Reviews for Dragonfly and the Web of Dreams

The average rating for Dragonfly and the Web of Dreams based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2019-12-05 00:00:00 Marian Sly Whew! A daunting classic with plenty of awkward moments, but absolutely worth reading. Bucketlist material, for sure. Special thanks to Michael Page who narrated the unabridged audio version. His narration is absolutely pitch-perfect, the total embodiment of an analytical psychologist. Without the audio I probably wouldn't have read it, and that would be a shame. What I love most is the endless analysis. Yes, some of Freud's theories are pretty wild--and I'll get to that--but there's a lot to learn about the human condition, both in its sleeping and waking states. Freud analyzes every possible dream from so many angles it boggles the mind. But, being a constant dreamer, his theories kept me in rapt attention. My dreams are often varying and multi-faceted. Freud talks about them all and many others. The examples he gives of dreams that manifest out of reality are particularly interesting. This happens to me often. I’ll dream an elaborate story, with characterization, rising plot, mystery and intrigue, and right at the climax, when the protagonist is about to get hit by a train, there's a real-world blaring sound. Only the real sound isn't a train, it happens to be my alarm clock. How the hell is that possible? My dreaming state can plot itself out to the millisecond so that the climax coincides with my alarm ringing? It's miraculous, unexplainable. And yet, Freud explains it. Or tries to at least. Even after 600+ pages--or 21 hours on audio--there's room left for mystery, I think. And Freud himself says that two people can dream the exact same thing and it have completely different meanings based on context. For example, falling. If you've dreamed of falling from a large height, it could be a bodily reaction to a foot hanging loose off the mattress. Or, surprise surprise, it could be about sex. According to Freud, a woman may manifest a dream of falling as a symbolic reflection of her unconscious feeling of being--or desiring to be--a "fallen woman." Spoiler alert: Freud basically concludes that all of your dreams are about sex. There's his expected theory on phallic symbolism, of course. If you dream about corn stalks or cucumbers, we all know what you're really dreaming about. But objects that pun with sexual objects are also in play. Such as the "fallen woman." The most bizarre example Freud uses is dreaming of children. Because it was in vogue to refer to the male member as 'little man,' Freud concludes that dreaming of a child is often the subconscious using symbolism. And if you dream of beating the child? Well, obviously that must mean your subconscious is expressing a wish to masturbate. Freud is a controversial figure because of ideas like these, but it would be loss to not recognize how many of this theories are crucial to understanding psychology. And for those who accuse him of being a sex-obsessed maniac, we should remember that all living things are sex-obsessed maniacs. From the trees who fill the spring air with their pollen, to the male black widow who gives up his life for the sake of biological need. And yes, humans too. Whether or not you want to admit it, we're built to think like that, and Freud's continual return to sex comes across less like the cocaine-loving ramblings of a nympho, and more like someone who understands what makes a human tick. At the very least, all of the passages about medicinal cocaine and sex symbolism makes this an infinitely more entertaining read than it might be otherwise. Overall, I would easily mark this as a must-read classic. Where else can you find a thick textbook that's actually engaging? It will make you think, question yourself, and understand yourself. If nothing else, it's made me hyper aware of my dreams. I remember ALL OF THEM now. Instead of waking up and shaking them away, I'm immediately replaying them in my mind and thinking, "Oh God, what would Freud say about THAT?"

Review # 2 was written on 2009-03-24 00:00:00 Clarence Rhodes Die Traumdeutung = The Interpretation of Dreams, Sigmund Freud The Interpretation of Dreams is an 1899 book by the psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, in which the author introduces his theory of the unconscious with respect to dream interpretation, and discusses what would later become the theory of the Oedipus complex. Freud revised the book at least eight times and, in the third edition, added an extensive section which treated dream symbolism very literally, following the influence of Wilhelm Stekel. Freud said of this work, "Insight such as this falls to one's lot but once in a lifetime." عنوانهای برگردانهای فارسی منتشر شده: «تفسیر خواب»؛ «تعبیر خواب و بیماریهای روانی»؛ نویسنده: زیگموند فروید؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش نسخه فارسی: ماه آگوست سال 1974میلادی عنوان: تفسیر خواب؛ نویسنده: زیگموند فروید؛ مترجم: محمد خاور؛ تهران، کانون شهریار، 1328؛ در 55ص موضوع روانکاوی خواب دیدن از نویسندگان آلمانی - سده 19م عنوان: تعبیر خواب و بیماریهای روانی؛ نویسنده: زیگموند فروید؛ مترجم: ایرج پورباقر؛ تهران، نشر آسیا، 1342؛ در 462ص؛ چاپ پنجم 1378؛ چاپ هفتم 1382؛ شابک 9649067981؛ عنوان: تفسیر خواب؛ نویسنده: زیگموند فروید؛ مترجم: شیوا رویگردان؛ تهران، نشر مرکز، 1382؛ در 885ص شابک 9643056732؛ چاپ دوم 1383؛ چاپ سوم 1384؛ پنجم 1386؛ ششم 1387؛ هفتم و هشتم 1388؛ نهم و دهم 1389؛ چاپ پانزدهم 1393؛ شابک 9789643056735؛ عنوان: تفسیر خواب؛ نویسنده: زیگموند فروید؛ مترجم: احسان لامع؛ تهران، پارسه، 1393؛ در 436ص؛ شابک 9786002531810؛ عنوان: تفسیر خواب؛ نویسنده: زیگموند فروید؛ مترجم: عفت السادات حق گو؛ تهران، شباهنگ، 1394؛ در 567ص؛ شابک 9786001301100؛ بیش ‌از یک‌ سده، پیش از امروز، «فروید»، با نگارش همین‌ کتاب، برای «تفسیر خواب و رؤیا»، که پیش‌ از آن، موضوع حدس و گمان‌های عوامانه، و سطحی بود، پایه و اسلوبی‌ علمی، و نظام‌مند، فراهم‌ کردند، و گامی‌ بزرگ، در زمینه‌ ی جست‌جوی علمی، در ذهن انسانی، و فهم پدیده‌ ها، و مسائل ذهنی، برداشتند؛ با این‌حال در آغاز کتاب، پیش‌ از ارائه‌ ی نظریه‌ ی خویش، یعنی تلقّی خواب‌ دیدن، به‌ منزله‌ ی تحقّق آرزو، سابقه‌ ی تحلیل علمی رؤیاها را، به‌ تفصیل بررسی‌ کردند، که آن‌ نیز، نمونه‌ ای از کار دقیق پژوهش‌گرانه، و ارج‌شناسی تلاش‌های دیگران، به‌ شمار می‌آید؛ «فروید» خواب‌ها را «بزرگراهی به‌ درون ناخودآگاه» می‌دانستند، و پژوهشگران، پس‌ از ایشان نیز، همچون‌ ایشان، از آن‌ بزرگراه، برای راه‌ یافتن به‌ جهان پیچیده‌ ی ذهن انسانی، بهره‌ های بسیار بردند؛ روان‌کاوی، و روان‌ درمانی امروزین، بی‌تردید، به‌ کار پیشاهنگ، و پیشتاز «فروید»؛ بسیار وامدار است تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 04/01/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی