One of Frederick Crews’ earliest books (1963) was “The Pooh Perplex.” But, on Pooh, a professor of English literature can’t build much of an academic career. Then, he infected himself with “Freudianism” (not psychoanalysis nor Freud). With no documented training nor expertise in the field, he has built his notoriety. This might be like a professor of English literature building a career on critiquing quantum mechanics or neuroscience — oh, but readers would expect that person to have had some training in those fields.
Nevertheless, this English professor who professes to be an expert in Freud or psychoanalysis now writes a 746 page book critiquing Freud.
His book might better be described as a work of fiction: at best entertaining, but we wouldn’t expect fiction to be true. Fiction is illusion, which is what Crews has written.
Then again, Crews’ Pooh book was a series of parodies of others. And now, he has parodied himself.
N. Szajnberg MD