Civilization and Its Discontents
by Sigmund Freud · Das Unbehagen in der Kultur
Assigned by 4 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1930
- Form
- Psychology
- Language
- German
- Length
- Short · 110 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Moderate2 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendCivilization and Its Discontents, translated by James StracheyW. W. Norton, 1989The Standard Edition text with Peter Gay's introduction; the translation nearly every course uses.
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Freud's late essay on why civilised life makes people unhappy. Society demands that individuals give up aggressive and sexual satisfactions, and the price is guilt, enforced from within by the superego. Beginning from the "oceanic feeling" of religion, Freud argues that the conflict between the drive toward love (Eros) and the death drive is built into culture itself and cannot be resolved, only managed.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Civilization and Its Discontents are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
