Thursday, September 29, 2011

Spotted: Memories, Dreams, Reflections by C.G. Jung and Aniella Jaffe

Where: N-train
Who was reading: Woman in black shorts with white polka dots and a gauzy white ruffle shirt.
All just for Shoe: She had these incredible high-heels hewn of rubber and chrome—I'd say they were at least a decimeter if they were an inch. And the heels themselves looked like those rubber prongs that poke out of walls. You know, the things that prevent your doorknob from smashing into the wall repeatedly? Dead useful, those.
Forever Jung: This pseudo-autobiography chronicles the life and work of famed psychologist Carl Gustav Jung, exploring in depth his lifelong study of the human psyche. Co-author Jaffe was hired by Pantheon to write the book, but as it progressed, Jung himself became increasingly invested in the project and ended up writing several chapters.
Too many contributors in the kitchen? When Jung passed away, the still-unpublished manuscript was contested on several fronts:
"Jung's family, in the interest of keeping Jung's private life from the public eye, pushed for deletions and other changes. Those involved in its publication demanded massive cuts in the text's length to keep the price of printing down. JaffĂ© herself was accused of censorship when she began exercising her Jung-appointed authority as editor to reword some of his thoughts on Christianity she deemed too controversial (via Wikipedia).
Yikes! And I thought it was a catastrophe when the copyeditor tries to insert too many commas. But eventually they published the darn thing, and based on a quick survey of Amazon reviews, the book has come to mean a great deal to a great many people--which is great!
"Meaninglessness inhibits fullness of life and is therefore the equivalent to illness. Meaning makes a great many things endurable--perhaps everything." –C.G. Jung

2 comments:

  1. While I was reading this post in a local burrito shop, a young man sat down across from me with this very book! What are the chances? Let's hear it for synchronicity!

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  2. Wow! And this was the first time I'd seen anyone reading it. I'd assume it had just been plugged on Oprah's Book Club if that Oprah still had a book club.

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