Joy and the Objects of Psychoanalysis: Literature, Belief, and Neurosis (Suny Series in Psychoanalysis and Culture)

"A remarkable rendering of psychoanalysis in contemporary thought and literature, offering a compelling theory of human development. Through its attention to literary works both famous and obscure, as well as to evolutionary theory and the emergence of religious beliefs, Joy and the Objects of Psychoanalysis will make compelling reading for psychoanalysts, anthropologists, religious studies scholars, literary critics, and all who desire to expand their understanding of the human condition." -- Gilbert Herdt, San Francisco State University

"An outstanding work. The reader comes away sensing that a real analyst (and a very good one) is writing this book. This is an analyst-author who can help the patient regain his or her sense of joy, the remedy for neurosis. But the book also goes beyond technical discussions about neurosis, interpretation, and change and discusses the literary imagination, politics, and religion. Hence, both sides--the therapeutic and the cultural-interpretive--are covered in this book in unique ways." -- Don S. Browning, University of Chicago