The Interpretation of Dreams

Freud completed his magnum opus, The Interpretation of Dreams, in 1899, but postdated its publication to 1900. Freud wanted the book to be seen as a hallmark of modernity rather than a product of the nineteenth century. A compendium of his own dreams, interpretations, and myriad historical and cultural examples, the book scandalized Viennese bourgeois society upon its release. Directing the analytic gaze inwards and downwards, away from any divine causality, The Interpretation of Dreams is now considered among the 20th century’s landmark texts.