You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
Medea: Myth and Unconscious Fantasy is a volume in the series “Psychoanalysis & Women,” in which the IPA's Committee on Women and Psychoanalysis (COWAP) publishes key works on the subject. Overall, it is an interesting book. The content ranges somewhat and many of the contributions are thought-provoking with refreshing new perspectives. The title Medea: Myth and Unconscious Fantasy is perhaps somewhat misleading, as it primarily leads one to think of the roots of psychoanalysis in ancient mythology, and of psychoanalysis as an archaeology of the mind. Rather, the volume contains contributions with quite a contemporary tone and a focus on highly modern topics, although sporadically in connection to mythical themes. The editor of the book, Esa Roos, gathers several Finnish colleagues as well as fellow analysts throughout Europe, to reflect on central questions regarding the nature of love and violence, female identity and motherhood. Most chapters are an engaging and interesting read and the content may surprise and challenge the reader.
The starting point is the story in which Medea, the exotic princess, leaves her rich and ancient origins for the abiding love of Jason. She sacrifices everything for his prosperity and success and when he finally rejects her and leaves her for another, it is an unthinkable disaster. She enacts an implacable and murderous revenge that culminates in her personally taking the lives of her and Jason's two children. It is a tale rich in ingredients for psychoanalytic ideas: coming of age, passion, war of the sexes, parenthood, triangular dynamics, and violent humiliation and revenge.
Using ancient myths as a source of knowledge about the human mind has been a well-tested psychoanalytic method since the beginning. There is of course good reason for this. These primal tales with their roots in long-forgotten cultures have continued to be told and retold over time, precisely because they wrap key existential topics into a comprehensible narrati