The Unpast

Viac o knihe

The principal text of this collection, The Actual Unconscious, was central to the 2014 Congress of French-Speaking Psychoanalysts. Accompanying it are three earlier texts that trace the evolution of thought culminating in “The Unpast.” Scarfone's foreword highlights the theme of time, which Freud noted was somewhat overlooked in his extensive study of the unconscious. Freud lamented the lack of theoretical exploration regarding the unalterability of repressed memories, suggesting it could lead to profound discoveries. The collection revisits this concept from a fresh perspective. Rather than adhering to the conventional idea of the unconscious as timeless, the essays engage with Freud's assertion about the "unalterability by time of the repressed." This notion implies a more dynamic understanding, challenging the idea that the unconscious exists outside of time. If the unconscious were truly timeless, it raises questions about how any aspect could manifest in a temporal reality. The concept of timelessness suggests an otherworldly unconscious, while the unalterability of the repressed indicates that a different temporal experience exists for it, shielding it from the ravages of time. This leads to the inquiry: what attributes lend the repressed its resilience?