Learning from Linked Lives: Narrativising the Individual And
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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON FACULTY OF LAW, SOCIAL AND HUMAN SCIENCES Southampton Education School Doctorate in Education Learning from linked lives: Narrativising the individual and group biographies of the guests at the 25th Jubilee dinner of the British Psychoanalytical Society at The Savoy, London, on 8th March 1939. A prosopographical analysis of the character and influence of the formative and significant figures present at the dinner. Julie Anne Greer Thesis for the degree of Doctor of Education June 2014 i Errata Changes from original submission (April 2016), marked with * P75 Post script research enabled the retrieval of Barbara Low’s original birth certificate under the name Alice Leonora Low, 1874, not 1877 as previously stated from her obituary. P119 Melanie Klein’s training analysis was with Karl Abraham in Germany and not Hans Sachs as stated in the original thesis. P119 Prof. Robert Hinshelwood notes that Klein did not psychoanalyse her own children, as stated, but made observations on them which she later drew on as she developed her technique as a child analyst from 1922. P138 Remastered photograph of the Jubilee dinner, taken from an original photograph and includes Anthony Monck Mason Payne. Faldezer should read Falzeder throughout. Apologies to Professor Falzeder. ii UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON ABSTRACT FACULTY OF LAW, SOCIAL AND HUMAN SCIENCES Southampton Education School Doctorate in Education LEARNING FROM LINKED LIVES: NARRATIVISING THE INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP BIOGRAPHIES OF THE GUESTS AT THE 25TH JUBILEE DINNER OF THE BRITISH PSYCHOANALYTICAL SOCIETY AT THE SAVOY, LONDON, ON 8TH MARCH 1939. A PROSOPOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS OF THE CHARACTER AND INFLUENCE OF THE FORMATIVE AND SIGNIFICANT FIGURES PRESENT AT THE DINNER. By Julie Anne Greer On 8th March 1939, two hundred and twelve people accepted an invitation to join the postponed celebrations for the Silver Jubilee of the British Psychoanalytical Society, at the renowned hotel The Savoy, in London. Presiding over the dinner, as he had done over the Society for the preceding years, Ernest Jones would not have been able to conceal his pride at gathering so many celebrated and esteemed guests; authors, artists, explorers, Ministers of State, Peers of the Realm, physicians, philosophers and psychoanalysts. This thesis is a prosopography drawn from the original seating plan for the dinner. Aided by rich supporting data, including photographs, archive materials, correspondence and reminiscences, this research presents a collective of biographical information on the guests and seeks out the connections between them: one story from many. This work offers new information and ideas on how the links between the lives of the guests were key to assimilating Freud’s theories into the mainstay of our cultural reference and in enabling psychoanalysis, the ‘talking cure’, to be recognised as a science and a legitimate alternative to the mind-works that had gone before. Drawing on a feminist paradigm and using explanations of social, cultural and symbolic capital to interpret the data, this thesis presents many findings that are new to the public domain and a scope for research that extends beyond these pages. iii ‘Only connect’ Howards End, E.M. Forster (1910). iv Setting Official photograph of the Silver Jubilee dinner of the British Psychoanalytical Society, held at the Lancaster Ballroom, The Savoy, London, 8th March 1939. Image courtesy of Institute of Psychoanalysis Lancaster Ballroom, The Savoy, London, 2014. Image courtesy of The Savoy v vi Contents ABSTRACT ……………..……… iii SETTING ………..…………… v Contents ……………..……… vii List of tables ……………..……… x List of illustrations ……………..……… xi DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP ……………..……… xiii Acknowledgements ……………..……… xiv Definitions and Abbreviations ……………..……… xvi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ……………..……… 1 CHAPTER 2: RATIONALE ……………..……… 9 CHAPTER 3: A BRIEF HISTORICAL CONTEXT ……………..……… 15 CHAPTER 4: THEORISATION ……………..……… 19 4.1: Beginnings ……………...……… 19 4.2: Filiations ……………...……… 21 4.3: Points of cultural access ……………...……… 22 4.4: Capital ……………...……… 25 CHAPTER 5: METHODOLOGY ……………..……… 27 5.1: Defining prosopography ……………...……… 27 5.2: Why prosopography? ……………...……… 29 5.3: Structuring a prosopography ……………...……… 34 5.4: Avoiding potential pitfalls ……………...……… 37 5.5: Considerations ……………...……… 42 5.6: Interpreting the data ……………...……… 45 5.7: Prosopography in practice ……………...……… 46 CHAPTER 6: ALFRED ERNEST JONES ……………..……… 51 6.1: A Politician in psychoanalyst’s clothing ……………...……… 51 vii 6.2: Canon of work ……………...……… 53 6.3: Formative events from his childhood ……………...……… 57 6.4: Personal correspondence ……………...