A ‘dialectical study’ which does not provide a dialectical study until the last 80 or so pages. Even then it’s a very superficial ‘study’ that does no more than state Marxism and the Freudian inner world are dialectical opposites and should be studied together to provide a full understanding of man—how exactly? No answer.
Probably the best representation of schizophrenic thought I have ever read. I don’t think there’s a way to eloquently describe this piece, it’s not really the words or style that make this brilliant—they’re both very simple—but the uneasy feeling induced while having to jump from segment to segment, back and forth (that make this unparalleled…). It takes Farhad only 9 pages to convey the ‘chaos’
—for lack there …
Probably the best representation of schizophrenic thought I have ever read. I don’t think there’s a way to eloquently describe this piece, it’s not really the words or style that make this brilliant—they’re both very simple—but the uneasy feeling induced while having to jump from segment to segment, back and forth (that make this unparalleled…). It takes Farhad only 9 pages to convey the ‘chaos’
—for lack there of a better translation of موخەربەتە
—
of experiencing something as ‘abstract’ as schizophrenia.
Really looking forward to the English translation of this story to come in August!
The one time I willingly chose to read into Freudian analysis, I got no Freudian analysis…
3 stars
If there was to be one self-documented case of complex psychosis to have perfect room for Freudian analysis it would be Schreber’s. Yet Freud does so surprisingly little but quote Schreber and make vague gestures to what he thinks to be the case (Schreber wanting to be a woman to restore world order means he’s gay? / he’d rather be demented than gay?)…
Initially, I intended not to rate this given it was majority written by a man facing a severe distortion of reality. It would have been a bit in ill taste to complain of his writing being repetitive whilst he was convinced God was restoring the order of the world through him at the expense of his ‘unmanning.’
Schreber somehow provides a description of his distorted reality in the most unexpectedly lucid manner—despite being demented. His description of this reality gradually gets more and more repetitive until it’s almost impossible to concentrate on what he’s saying anymore—and then you get to the addenda…
…and basically experience whiplash from the way he is described from an outside perspective. The man who is seen to be rationalising with the ‘facts’ of his delusional system is described as though there is nothing going on upstairs in his head. It’s a bit nauseating and gets …
Initially, I intended not to rate this given it was majority written by a man facing a severe distortion of reality. It would have been a bit in ill taste to complain of his writing being repetitive whilst he was convinced God was restoring the order of the world through him at the expense of his ‘unmanning.’
Schreber somehow provides a description of his distorted reality in the most unexpectedly lucid manner—despite being demented. His description of this reality gradually gets more and more repetitive until it’s almost impossible to concentrate on what he’s saying anymore—and then you get to the addenda…
…and basically experience whiplash from the way he is described from an outside perspective. The man who is seen to be rationalising with the ‘facts’ of his delusional system is described as though there is nothing going on upstairs in his head. It’s a bit nauseating and gets worse as his case is debated by multiple officials to determine whether he is of sound mind / can function in a society.
4/5
Would not recommend unless you feel inclined to become even more pessimistic in the human ability to understand each other past surface level observations.
