Romantic Fantasies Research Articles

Ernst Junger's Concern with E. A. Poe

REQUENT references to E. A. Poe in the works of Ernst Jiinger, particularly in those written during and after World War II, raise two questions: First, what is it that attracts Jiinger and Poe ? And second, has Jiinger's interest in Poe influenced his own writings? This paper addresses itself to the first question. Concerning the second, let me simply say that I do not think it is possible to trace any direct influences of Poe on Jiinger. Undoubtedly Jiinger sees in Poe more than the expert craftsman of grotesque tales and romantic fantasies, although the role of the romantic element in Jiinger's work should not be underestimated. The relationship of the two authors is one of affinity rather than dependency, an affinity rooted in their common concert with one major literary theme-the theme of terror. Terror, as a literary theme, is as old as literature itself. The Greeks considered it an essential element of tragedy. In German literature the romantic poets, notably E. T. A. Hoffmann, were past masters at itso much so that, when the theme began to appear in Poe's writings, he was accused of plagiarizing the Germans. He defended himself against this charge by protesting that, if in many of my productions terror has been the thesis, I maintain that terror is not of Germany but of the soul.1

Idiopathic sexual precocity in the female; report of three cases.

Summary From among 11 female cases of idiopathic sexual precocity, 3 have been chosen to exemplify advancement, delay, and normality, respectively, of psychological maturity in relation to chronological age. Like the other cases, they also exemplify coincidence between degree of maturity and variety of life experiences encountered and transacted. Sexually, their psychological development was not predetermined as some sort of automatic or instinctive adjunct to maturation of somatic sexuality. The first report was of a girl aged 8 yr., 6 mo., who was postpubertal in physical development and had begun regular menstruation at 7 yr., 6 mo. Her apparent psychological precocity was a mixture of three ingredients: superior intelligence, extraordinary fluency in speaking, and unusual breadth of interest and knowledge. Romantic fantasies were frequent and elaborate, but did not include imagery of physical eroticism. Overt erotic behavior was not manifested but, even had it been, the girl would not have been appraised as adult, psychologically. The gulf between infancy and adulthood, with regard to learning and accomplishment, is too great for somatic sexual precocity to have allowed of a dramatic short-cut, even though this girl's speed of psychological development was considerable. The girl was appraised as psychologically well adjusted. The second report was of a girl who, at 6 yr., 4 mo., was well advanced into puberty, but not yet menstruating. Among the sixteen children studied, male and female, she had encountered and tried to negotiate the most overtly baffling and difficult life experiences. Difficulties were engendered chiefly by her father, who was psychosexually disturbed and pathologically suspicious to a degree that many would evaluate as psychotic. The girl was retarded in all-round social, educational, and psychological development. She had trance-like spells of inattention. She made monotonous rocking movements in public. In private, she spent long periods during the day, and in bed each night, twisting and writhing her thighs and legs in automatic fashion. She was appraised as severely disturbed psychologically. The third report was of a girl aged 9 yr., 3 mo., who was postpubertal in physical development and had begun regular menstruation at the age of 7 yr., 4 mo. Her physical precocity made her seem like a lumbering, overgrown schoolgirl and not like a young lady before her time. She was not in the least disconcerted by the disparity in physical appearance between herself and other schoolgirls of her age. Her achievements, interests, and activities were average and typical for girls of her age with whom she mixed. She was prosaic and literal minded. What few romantic fantasies she had were rather pallid. She manifested no overt erotic behavior. She was appraised as psychologically well adjusted. Recommendations for the rearing and psychological management of girls with idiopathic sexual precocity are substantially the same as those presented with the study of precocity in a boy.