Morbid Swither
Well-known member
I find it interesting that Olga Tokarczuk is a psychologist. I had been musing on this recently....It got me to thinking about Freud, and that his writings on psychology are considered a keystone in the Wester Canon (indeed, one of Bloom's "26"). To me this demonstrates how vital writings on psychology are (and how, at least potentially, influential).
Now, I also think that Jonah Lehrer's work Proust Was a Neuroscientist is also fascinating, its thesis essentially being to establish that the artists of the world are instrumental in the collective understanding of how the mind works, in a nutshell.
Of course there is also Carl Jung....Certainly the precedent for enormously influential psychologists in literature does not begin and end with Sigmund Freud.
Then, in the world of literary theory, criticism, there is even more connections.
I noticed that Penguin Modern Classics (UK), has added a wide swarth of titles from the Canadian social psychologist, Erving Goffman (1922-1982).
As well as a title from an author (psychotherapist, foremost) named Virginia M. Axline: Dibs in Search of Self: Personality Development in Play Therapy.
Not sure if anyone has read anything from Andrew Solomon, but he ranks in the highest echelon of writers (non-fiction, albeit) at work in my lifetime. I have devoured his many articles and extremely educational, thought-providing, empathetic, and insightful books with fascination and gratitude! Seriously, like Rebeca Solnit, and just a precious few others, I feel smarter if not wiser having read. Solomon is not a psychologist per se, but I'm convinced that he understands the subject comprehensively.
This isn't the most constructive post... But I'd love to hear other's thoughts on the subject. Oliver Sachs also comes to mind.
Now, I also think that Jonah Lehrer's work Proust Was a Neuroscientist is also fascinating, its thesis essentially being to establish that the artists of the world are instrumental in the collective understanding of how the mind works, in a nutshell.
Of course there is also Carl Jung....Certainly the precedent for enormously influential psychologists in literature does not begin and end with Sigmund Freud.
Then, in the world of literary theory, criticism, there is even more connections.
I noticed that Penguin Modern Classics (UK), has added a wide swarth of titles from the Canadian social psychologist, Erving Goffman (1922-1982).
As well as a title from an author (psychotherapist, foremost) named Virginia M. Axline: Dibs in Search of Self: Personality Development in Play Therapy.
Not sure if anyone has read anything from Andrew Solomon, but he ranks in the highest echelon of writers (non-fiction, albeit) at work in my lifetime. I have devoured his many articles and extremely educational, thought-providing, empathetic, and insightful books with fascination and gratitude! Seriously, like Rebeca Solnit, and just a precious few others, I feel smarter if not wiser having read. Solomon is not a psychologist per se, but I'm convinced that he understands the subject comprehensively.
This isn't the most constructive post... But I'd love to hear other's thoughts on the subject. Oliver Sachs also comes to mind.