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Dr. Garma, a distinguished Argentinian psychoanalyst, has contributed many original ideas to dream theory since 1929 when his psychoanalytic training began with Theodor Reik. The present volume is an English version of the fourth edition of the 1940 work. The author makes the transition from Spanish quite comfortably. While the earlier editions seem to have been elementary expositions of the psychoanalytic conception of dreams, in the present edition the elementary introduction to dreams has been supplemented by reprints of three highly technical papers containing original conceptions. In essence, then, there is material on two levels of discourse…one elementary and didactic, and the other original and highly technical. It is best to consider each body of material separately.
The opening five chapters (pp. 21-127) provide an authoritative account of the basic theory of dreams covering such expected topics as the dream work, interpretation in treatment, sexual symbolism and the like. This section of the book should serve as a useful introduction to the psychoanalytic theory of dreams for any fairly intelligent person. Its use for didactic purposes is particularly enhanced by several features: Reports of 127 dreams (of a total of 164) provide ready illustrative material on many facets of dream interpretation; two appendices provide indexes to the dreams; and 48 plates of cartoons, paintings, and advertisements are included to demonstrate the nature of symbolism.
In the first appendix symbols appearing in the manifest content…or associations in some instances…of the dreams reported are noted along with their latent meanings (e.g., Madman in one dream refers to the psychoanalyst). The second appendix presents, under five major headings, things that were symbolized: mind, body, genitality, man, and woman. Thus, under the rubric of genitality, symbols for bed, coitus, contraceptive diaphragm, genital excitation, genitality, marriage, orgasm and pleasure are indicated along