The Wolf Man's Novel

This essay will argue that Sergei Pankejeff, or the “Wolf Man” , the subject of Freud's From the History of an Infantile Neurosis (1918 [1914]), desired to be a character in a novel. That is to say, he wished not only to behave like the heroes of his favorite works of fiction but also to have his life chronicled in a novelistic fashion. Recognizing the extent to which Pankejeff saw his treatment with Freud, and the texts potentially resulting from it, as an opportunity to be the protagonist of a novel should, it is hoped, give readers a more nuanced understanding both of Pankejeff's actions—such as his choice of spouse—and of the case history as a genre.

It could be said that Freud was the first to note both Pankejeff's enthusiasm for being featured in a published text and his readiness to seize the opportunity. In the “Introductory Remarks” to From the History of an Infantile Neurosis, he writes: “[o]nly [the] infantile neurosis will be the subject of my communication. In spite of the patient's direct request, I have abstained from writing a complete history of his illness, of his treatment, and of his recovery, because I recognized that such a task was technically impracticable and socially impermissible” (1918 [1914], p. 8, emphasis added). The immediate significance of this statement is to point out that his patient did not restrain Freud in choosing his material. But the Wolf Man's direct request shows nevertheless that he wanted Freud to create a very different text from the kind Freud actually wrote. He wished Freud to write a book that incorporates his adult life. The narcissistic wish to be immortalized in a book is not unique.1 Some people are willing to pay hefty sums for a book to be written or ghostwritten about their lives. Robert Paul (2006) writes