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First published in 1925, Sigmund Freud’s short essay, “A Note Upon the Mystic Writing-Pad”, observed similarities between the mechanisms of memory and a “small contrivance” that had recently arrived on the market. Preceding the mechanical Etch A Sketch by at least forty years, the Mystic Writing-Pad consisted of a waxy substrate and a thin layer of celluloid. Freud compared the unconscious mind to the wax substrate, which retained an impression of whatever was inscribed on its surface, while the conscious mind – like the celluloid – could be easily “refreshed” for new perceptions. On the centenary of the essay’s publication, this symposium seeks to explore some of the implications of Freud’s metaphor. What is the relationship between writing and psychoanalysis? How do we read Freud today? 

The symposium brings together scholars working across a range of disciplines, including literature, cultural studies, history, philosophy, and art. Speakers will consider the influence of Freudian psychoanalysis on literature, novel approaches to the Freudian archive, parapraxes, metaphors, and more. 

Schedule TBC