"Dostoevsky and Parricide" () is an introductory article contributed by

Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud ( ; ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating psychopathology, pathologies seen as originating fro ...

to a scholarly collection on the 1880 novel ''

The Brothers Karamazov ''The Brothers Karamazov'' ( rus, Братья Карамазовы, Brat'ya Karamazovy, ˈbratʲjə kərɐˈmazəvɨ), also translated as ''The Karamazov Brothers'', is the last novel by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. Dostoevsky spent nearly ...

'' by

Fyodor Dostoyevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. () was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist and journalist. He is regarded as one of the greatest novelists in both Russian literature, Russian and world literature, and many of his works are consider ...

. The collection was published in 1928. The article argues that it is no coincidence that some of the greatest works of world literature – including ''

Oedipus Rex ''Oedipus Rex'', also known by its Greek title, ''Oedipus Tyrannus'' (, ), or ''Oedipus the King'', is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles. While some scholars have argued that the play was first performed , this is highly uncertain. Originally, to ...

'', ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

'', as well as ''

'' – all concern

parricide Parricide is the deliberate killing of one's own parent, spouse, child, or other close relative. However, the term is sometimes used more generally to refer to the intentional killing of a near relative. It is an umbrella term that can be used to ...

, which in Dostoevsky's case Freud links to his

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of Non-communicable disease, non-communicable Neurological disorder, neurological disorders characterized by a tendency for recurrent, unprovoked Seizure, seizures. A seizure is a sudden burst of abnormal electrical activit ...

Ernest Jones Alfred Ernest Jones (1 January 1879 – 11 February 1958) was a Welsh neurologist and psychoanalyst. A lifelong friend and colleague of Sigmund Freud from their first meeting in 1908, he became his official biographer. Jones was the first En ...

termed the piece "Freud's last contribution to the psychology of literature and his most brilliant"; Freud himself however called it "this trivial essay. It was written as a favour for someone and written reluctantly".

Gambling

The second section of Freud's essay turned away from a primary consideration of ''

'' to consider the related question of Dostoevsky's gambling. Freud saw gambling as a defiant struggle with Fate (concealing the

father figure A father figure is usually an older man, normally one with power, authority, or strength, with whom one can identify on a deeply psychology, psychological level and who generates emotions generally felt towards one's father. Despite the literal t ...

); the associated guilt was the reason for the gambler's compulsion to lose. As Freud himself put it with reference to Dostoyevsky's wife:S. Freud, 'Dostoevsky and Parricide' in J. Halliday/P. Fuller eds., ''The Psychology of Gambling'' (1974) p. 170

"she had noticed that the one thing which offered any real hope of salvation – his literary production – never went better than when they had lost everything....When his sense of guilt was satisfied by the punishments he had inflicted on himself, the inhibition on his work became less severe."

References

External links

Complete text of ""

SLOBODANKA VLADIV-GLOVER - Dostoyevsky, Freud and Parricide; Deconstructive Notes on "The Brothers Karamazov" in New Zealand Slavonic Journal(1993), pp. 7-34

Freud on Dostoevsky's Epilepsy
1928 essays Essays about literature Essays by Sigmund Freud Homicide Fiction about patricide Works about Fyodor Dostoyevsky {{lit-essay-stub

Gambling

See also

References

Further reading

External links