The Theory of PsychoanalysisJung, C. G. (Carl Gustav)
Science
The Theory of Psychoanalysis
Jung, C. G. (Carl Gustav)
Neuroses; Psychoanalysis; Psychology, Pathological; Sex
Notwithstanding she is not quite satisfied, and doubts that all
fairy-tales have a meaning. She brings another instance of a fairy-tale,
that cannot be understood. She brings the story of little Snow-White,
who, in the sleep of death, lies enclosed in a coffin of glass. It is
not difficult to see that this fairy-tale belongs to the same kind of
myths to which the Sleeping Beauty belongs. The story of little
Snow-White in her glass-coffin is at the same time very remarkable in
regard to the myth of the seasons. This mythical material chosen by the
little girl has reference to an intuitive comparison with the earth,
held fast by the winter’s cold, awaiting the liberating sun of spring.
This second example affirms the first one and its explanation. It would
be difficult to pretend here that this second example, which accentuates
the meaning of the first, has been suggested by the explanation given.
The fact that the little girl brought up the story of little Snow-White,
as another example of the senselessness of fairy-tales, proves that she
did not understand her identification with little Snow-White and the
Sleeping Beauty. Therefore we may expect that little Snow-White arose
from the same unconscious sources as the Sleeping Beauty, that is, a
complex consisting of the expectation of coming events, which are
altogether comparable with the deliverance of the earth from the prison
of winter and its fertilization through the sunbeams of spring.
As may, perhaps, be known, the symbol of the bull has been given from
time immemorial to the fertile spring sun, as the bull embodies the
mightiest procreative power. Although without further consideration, it
is not easy to find any relation between the insight indirectly gained
and the dream, we will hold to what we have found and proceed with the
dream. The next part described by the little girl is receiving the doll
in her apron. The first association given tells us that her attitude and
the whole situation in the dream is like a picture very well known to
her, representing a stork flying above a village; children are in the
street, holding their aprons, looking up and shouting to him; the stork
must bring them a little baby. The little patient adds the observation
that several times she wished to have a little brother or sister
herself. This material, given spontaneously by the child, stands in a
clear and valuable relationship to the motive of the myths. We notice
here that the dream is indeed concerned with the problem of the
awakening instinct of generation. Nothing of this has been said to the
little girl. After a little pause, she brings, abruptly, this
association: “Once, when I was five years old, I thought I was in the
street and that a bicyclist passed over my stomach.” This highly
improbable story proved to be, as it might be expected, a phantasy,
which had become a paramnesia. Nothing of this kind had ever happened,
but we came to know that at school the little girls lay cross-wise over
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account