like replying to correspondence and scheduling his therapy sessions. As her own understanding of psychotherapy grew, she became an accomplished analyst in her own right and even the president of the Zurich-based Psychological Club. She authored a book on the psychology of the legend of the Holy Grail which was published after her death. She often served in a conciliatory role to make up for the brash impudence of her strong-headed husband, smoothing over hurt feelings to enable future collaboration. Perhaps most importantly, she served as a sounding board for all of Carl's ideas, their relationship becoming the fertile intellectual collaboration that would produce many ideas foundational to modern psychology.
On a deeper spiritual and emotional level, the normalcy and stability of the family Emma created around Carl in their home on the shores of the lake of Zurich was the anchor and the salve that Carl's troubled soul needed to stay grounded and sane as he delved deeply into his unconscious mind. Jung was a pioneer in the field of psychology, which was not really even accepted as a science when he began his career, and he refused to reduce the complexity of human behavior down to a single primal driving factor like his colleagues Freud (sexuality) and Adler (will to power). Jung was also deeply imbued with a tendency towards the occult, as his mother's family was full of mystics, seers, and paranormal happenings. Much of Jung's work is an attempt to figure out the causes of debilitating psychological diseases like schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety, and devoting so much of his time and energy to people with these afflictions often brought Jung to the brink of his own sanity. There are several quotes from Jung in the book that express the sentiment that he himself was just as crazy as his patients. Without Emma and his family as the bedrock of his life, it is certain Jung would not have been able to dive as deeply as he did into human psychology without drowning in its miasma.
This brings us to a second main insight: Jung was himself a profoundly odd and multitudinous man, and his rejection of a thoroughly empirical and reductive model of human psychology allowed him to formulate much more radical theories with the potential to reach a wider swathe of humanity, but in the end may say more about his own individual psychology than that of humanity as a whole. He had an isolated childhood in a sleepy Swiss village that was marked by the depressed frailty of his mother, the existential conundrums of a father who would die when Jung was still a young man, and several odd dreams, habits, and neuroses. There are several times in the book where Jung himself diagnoses his own psychic troubles as 'all leading back to the father complex'. This perhaps explains much of Jung's relationship with Freud, who was several decades older and the authoritative doyen of the field of psychology at the time.
Much of the book is devoted to Freud's relationship with both Carl and Emma, drawing primarily often on their voluminous correspondence via mail. Freud viewed Jung as the heir to the psychoanalytic movement, the man who would assume the mantle of psychotherapy and bring it to the rest of the non-Jewish world. But in 1912, Jung published his own theory on the libido, Symbolisms of the Libido, in a direct contradiction of Freud's theories. Neither man would back down, and a rift opened up between the formerly intimate intellectuals that would last the rest of their lives. On a related note, another common topic in the book is the effect that Jung's female coterie of devotees had on his own marriage. Women, especially ones that became involved with Jung's ideas about psychology, seemingly could not resist falling in love with him and Carl often did a poor job of discouraging these 'infatuations'. In particular, Clay characterizes Jung's relationship with Toni Wolff as a menage a trois and details the jealousy and insecurity that Emma had to grapple with as she threatened Carl with divorce multiple times. Though Wolff was a constant weekly presence in their home until her death, Emma seemingly was able to come to terms with the arrangement and her bond with Carl only strengthened as the years passed.
One of the things I appreciated most about Labyrinths is the nuance it brought to my view of Jung the man. The fact is, Jung was a largely inattentive father and an unfair husband. He made a habit of leaving for months on speaking tours and other adventures, leaving Emma back home with the children. He was often unable to maintain friendships with other 'strong' men because his personality could be so domineering. Much of what he accomplished professionally was only possible because of the affluence he married into, and the rich American patrons he later cultivated. The picture that emerges of Carl is less flattering, but humanizing, and the reader comes to see Carl's work as the drive to understand the contents of his own troubled psyche in addition to that of his patients. Having both Labyrinths and Jung's autobiography under my belt, I feel much more prepared to dive into his oeuvre and understand the man behind the ideas.
