Embodied Selves : An Anthology of Psychological Texts 1830-1890

An anthology of texts from scientific and cultural sources illustrating the complexity and range of Victorian psychological thought. Areas covered include: phrenology and mesmerism, theories of dreams, memory and the unconscious, female and male sexuality, insanity and nervous disorders, and theories of degeneration.

This anthology of primary materials will help redraw our understanding of the complexity and range of Victorian psychological thought and its relations to the wider cultural framework of the era. Drawing together an unprecedented range of materials from scientific, medical, and cultural sources, it charts changing notions of selfhood and bodily identity in the emerging sciences (and pseudo-sciences) of psychology and psychiatry. Areas covered include: physiognomy, phrenology, and mesmerism; theories of dreams, memory, and the unconscious; female and masculine sexuality; insanity and nervous disorders; and theories of degeneration. The book illuminates both the diversity and vitality of psychology in the pre-Freudian era and will help correct many of our misconceptions about theories of sexuality and the unconscious at this time. Embodies Selves will be of interest to both specialist and non-specialist audiences in the areas of cultural, literary, historical, and gender studies.