……… 60 6.5: Professional correspondence ……………...……… 67 6.6: Conclusion ……………...……… 73 CHAPTER 7: BARBARA LOW ……………..……… 75 CHAPTER 8: ALICE BUXTON WINNICOTT ……………..……… 87 CHAPTER 9: ENID DEVOGE MCLEOD ……………..……… 95 CHAPTER 10: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ……………..……… 101 10.1: The Savoy ……………...……… 101 10.2: The top table ……………...……… 102 10.3: Records of the event ……………...……… 105 10.4: Table G ……………...……… 106 10.5: Table I ……………...……… 109 10.6: Influence and meaning ……………...……… 112 10.7: Affiliations ……………...……… 114 10.8: Publishing and publishers ……………...……… 116 10.9: Analyst and analysand ……………...……… 117 10.10: On matters sexual ……………...……… 120 10.11: The role of women ……………...……… 125 10.12: Culture and migration ……………...……… 127 10.13: Residency ……………...……… 128 10.14: Prosopography ……………...……… 130 CHAPTER 11: CONCLUSION ……………..……… 133 Appendices ……………..……… 137 Appendix A: The official group photograph ……………...……… 138 Appendix B: The seating plan ……………...……… 139 viii Appendix C: Profession of the guests ……………...……… 141 Appendix D: Known ethnicity and émigré status of the guests ….. 145 Appendix E: Known education and training of the guests ……...… 147 Appendix F: Key verifiable dates for the guests ……………...……… 153 Appendix G: Known filiations of the guests ……………...……… 157 Appendix H: Who’s who ……………...……… 161 Appendix I: Chronology: Ernest Jones, 1875-1958 …………….. 173 Appendix J: Summary of correspondence of the fallout from the Marienbad Congress, 1936 ……………...……… 181 Appendix K: Summary of the correspondence from Barbara Low to Edward Nehls, 1954-1955 ……………...……… 185 List of References ……………..……… 193 ix List of tables Table 1. Screenshot of Excel spreadsheet, used to collate the data . 37 Table 2. Four way Venn diagram illustrating interlinking affiliations . 113 Table 3. An illustration of the links between the relationships of a sample of the dinner guests at the B.P.A.S. Jubilee dinner in 1939 . 122 Table 4. Map of London illustrating where at least 30% of the guests at the B.P.A.S. Jubilee dinner resided by postal area in 1939 . 129 x List of illustrations Official photograph of the Silver Jubilee Dinner of the British Psycho- Analytical Society held at The Savoy, London, 8th March 1939 . v The Lancaster Ballroom, The Savoy, London, 2014 . v ‘I’m in the milk and the milk’s in me’. Illustration from In The Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak, 1970 . 4 ‘Peace in our time’, a commemorative silk headscarf, 1938 . 5 Ernest Jones and Countess de la Warr at The Savoy, 1939 . 6 Alfred Ernest Jones . 51 Sigmund Freud and his followers in 1922 . 72 Barbara Low, a section of the official photograph of the dinner . 75 Section of a letter from Barbara Low to Edward Nehls, 10th Sept 1954 . 80 Self portrait by Alice Buxton Winnicott, oil on canvas . 87 Bronze sculpture of T.E. Lawrence by Alice Buxton Winnicott . 92 Claverdon vase from Upchurch potteries by Alice Buxton Winnicott . 93 Section of a letter from Pauline Taylor to Donald Winnicott, 1952 . 94 Alice Winnicott, a section of the official photograph of the dinner . 94 A Tree Lined Pond. Hampstead Heath by Alice Buxton Winnicott . 94 Enid McLeod, a section of the official photograph of the dinner . 95 A group at Pontigny c.1924 with Paul Desjardins . 97 The menu from the B.P.A.S. Jubilee dinner at The Savoy, 1939 . 102 Virginia Woolf’s engagement diary with her entry for 8th March 1939 . 106 The Plat, Elsted. Ernest Jones’ Sussex home . 110 London Street Index 1930 . 129 xi xii UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON FACULTY OF LAW, SOCIAL AND HUMAN SCIENCES Southampton Education School Doctorate in Education Academic Thesis: Declaration of Authorship I, JULIE ANNE GREER declare that this thesis and the work presented in it are my own and has been generated by me as the result of my own original research. Learning from linked lives: Narrativising the individual and group biographies of the guests at the 25th Jubilee dinner of the British Psychoanalytical Society at The Savoy, London, on 8th March 1939. A prosopographical analysis of the character and influence of the formative and significant figures present at the dinner. I confirm that: 1. This work was done wholly or mainly while in candidature for a research degree at this University; 2. Where any part of this thesis has previously been submitted for a degree or any other qualification at this University or any other institution, this has been clearly stated; 3. Where I have consulted the published work of others, this is always clearly attributed; 4. Where I have quoted from the work of others, the source is always given. With the exception of such quotations, this thesis is entirely my own work; 5. I have acknowledged all main sources of help; 6. Where the thesis is based on work done by myself jointly with others, I have made clear exactly what was done by others and what I have contributed myself; 7. Parts of this work have been published