As for the book itself, the merits of this work certainly outweigh its comparatively minor drawbacks. A fair amount of 19th and 20th century history gives life to the milieu Emma and Carl existed in, but the sheer amount of names and dates and foreign sounding places contained in the narrative can be mind-numbing at times. Especially the seemingly never-ending list of psychotherapists. I wish more space had been devoted to later periods of their lives, as much of the action takes place when they are young. I also wish Clay had delved more deeply into several of the controversies around Jung. Accusations about his attitude towards the Nazis and the African and Indian peoples he encountered during his later travels cast a racist, western-centric shadow over his work and I felt they could've been more extensively debunked (if they are indeed false). Also, there has to be evidence of whether or not Carl ever physically consummated any of his numerous 'infatuations', yet Clay demurs from telling us this crucial detail. Likely out of respect for Carl's legacy and living family members, many of whom she interviewed, but still. Oh well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 5, 2022
Man, this book makes me want to read other Jung's biographical books. I enjoyed this book, but the 3 last chapters didn't really touch me (but the very last pages did touch me).
August 17, 2018
Интригуваща биография на Ема Юнг - съпругата на Карл Юнг, проследяваща хронологично нейния път, неговия път, развитието на двама им - паралелно, заедно и поотделно, връзката и впоследствие брака им, неговите изневери, нейните сила и слабост, общата им заслуга в зараждането и развитието на психоанализата, тълкуването на сънищата, отношенията им със Зигмунд Фройд (поотделно - на Карл с Фройд и на Ема с Фройд). Който се интересува от тези теми, може да почерпи идеи и вдъхновение. За мен лично беше безкрайно интересно. Моногамията, полигамията, изневярата, приемането / съпротивата, великодушието... В многото им аспекти.
June 9, 2019
The book is very well written and engaging (albeit with some cliche). However, it fronts Carl Jung as kind of a disturbed monster and completely ignores or skims through the later part (the most vital) part of his life. The narrative should be taken with a pinch of salt. It's not untrue but perhaps subjectively told (from the narrator's point of view even not from Emma Jung's).
Immensely interesting to learn about the beginnings and background of a god like Carl Jung, that explains how he got to his theories and methods. Definitely recommended.
Immensely interesting to learn about the beginnings and background of a god like Carl Jung, that explains how he got to his theories and methods. Definitely recommended.
March 17, 2018
Изключително леко се чете. Препоръчвам на всекиго, който желае да се запознае по-отблизо с жената до Личност 1 и Личност 2 (същностите на Карл Юнг). Оказа се, че клишето "зад всеки успял мъж стои една силна жена" и тук важи в пълна мяра. Липсват ми само бележките под линия - единственият сериозен минус на книгата. Затова поставям 4 звезди.
February 4, 2017
It was a slower read than I had anticipated.
October 4, 2019
Loved this one. The writer knows how to write a biography. Great book about fascinating people.
December 26, 2020
A hard read for me as I have Jung on a pedestal. Hearing this perspective from the view of his wife was definitely eye opening.
July 10, 2021
Not brilliantly written, but a fascinating story
December 28, 2024
I first read C.G. Jung as a kid, having found his UFO book in the Park Ridge Public Library while reading everything they had on the topic. I got back to him in high school, picking up a collection of his writings at the old Guild Bookstore in Lincoln Park. His essay on the symbolism of the Catholic Mass opened my eyes to a way to positively appropriate traditional religions, something I hadn't much thought of before. That and a general concern for my own mental health got me going, picking up one volume of the Collected Works at a time at the old Great Expectations bookstore in Evanston. By the end of college I was reading his alchemical works and reaching back to those figures who had most influenced him. By the end of divinity school I had read everything available and had corresponded with his son and his secretary and had completed a thesis on the Kantian background of his thought.
Jung was challenging and exciting as well as very mind-opening. Neither psychology nor philosophy had been taught much in high school and he introduced me to those fields as well as to an appreciation of religion I had not formerly held. He also got me to brush up on my pitiable Latin as well as to begin to deal with Greek, reinforcing my interest in classical history. Indeed, I went on for degrees in religion, psychology and philosophy--none of which could have been predicted when I was in high school.
