Mourning and Melancholia
by Sigmund Freud · Trauer und Melancholie
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1917
- Form
- Psychology
- Language
- German
- Length
- Short · 20 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Demanding3 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendThe Freud Reader, translated by James StracheyW. W. Norton, 1995Peter Gay's anthology includes this and most of the other short papers programs assign, in the Standard Edition translation.
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A short paper written in 1915 and published in 1917 that compares ordinary grief with pathological depression. In mourning the world has become poor and empty; in melancholia it is the ego itself. Freud proposes that the melancholic has unconsciously identified with a lost object and turned the reproaches meant for it against himself, so that the shadow of the object falls upon the ego. The paper introduced the idea of identification that reshaped his later theory.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Mourning and Melancholia 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.
