The Interpretation of Dreams Chapter 1 Postscripts Summary

  • James Strachey's Standard Edition of The Interpretation of Dreams attaches two postscripts to the end of Chapter 1. The first was added by Freud to the 1909 edition of the book, and the second is from the edition of 1914.
  • In the 1909 Postscript, Freud explains that there's been no need to update the literature review in Chapter 1, because the nine years between the first and second editions of The Interpretation of Dreams "have produced nothing new or valuable either in factual material or in opinions that might throw light on the subject" (1.10.1).
  • Freud also takes this opportunity to lament that very few people seem to have read or understood The Interpretation of Dreams, despite the fact that it's been out for nearly a decade.
  • In the Postscript of 1914, Freud changes his tune. In the five years between the second and third editions of the book, The Interpretation of Dreams has become much more popular. In fact, by this time, it has inspired "a whole series of fresh considerations and problems," which Freud promises to address in the pages that follow (1.11.1).