Freud: madman

Throughout my studies, I always perceived Freud as a simple, humble individual; the Godfather of Psychology if you will. Judging by photographs of the man and his advances in the field of psychology, it always seemed to me that he was the exact stereotype of a psychologist: an ageing doctor wearing a brown 3-piece suit or perhaps just a simple tweed jacket sitting cross-legged in a high-backed leather armchair listening to the ailments of his clients whilst stroking his beard and peering understandingly through a pair of round spectacles resting precariously on the edge of his nose, punctuating every answer he hears with a low, acknowledging grunt.

Having only really known the basics of the man and his work, it is like leaping into the abyss reading more and more into his theories. In short, the man either had an awful lot of time on his hands or he is, in fact, completely and utterly bonkers.

The concept of the id and the subconcious is a key idea in trying to understand Freud although I rather get the impression that he has taken this too far. If we literally did what we want and when we want then where would our society be? To suggest that every male would like to kill his father and sleep with his mother (Oedipus complex) is frankly beyond the realms of imagination. For someone who doesn't really approve of women, Freud seems to be really obsessed with sex and sexuality/sexual liberalism.

Modernism of course wouldn't be complete without a touch of Wagner to accompany our Nietzsche and co. I can recall a line from the recent Tom Cruise film "Valkyrie", a motion picture based on the true story of Klaus Von Stauffenberg and his secret plot to kill Hitler and overthrow the Nazis. In his first meeting with Hitler, Von Stauffenberg presents him with a file to sign marked "Valkyrie". Hitler signs then says: "I see you know your Wagner, Colonel. One cannot understand National Socialism if one does not understand Wagner". What a line! The ring cycle is a fantastic arrangement of music, one of course, that must be played tremendously loud in order to feel the full effect. The famous Liebestode scene in Tristan and Isolde is just a fanstastic concept. Imagine the last thing you ever do is have a screaming orgasm: at least when you went you'd go with a smile on your face.

Just a final point, having seen "Abigail's Party" it is one of the most cringeworthy examples of drama that I have ever witnessed. Ok, I can understand that when it was filmed it was a massive break with tradition but purely from an entertainment point of view, I can honestly say that watching something as odd as that is not my cup of tea!