|
Karen
Mack and Jennifer Kaufman's latest novel, Freud's Mistress,
is a compelling story surrounding Freud and his family that
weaves fact and fiction. This book is about a possible love
affair between Sigmund Freud and his sister-in-law, Minna
Bernays. Although many scholars dismissed it as ridiculous,
they have come to change their minds after the discovery of
a glamorous Swiss hotel's register where Freud signed in as
"Dr. Sigm Freud u frau (wife)." What is very gripping
is that same day he sent his wife a postcard describing the
lodgings as "humble." Beyond the affair, the authors
also intertwined facts about Freud's life and theories.
The novel begins with Minna moving in to her sister and brother-in-law's
house in the late 1890's and traces her forty-two year residency
with the family. Kaufmann and Mack find it fascinating and
hope the readers will as well, that during the period when
Freud was developing his theories on psychoanalysis and dreams,
he was having a scandalous affair with his sister-in-law.
They want to make it clear that the affair was recreated,
but the surrounding information is accurate and factual. They
did extensive research and drew from the actual letters written
by Freud, although they paraphrased a lot of the dialogue.
The authors brilliantly point out the differences between
Freud's writings and his actual life. In fact, after finishing
the book, the readers will wonder if Freud should have had
his family "on the couch." He was unhappy with his
wife and thought of marriage as infringing on desire and passion.
One of his children, Sophie, was a bed-wetter who stammered.
His oldest son, Martin, once said that his father never talked
about sex to him and that they hardly had a relationship.
This seems ironic since the authors chronicle how Freud related
all neurosis to something sexual. Karen noted, "During
this time period his theory was that all problems were related
to sexual neurosis. However, later on he backed away, maybe
because Minna questioned him or maybe because his young daughters
started to grow up."
Regarding Freud's personality, the reader will come away with
several distinct impressions: charismatic, chauvinistic, self-centered,
and brilliant. This is no more exemplified than in their recreation
of a Freud lecture where all the students were spellbound
and mesmerized, leaning on his every word: "The air was
charged with electricity as he offered his audience fresh
possibilities, new ways of thinking. He made them laugh and
laugh again. They were drawn…to his greatness."
Contrast that with another quote from the book showing his
narcissist personality: "Minna was just one more person
who 'stimulated his mind.' And that this attachment would
eventually pass, just like the others."
Jennifer explained, "Through his letters, which we wanted
to convey in the book, male or female became enamored with
him but he chose to move on after a while. He always seemed
to need a friend or an enemy. Minna learned the hard way that
there were always people drifting in and out of Freud's life.
At first they were indispensable, but after a period of time
they were often discarded."
Freud's
Mistress is more than just a novel of passion and betrayal
between a husband and a wife, and between sisters. It is also
very informative about the difficulties Freud faced due to
the uniqueness of his ideas, his personality, and the cultural
conditions in the late nineteenth century, including the anti-Semitic
atmosphere.
|
