New Books in Psychoanalysis

James Newlin and James W. Stone, "New Psychoanalytic Readings of Shakespeare: Cool Reason and Seething Brains" (Routledge, 2023)

Sep 6, 2023

Dr. Richard Waugaman challenges traditional theories about Shakespeare's authorship, proposing the Earl of Oxford as the true writer. They discuss the psychological complexity in Shakespeare's plays and its relevance in understanding human behavior. The chapter explores the controversy surrounding Shakespeare's authorship and the resistance of scholars and psychoanalysts. They touch on academic freedom, groupthink, and historical cases of resistance to new ideas. The chapter also discusses projective identification in politics and domestic violence.

01:01:32

Episode guests

James Newlin

James W. Stone

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Resistance to alternative authorship theories in Shakespeare studies highlights the phenomenon of groupthink and the reluctance to challenge long-standing beliefs.

Understanding projective identification in Shakespeare's plays can enhance our appreciation of psychological depth in literature and shed light on complex character dynamics.

Deep dives

The Controversy Surrounding the Authorship of Shakespeare's Works

Dr. Richard Wageman, a clinical professor of psychiatry and author, explores the debate over the true authorship of William Shakespeare's works. He discusses the theory that the Earl of Oxford, Edward Devere, was the real Shakespeare, presenting evidence from the marked passages in Oxford's Bible that correlate with phrases found in Shakespeare's works. Wageman highlights the resistance from Shakespeare scholars to consider alternative authorship theories, citing the phenomenon of groupthink and the reluctance to challenge long-standing beliefs. He emphasizes the importance of tolerating complexity and considering alternative perspectives in the study of literature and the arts.

Introduction

4min

Controversy Surrounding Shakespeare's Authorship

20min

Contradiction of Academic Freedom, Bullying, and Psychoanalytic Understanding

3min

The Complexity of the Shakespeare Narrative

18min

Groupthink and its Impact on Academic Freedom

4min

Historical Examples of Resistance to New Ideas

3min

Revolutionary Ideas and Projective Identification in Politics and Domestic Violence

9min

Dr. Richard Waugaman is an emeritus supervising and training analyst at the Washington Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis. He is also a well-respected author.

With regard to his career he has said, “I have practiced clinical psychoanalysis for over 40 years. Initially, my publications were mostly on psychoanalysis.”

In 2002, he made a discovery when he learned that the traditional theory about who wrote Shakespeare is faith-based, not evidence-based. As he plunged deeply into primary research on this exciting topic, he learned that the Geneva Bible owned by the Earl of Oxford, now at the Folger Shakespeare Library, has marginalia and under-linings that Roger Stritmatter shows correspond closely with biblical echoes in Shakespeare. He then researched the Whole Book of Psalms and discovered it was the largest Psalms literary source for Shakespeare. He has also published evidence that many other Elizabethan works were also written by the Earl of Oxford anonymously, using pen names, or allonyms.

Now he has contributed to a new book that was recently published by Routledge entitled New Psychoanalytic Readings of Shakespeare. Cool Reasons and Seething Brains (Routledge, 2023). The title of his chapter is “What Shakespeare Teaches Us about Psychological Complexity.”

Karyne Messina is a licensed psychologist and psychoanalyst at the Washington Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis and am on the medical staff of Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. She is the author of Resurgence of Populism: A Psychoanalytic Study of Projective Identification, Blame Shifting and the Corruption of Democracy (Routledge, 2022).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/psychoanalysis