This Jungian Life Podcast

Have We Ever Really Read Jung? Sonu Shamdasani on the Collected Works Crisis

6 snips
Dec 4, 2025
In this discussion, Sonu Shamdasani, a historian of Jungian thought and the mind behind the publication of the Red Book, reveals the shocking distortions in Jung's Collected Works due to prior editing. He shares insights on why a new critical edition is essential, correcting translation errors, and exploring Jung’s original ideas. Shamdasani discusses chronological arrangements that unveil Jung's intellectual evolution, and hints at fascinating unpublished materials to come. This journey not only honors Jung's true legacy but promises to enrich our understanding of his profound insights.
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INSIGHT

Hull's Literary Translation Skewed Jung

  • RFC Hull treated Jung as literary copy rather than a scholarly author, altering emphasis and wording widely.
  • Sonu Shamdasani finds he modifies about 60% of Hull translations when citing Jung to restore intended meanings.
INSIGHT

What A Critical Edition Actually Does

  • A critical edition establishes a neutral, scholarly text with textual variants and annotations for context.
  • Sonu says this edition will be the textual basis for all future Jung studies.
ANECDOTE

Hull's Background And Approach

  • RFC Hull was a poet and literary stylist who entered the Jung project with limited Jung knowledge and a massive stammer.
  • Sonu recounts Hull often added or deleted clauses, treating translation as 'improving' Jung's prose.
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