Discussion

THIS BRILLIANT PARER with its subtle insights into some of the concepts of psychoanalysis brings much richness to the novel and the theme it contains. In his careful exposition, Professor Kuhns, I think, both succeeds and fails in making his point. He certainly proves the difference between death and dying and I find his comments about the present preoccupation with violent death in films, literature, and other arts quite convincing.

As for The Leopard, the book strikes me as being more about depression than death. From my perspective as a clinician, I see the essence of depression in not living. In 1915, Freud in one of his less sentient statements said, "Our own death is indeed unimaginable …" 1 There are numerous examples in literature as well as those many of us have seen in clinical work that indicate that this is obviously not true. A notable case is found in Eissler's 2 meditations on death, where he supports Freud's death instinct hypothesis and, in effect, refutes Freud's earlier statement.

There are some curious ambiguities in The Leopard. It is a story of radical cultural change in the life of a man who thinks he