Eros and Pathos: Shades of Love and Suffering (Studies in Jungian Psychology.)

Rating:
Summary: Translating Silence
Review: It is no accident that Carotenuto continually refers to poets such as Rilke in his discourse. He looks to them, and to all creative minds, to elucidate otherwise impenetrable or unspeakable truths about the human condition, and particularly the pain and confusion often associated with love relationships. He does so with astonishing success. Carotenuto himself writes with the impact of poetry. He is able to articulate Jungian concepts in a way that makes sense to the reader on an intuitive, existential level, and not just an academic one. In chapter after chapter, he explains that the confusion and pain often associated with love relationships -- including betrayal, jealousy, need for power, loss of identity, erotic fantasy -- are born of not merely dysfuntion, but of our longing as human beings for authenticity. I have found no other book, in literature or psychology, that has come close to providing the same quality of psychic relief. That is not to say that the book offers solutions or self-help wisdom. It does not. What it says to the reader is: You are not insane; what you are feeling is universal, and moreover, valuable and necessary. For anyone who is in love or has experienced the loss of a love, this book is an invaluable resource-- something that can be turned to for a sense of stillness. The book is especially geared toward people engaged in creative pursuits who are battling against society's expectation that they adhere to more conventional life paths. Translation: If you are a starving artist, this book is for you too.