The Problem of the Puer Aeternus [Paperback]

Marie-Luise von Franz (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Inner City Books; 3rd edition (February 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0919123880
• ISBN-13: 978-0919123885
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #362,719 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Jungian take on a Childrens Classic, May 15, 2002

By 

Jeffrey C. Gillespie "artmaven" (Santa Fe, NM, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Problem of the Puer Aeternus (Paperback)

Marie Louise von Franz (1915-1998), the luminary disciple of Carl Jung, worked with him for over thirty years and drew great inspiration from the Jungian school, which she has utilized numerously in her books on dream interpretation, fairy tales, and riveting archetypal commentaries. This particular work discusses the problem of the man as Boy, the Eternal Youth, and it uses the very compelling story of the Little Prince by Antoine Saint-Exupery as its primary dirivitive source. I would suggest this text to anyone who may recently have been driven mad by a charming but wildly irresponsible man, filled with dreams but never quite able to deliver on a practical level. Most of us have known this man fairly intimately and have never quite been able to touch on his mercurial behaviours. This book will provide you with the answers. I would suggest the Little Prince as an additional reference for you, because you will never look at it as the work of a naif again, but rather as a riveting tome of denial and self-aggrandizment. Enjoy.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How did she do that?, January 9, 2007

By 

Joseph OConnor "Learningmatters" (Harrisburg, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Problem of the Puer Aeternus (Paperback)

This book is truly lifesaving. A son can not help having had a devouring mother but he can help what he does with his life and this book will give the insight to shatter the illusions and spells his mother cast and reclaim his masculinity and maturity. I think it took a woman to see it so clearly and to spell out.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, May 20, 2010

By 

D. Wolf (Rochester, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Problem of the Puer Aeternus (Paperback)

M-L von Franz is a brilliant and accessible writer, and this is her most enjoyable book for me. I have read it through several times, and with each reading, I find greater depth. I cannot say enough good things about it. I do, however, agree in part with the reviewer who addresses the weakness of Jungian theories of homosexuality. I do not agree this is homophobia--I think that word is way over-used and often used as a sledgehammer against people with opposing views, but I would not necessarily argue that there are no grounds for using it here. The Jungians, beginning with Carl Jung, do seem to address homosexuality in the most superficial and insubstantial ways. This is clearly an area that requires far more effort than Jung or von Franz have put into it, but I do think this is a lack of effort rather than a phobia. But that is a personal opinion. Overall--and that weakness aside--this is an engaging and fascinating book.