book review

Freud’s opening chapter of The Interpretation of Dreams is a bold departure from 19th-century views that dismissed dreams as meaningless. He methodically dismantles old theories—like linking dreams to physical stimuli—and lays groundwork for his core idea: dreams are "disguised fulfillments of repressed wishes." Though some arguments feel dated (e.g., overreliance on physical causes), his rigor in analyzing dream recall and symbolism remains compelling. It’s not just a scholarly start, but a provocative invitation to see dreams as windows into the unconscious, still shaping how we study the mind today.