Jacob Freud's Dedication to His Son: A Reevaluation
A Hebrew manuscript found preserved in the Freud family Bible remains the single extant document which bears on the relationship between Jacob Freud and his son Sigmund. It was apparently presented to Freud on the occasion of his thirty-fifth birthday, together with the gift of the family Bible, new...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Penn Press
1992
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| In: |
The Jewish quarterly review
Year: 1992, Volume: 82, Issue: 3/4, Pages: 329-360 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | A Hebrew manuscript found preserved in the Freud family Bible remains the single extant document which bears on the relationship between Jacob Freud and his son Sigmund. It was apparently presented to Freud on the occasion of his thirty-fifth birthday, together with the gift of the family Bible, newly rebound. This document, in cursive Hebrew and in flowery and metaphorical style replete with meticulously chosen biblical citations, recounts in brief three stages of the interaction between Sigmund (Shlomo) and his Bible, viewed from the father's perspective: (1) Freud's early profound attachment to the Bible as the source of his inspiration, striving, and wisdom; (2) his neglect, and possibly rejection of it after having attained the heights of his achievement; and (3) his father's call to remember his past learning and renew contact with that wellspring of knowledge and understanding. With expressions of profound love and devotion, Jacob reveals a parallel history between his son and himself, seeking to restore Sigmund's early affection for him and for the Bible. This study will undertake three interrelated tasks: (1) The correction of past errors in reading and translating the manuscript; (2) reinterpretation of the intent and meaning of the dedication, stemming in part from these corrections; and (3) a reexamination, in light of 1 and 2 and of related information, of the paternal role of Jacob Freud vis-à-vis his son, particularly with respect to the father's religiosity and religious practices. Major attention is paid to the last aspect, and it is contended that almost all past biographers have greatly misconstrued--in fact, deprecated--the character and religious outlook of Jacob Freud and consequently have misunderstood the cause and nature of the estrangement between father and son. I will also show that this testimonial to Sigmund Freud from his father, which Sigmund undoubtedly read at least in translation, may have stirred an awareness of his father's feelings toward him, leading in turn to a reconsideration of his filial sentiment toward his father and a reawakening of interest in his Jewish heritage, and it may have prompted him toward psychoanalytic thought. Thus this inscription endures as a significant historical document. |
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| ISSN: | 1553-0604 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: The Jewish quarterly review
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2307/1454862 |