The extraordinarily rich substance of the volumes to be considered in this essay invites scrutiny from many angles. All of the authors have undertaken an examination of some aspect of psychoanalytic theory, yet their aims vary a good deal. The focus of some is broad and abstract, while that of others is more restricted and closer to the data of observation. Some devote themselves to explication, and some undertake to change aspects of the theory. Naturally, there are also differences among them in the degree to which they have succeeded in their attempts. We shall assay their influences upon the development of psychoanalytic theory; further questions must then be raised as to whether the theory has indeed changed, in what ways, and against what obstacles.