Young Vienna and Psychoanalysis: Felix Doermann, Jakob Julius David, and Felix Salten (Austrian Culture)

Young Vienna and Psychoanalysis examines the parallels and connections between early psychoanalysis and the literary movement known as Young Vienna [Jung-Wien] at the turn of the twentieth century. In particular, it considers Freud’s influence on writers Felix Doermann, Jakob Julius David, and Felix Salten and, reciprocally, the influence of these writers on Freud. An overview of Freud’s perceptions of and experiences with literature provides the foundation upon which a closer examination of the lives and works of Doermann, David, and Salten is built. As part of this examination, a significant work by each writer is studied from a psychoanalytic perspective. A closing summary briefly draws together the main threads of connection between Freud and the writers, including their mutual breaking away from an antiquated culture and their serious examination of the inner life.