9/18/07. The Concept of the Individual (Ernst Mach) and Psychoanalysis (Sigmund Freud)
Overview of Today’s Lectures : 2 ways in which the concept of the individual was revolutionized = reflected in the arts & culture of Vienna.
Lecture: Ernst Mach & Impressionism/ Pointilism
Ernst Mach (1838–1916): (Mach 1, etc. = physicist who is primarily known today for his work on breaking the sound barrier but he was also very influential as a philosopher & psychologist in Vienna.
Contributions to the Analysis of Sensations (1886)
Identity = flux of sensations
Influenced: Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Pointilism
Literary Example: Musil’s Tonka (1924 publ)
Musical Example: use of Leitmotivs as compositional style (Richard Wagner, Richard Strauss)
Painting Examples: Seurat’s Pointilism & Klimt’s Landscapes
Cultural History: Faschingskrapfen = The Carnival Jelly Donut & Samples
In-Class Writing Assignment:
What aspects of Sigmund Freud’s Interpretation of Dreams does Schorske stress? If you haven’t finished the reading, write on something relevant to today’s class or past assignments.]