Reading Goethe at Midlife

This book explores the history of the idea of the midlife crisis, using the writings of C.G. Jung and Goethe to investigate its relevance for today.  Tracing how “the ages of humankind” became “the stages of life” in which the midlife crisis represents a pivotal moment, Paul Bishop offers a detailed analysis of a paper by Jung on this subject.  He then shifts the focus to Goethe’s interest in Orphic wisdom, and one of Goethe’s major later poems, “Primal Words.  Orphic” (Urworte Orphisch).  Using Jungian ideas to explore the psychological implications of this poem, Bishop draws on Goethe’s own commentary, and other background material, to uncover its vital message.

Reading Goethe at Midlife reveals the remarkable symmetry between the ideas and Jung and Goethe. Jung’s analysis of the stages of life, and his advice to heed the “call of the self,” are brought into the conjunction with Goethe’s emphasis on the importance of hope, showing an underlying continuity of thought and relevance from ancient wisdom, via German classicism to analytical psychology.

Table of Contents

List of Abbreviations 

Acknowledgments 

Preface to the second edition 

PART ONE

Chapter 1: The Stages of Life and the Midlife Crisis: A Brief

History of an Idea 

Two Visual Starting Points – From the Ages of Humankind…

…to the Stages of Life -- The Stages of Life: An Idea Comes

of Age – The Midlife Crisis – Walter B. Pitkin and Edmund

Bergler – Erik H. Erikson and Elliott Jaques – Gail Sheehy and

Daniel J. Levinson – Other Approaches, Including the Return of

the Noonday Demon – Jungian Approaches to Midlife –

Literature of the Nineties – Recent French Approaches: Éric

Deschavanne and Pierre-Henri Tavoillot, Marie de Hennezel

and Bertrand Vergely

Chapter 2: The Turning Point in Life: What Conflict the Sun

Must Experience at Midday!

PART TWO

Chapter 3: Goethe’s Orphism

The Cult of Orpheus – Orpheus in the Age of Romanticism –

Goethe’s Relation to the Orphic Mysteries – Creuzer and

Hermann, Zoega and Welcker – Faust as Orpheus – Orphism, and Primal Words

Chapter 4: Primal Words. Orphic

Daimon – Chance – Eros – The Necessity of Love; or, Erotic

Necessity – The Necessity of Necessity; or, Necessary Necessity –

Hope – Conclusion

Index