Love in Vienna: The Sigmund Freud–Minna Bernays Affair
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Overview
For many decades, critics and supporters of Freudian theory have debated the exact nature of Freud's relationship with his sister-in-law. This book examines the arguments pro and con in light of recently exposed evidence—the first study to do so in depth.
For many decades, controversy has surrounded the exact nature of famed psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud's relationship with Minna Bernays, his sister-in-law. Why did Freud and Bernays travel alone together on many occasions? Why did she seem to be so much closer to Freud than his own wife, Martha? The idea that Freud and Minna Bernays had a long-standing affair—an allegation that Freudians typically deny—was first mentioned by Carl Gustav Jung, an early supporter of Freud's and later a critic. Love in Vienna: The Sigmund Freud–Minna Bernays Affair provides the first comprehensive look at the relationship and offers conclusions as to its nature and the implications for Freud's life and work.
Organized logically, the book provides background information regarding the two chief antagonists in the story, Sigmund Freud and Carl Gustav Jung. It then presents and critically analyzes arguments for and against there having been an affair. Finally, it looks closely at Freud's relationships with both Minna Bernays and his wife Martha, Minna's sister, and offers conclusions as to the exact nature of Freud's relationship with Bernays.
Beyond fascinating those studying Freud or his theories, this work's subject matter and insights will appeal to readers interested in the history of psychology, psychoanalysis, and psychiatry; the intellectual history of Europe; the history of sex and manners; the history of ideas; the fin de siècle period in Vienna; and the history of medicine.
For many decades, critics and supporters of Freudian theory have debated the exact nature of Freud's relationship with his sister-in-law. This book examines the arguments pro and con in light of recently exposed evidence—the first study to do so in depth.
Presents the first comprehensive examination of the close relationship between Sigmund Freud and Minna Bernays and their probable affair, providing a detailed assessment of arguments pro and con
Suggests that Minna Bernays might have lied about her affair with Sigmund Freud, and that Carl Gustav Jung—whom many Freudians have accused of having fabricated the story of a Freud/Minna affair—merely conveyed what Minna had told him
Draws on newly available sources, including the 61-page, 1953 Kurt Eissler interview of Jung released by the Freud Archives (Library of Congress) in 2013 after being embargoed for 60 years and dozens of letters between Freud and Minna from the Hirschmüller and Tögel collections—material that has been professionally translated from German into English for the first time
Provides a fascinating portrait of Freud as a man of simmering sexuality, with amorous interests in both men and women
Preface
Acknowledgments
Part I: The Controversy
1 The Antagonists: Freud and Jung
2 The Rumor and Its Origins
3 The Freudian Response
Part II: The Affair and the Reality
4 Sorting Out the Arguments
Part III: Freud's Women
5 Freud and Minna
6 Freud and Martha
Concluding Thoughts
Notes
Bibliography
Index
I recommend this book very highly to anyone interested in the subject . . . . [I]t is the most thorough, thoughtful, and incisive summary of this intriguing debate thus far and will likely remain the single most important book on this subject for many years to come.
I enthusiastically commend this book to anyone interested in this intriguing subject—the origins of the rumor, the rumor's reception, the rebuttals and counterrebuttals that ensued over the following decades, and so on.
Gale gives his readers a rare insight into the relationship that Freud appeared to treasure most: his ambiguous relationship with [Minna] Bernays.
In the history of psychoanalysis, Freud's alleged sexual relationship with his sister-in-law Minna Bernays and Jung's alleged affair with Sabina Spielrein have become sensations, driving debates among defenders and doubters and spawning a considerable literature. Barry G. Gale's [Love in Vienna is] . . . a recent contribution to this genre. . . . The book is a scholarly discussion of the literature about the 'affair' written since [Ernest] Jones (1953) first mentioned rumors about it. Gale [is] convinced (1) that Minna slept with Freud and confessed this to Jung; (2) that Jung told the truth [about the affair] to [Dr. John] Billlinsky; and (3) that Billinsky's reportage [he interviewed Jung in 1957] was faithful.
Love in Vienna is a meticulously researched monograph and Barry Gales is to be congratulated on the depth and detail of his investigation.
- Title: Love in Vienna: The Sigmund Freud–Minna Bernays Affair
- Author: Barry G. Gale
- Publisher: Praeger
- Print Publication Date: 2015
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Pages: 264
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBN: 9798216112990
- Resource ID: LLS:9798216112990
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2025-04-22T15:58:52Z
Barry G. Gale, PhD, taught at Cambridge University as a member of Darwin College and served as professorial lecturer at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, a division of The Johns Hopkins University.