The Fisher King and the Handless Maiden: Understanding the Wounded Feeling Function in Masculine and Feminine Psychology [Paperback]

Robert A. Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 15, 1995

It is very dangerous when a wound is so common in a culture that hardly anyone knows there is a problem. Such is the case right now with our wounded feeling function- our inability to find joy, worth, and meaning in life. Robert A. Johnson, the celebrated author of 'He, She', and 'We', revisits two medieval tales and illuminates how this feeling function has become a casualty of our modern times.

Johnson tells the story of the Wounded Fisher King from the Grail Myth to illustrate the anxiety and loneliness that plague men. From the folktale of the Handless Maiden, he explains the very different frustrations of women and describes how these disparities in the way we suffer account for much of the tension and miscommunication between men and women. His insightful analysis shows that these two stories, created centuries ago, are even more relevant today.

Robert A. Johnson, a noted lecturer and Jungian analyst, is also the author of 'He, She, We, Inner Work, Ecstasy, Transformation', and 'Owning Your Own Shadow'.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Johnson, whose work will already be familiar to those interested in Jungian thought, specializes (as in his three books He, She, and We) in applying Jung's theories to the relations between men and women. In this slender book, he mines two important tales for what they can tell us about feeling not simply emotion but a grounded sense of values. Everyone in our culture, he argues, is "wounded" in the area of feeling, but the wound is expressed differently among men than among women. To understand the male problem, he examines the figure of the Fisher King from the Grail legends; to understand women's relationship to feeling, he explores the famous folktale of the Handless Maiden pledged to the devil by her own father. A solid contribution to Jungian thought. Pat Monaghan --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Incisive, stark, healing. . . . .In his unique style, Robert Johnson identifies wounded feeling in the heart of contemporary society and, through two powerful tales, points the path to healing." -- Marion Woodman, author of Leaving My Father

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Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne; Reprint edition (April 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006250648X
• ISBN-13: 978-0062506481
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.3 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #310,055 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robert A. Johnson, a noted lecturer and Jungian analyst, is also the author of He, She, We, Inner Work, Ecstasy, Transformation, and Owning Your Own Shadow.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 50 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Healing the wounded feeling function September 23, 2000

By Michael P. McGarry

Format:Paperback

"This book is about our wounded feeling function, probably the most common and painful wound which occurs in our Western world. It is very dangerous when a wound is so common in culture that hardly anyone knows there is a problem." Johnson opens his book with these provocative sentences. The first thing he does is convince the reader that the problem exists, and is of considerable scope. For example, our modern English language is not really adequate for a full description of the problem, having the vague and much abused word "feeling" and only one word, equally vague, for "love". Johnson, a Jungian analyst, explores the problem using myths -- the Fisher King and the Handless Maiden, to demonstrate the wounded feeling function in, respectively, masculinity and femininity. Through the myths, Johnson not only diagnoses the problem, but makes practical suggestions for healing. This wonderful little book, scarcely 100 pages long, can be read in an afternoon, although its insights could change the directions of a life.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A must read, with reservations... July 28, 2007

By Quiet Traveller

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I purchased this book because the Handless Maiden myth resonates for me, my having first been introduced to it through a dream and then through Clarissa Pinkola Estes book 'Women Who Run With Wolves'. I felt I had more to learn from this myth, and Johnson's book put the Handless Maiden myth in a matrix that helped me to understand it more personally, as a metaphor for the feminine in contemporary society. Placing it in a context I could understand so well brought this myth to life, and was the greatest value of this book for me.
The only off-putting thing, which changed it from 5 to 4 stars, is a small thing but which strikes to the heart of the issue. The author apologised in the beginning for perhaps not being able to do justice to the feminine wounding myth as much as the male myth. It was honest and ethical of him to state such concerns, which makes me respect his integrity, but he is alas, correct. As wonderful as his assessment of the Handless Maiden is, he still put a great deal of emphasis on the male value and aspects of it, which he did very little in reverse for the male Fisher King myth. The section in The Handless Maiden where he abandons such careful integrating of the masculine is the section which resonated most for me. I'm not sure why he did this, but if one goes through both chapters and counts instances of other-gender applicability you'll see what I mean. In one paragraph I almost felt like this myth was being ripped from my "hands" and given to the male, a dynamic of the actual myth.
Nevertheless, the author put the myth into a powerful and broad matrix of understanding for contemporary women, something which 'Women Who Run With Wolves', as much as I love it, didn't allow me to see as clearly. What I would suggest is first reading Johnson's book, and saving Clarissa Pinkola Estes interpretation for last, when you can appreciate it more, in all its profound and subtle complexity.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Illuminating December 13, 2008

By W.W.

Format:Paperback

Johnson uses two myths, The Grail (Fisher King) and The Handless Maiden, as insights into how western man's technological advancements have been achieved to the detriment of his feeling function. J. does this on three levels--archetypal, cultural, and personal. I'd wished J. would have focused more on the personal level--(after all, anyone who picks up a book like this is really interested in healing his/her own Amfortas wound/restoring his/her own hands). Still, the book possesses Truth, which, when meditated on, will help you on your quest for wholeness.