24. Letter from Donald Winnicott to Ernest Jones, 22nd July 1952

22nd July 1952.

Dear Ernest Jones:

I was very grateful to you for reading and commenting on my lecture “What is Psycho-Analysis?”1 It is strange how a stupid thing like “not very voluminous” creeps in. It might interest you to know the explanation of this. In 10 years' analysis Strachey made practically no mistakes and he adhered to a classical technique in a cold-blooded way for which I have always been grateful. He did, however, say two or three things that were not interpretations at a time when interpretation was needed. Each one of these has bothered me and at some time or other have come out in an unexpected way. One day, instead of making the interpretation which I can now easily see for myself, about my inhibitions in regard to the reading of Freud, he took up the attitude of trying to persuade me to make the effort and he used the words “after all the part that you need to read is not very voluminous.” I am very angry indeed that I have allowed this to come in and I am getting these words crossed out in all the copies that I am sending round.

I am not so ashamed about saying that Shakespeare knew as much as a psycho-analyst as although I agree that the word “knew” is wrong at any rate it is a point of interest for discussion and not a mistake like the other.

With very good wishes,

Yours,

D. W. Winnicott.