Chapter 1, Introductory Material Summary and Analysis

There are five separate sections of introductory material to this book. The sections are: Preface, Introduction, Sigmund Freud a Chronology, A Note on Symbols and Abbreviations, Overture, An Autobiographical Study. These are followed by six parts, each of which contains a number of chapters followed by concluding remarks after the main body of the text.

Editor Peter Gay introduces Freud as one of the select men to have given shape to the twentieth century: he is one of the major contributors to improvements in knowledge that serve culture and humanity. The editor then explains that Freud's works have not been as well read or by as many people as would be best. During the Introduction, Peter Gay explains that Freud had the psychology of being an outsider. The Introduction has four headings. The second reports that the...