However, despite his positive influence, Jung was ultimately disappointing. For one thing, beyond his word-association work early on, he wasn't too concerned about scientific proof of his theories, effectively relegating much of it to the subjective sphere. For another, he wasn't very ethical. He he hurt his wife and family by becoming erotically involved with patients and analysands, exploiting the tranference. Further, he did nothing to politically support the various progressive movements of his time. HIs life was very much one of self-indulgence, predicated on being very wealthy, supported by servants, wealthy admirers and his wife's family fortune.
This book, then, was of interest. I'd read Emma Jung's two published works, but I'd never read an examination of her own life and thinking. Clay offers an examination of both as well as some sense of their domestic life. Her exposition is sympathetically apologetic so far as Carl is concerned, everything represented as turning out for the best, Jung's moral shortcomings treated as somehow necessary factors in his noble quest for Wholeness. Indeed, despite Emma being the ostensible subject of this book, her life is treated--too much, I think--as an adjunct to his.
Jung was challenging and exciting as well as very mind-opening. Neither psychology nor philosophy had been taught much in high school and he introduced me to those fields as well as to an appreciation of religion I had not formerly held. He also got me to brush up on my pitiable Latin as well as to begin to deal with Greek, reinforcing my interest in classical history. Indeed, I went on for degrees in religion, psychology and philosophy--none of which could have been predicted when I was in high school.
However, despite his positive influence, Jung was ultimately disappointing. For one thing, beyond his word-association work early on, he wasn't too concerned about scientific proof of his theories, effectively relegating much of it to the subjective sphere. For another, he wasn't very ethical. He he hurt his wife and family by becoming erotically involved with patients and analysands, exploiting the tranference. Further, he did nothing to politically support the various progressive movements of his time. HIs life was very much one of self-indulgence, predicated on being very wealthy, supported by servants, wealthy admirers and his wife's family fortune.
This book, then, was of interest. I'd read Emma Jung's two published works, but I'd never read an examination of her own life and thinking. Clay offers an examination of both as well as some sense of their domestic life. Her exposition is sympathetically apologetic so far as Carl is concerned, everything represented as turning out for the best, Jung's moral shortcomings treated as somehow necessary factors in his noble quest for Wholeness. Indeed, despite Emma being the ostensible subject of this book, her life is treated--too much, I think--as an adjunct to his.
May 4, 2022
I really enjoyed reading this in -depth true account of Carl and Emma Jung who both played a part in the early years of psychoanalysis. Emma is a rich Swiss heiress and Jung is the son of a poor pastor and they get married when Emma is twenty-one and Carl who is seven years her senior.
Unbeknown to Emma, Carl has two personalities and has recurring dreams that are more like nightmares and he is tormented by them all through his life. He determines that there are three types of the human psyche which are the ego, the personal unconcscious and the collective unconscious. In 1906, Carl sends a copy of his studies in word association to Sigmund Freud who happened to be twenty years older than Carl. Carl looked up to Freud who was like a Father figure to him. They both gelled together and Freud had Carl in mind to take over from him but unfortunately a publication of one of Carl's books about psychology of the unconscious in 1912 did not sit well with Freud which in turn led to their breakup.
When Carl was five he played with stones in his garden and one stone jumped out at him and when he was alone began an imaginary game "I am sitting on top of this stone and it is underneath." But the stone could also say " I am lying here on this slope and he is sitting on top of me." The question being "Am I the one sitting on the stone , or am I the stone on which he is sitting."
I feel for Emma who wanted to go to University after leaving school but instead it was expected in that era that females had to go to finishing school in readiness to get married and be a home maker. Also her Father went blind when Emma was only twelve years old due to having a sexual encounter and contracted syphilis and died in his early forties.
Carl believed in poloygamy and there were three in the marriage as Carl took on a mistress but one never knew if they actually had sexual intercourse or not as Toni who was a patient in the past became a psychoanalysist too and so did Emma once the children had grown up and left home. Emma put up with his womanising ways as she loved Carl so dearly. Toni, Carl's mistress even went to seminars with Emma and Emma put up with it.
Carl lived the bachelor life and travelled wherever he chose in his line of work and left Emma with five children at home most of the time.
Unbeknown to Emma, Carl has two personalities and has recurring dreams that are more like nightmares and he is tormented by them all through his life. He determines that there are three types of the human psyche which are the ego, the personal unconcscious and the collective unconscious. In 1906, Carl sends a copy of his studies in word association to Sigmund Freud who happened to be twenty years older than Carl. Carl looked up to Freud who was like a Father figure to him. They both gelled together and Freud had Carl in mind to take over from him but unfortunately a publication of one of Carl's books about psychology of the unconscious in 1912 did not sit well with Freud which in turn led to their breakup.
When Carl was five he played with stones in his garden and one stone jumped out at him and when he was alone began an imaginary game "I am sitting on top of this stone and it is underneath." But the stone could also say " I am lying here on this slope and he is sitting on top of me." The question being "Am I the one sitting on the stone , or am I the stone on which he is sitting."
I feel for Emma who wanted to go to University after leaving school but instead it was expected in that era that females had to go to finishing school in readiness to get married and be a home maker. Also her Father went blind when Emma was only twelve years old due to having a sexual encounter and contracted syphilis and died in his early forties.
Carl believed in poloygamy and there were three in the marriage as Carl took on a mistress but one never knew if they actually had sexual intercourse or not as Toni who was a patient in the past became a psychoanalysist too and so did Emma once the children had grown up and left home. Emma put up with his womanising ways as she loved Carl so dearly. Toni, Carl's mistress even went to seminars with Emma and Emma put up with it.
Carl lived the bachelor life and travelled wherever he chose in his line of work and left Emma with five children at home most of the time.
September 24, 2023
This is a thorough and engaging account of Emma and Carl Jung’s relationship, though it purported to be primarily about Emma. There were some chapters where the focus seemed to be more on Carl and his personality and work, which annoyed me slightly, having read several books about “the women of…” but really turned out to be about the men (looking at you, Wives and Stunners). Thankfully the author does bring Labyrinths back around to Emma and her accomplishments. I suppose you can’t really have a biography about a famous man’s wife without a lot of detail about the man as well. Anyway, I learned a lot about both Emma in general and her private life with Carl in particular. It was an easy read but very informative, including photos from both partners’ childhoods, on throughout their lives.
A couple of minor quibbles: there were some spots that got a little repetitive, and I found far too many sentence fragments. I suppose the author was going for a less formal, more conversational style, but it annoyed me. But otherwise, it was well written and enjoyable.
A couple of minor quibbles: there were some spots that got a little repetitive, and I found far too many sentence fragments. I suppose the author was going for a less formal, more conversational style, but it annoyed me. But otherwise, it was well written and enjoyable.
June 13, 2020
Cumple muy bien su objetivo de hablar de Emma Jung y con ello de la situación de la mujer en su época y lo que era visto como el proyecto de las mujeres casadas : apoyar el proyecto de su esposo
Es muy interesante su lucha por seguir su formación a pesar de Jung
Y sobre los primeros años del Psicoanálisis sigo sin entender por qué se vincula a Jung con el psicoanálisis , excepto que Freud haya pensado en él como heredero, no veo su aporte ni entiendo por qué se hace llamar psicoanalista , el inconsciente que él investiga no es el que propone Freud .
La historia de él es muy impactante, se casa con una mujer rica, aprovecha su fortuna para darse una buena vida, se queda con los pacientes ricos americanos del psiquiátrico y acepta que le paguen viajes y que editen sus libros !
Nada ejemplar su vida, su obra tal vez tenga algún aporte para otras disciplinas .
El libro es fácil de leer y bien documentado
Es muy interesante su lucha por seguir su formación a pesar de Jung
Y sobre los primeros años del Psicoanálisis sigo sin entender por qué se vincula a Jung con el psicoanálisis , excepto que Freud haya pensado en él como heredero, no veo su aporte ni entiendo por qué se hace llamar psicoanalista , el inconsciente que él investiga no es el que propone Freud .
La historia de él es muy impactante, se casa con una mujer rica, aprovecha su fortuna para darse una buena vida, se queda con los pacientes ricos americanos del psiquiátrico y acepta que le paguen viajes y que editen sus libros !
Nada ejemplar su vida, su obra tal vez tenga algún aporte para otras disciplinas .
El libro es fácil de leer y bien documentado
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews