Sigmund Freud:

"For good or ill, Sigmund Freud, more than any other explorer of the psyche, has shaped the mind of the 20th century."
-Time Magazine, read more

C.S. Lewis:

"His words have altered lives."
-Time Magazine, read more

 

Actors David De Vries and Andrew Benator.

 

Freud Trivia Answer:

Today our e-blast included a trivia question about Sigmund Freud, as Freud's Last Session opens this week here at T.O. Read on for the answer to that question, plus many more Freudian factoids to startle your mother, discuss with your significant other or ponder as you stare into a looking glass in your own little Lacanian mirror stage. Lewis fans, get your head out of the wardrobe, there're Lewis facts for you, too!

Q: What was Sigmund Freud deathly afraid of? This fear even affected where he felt comfortable staying.

A: The answer is the number 62! It’s true that Freud also had pteridophobia, a morbid fear of ferns. But the phobia that affected where he felt comfortable staying was his deathly fear of the number 62: this phobia was so intense that he would not book a room in any hotel with more than 62 rooms in case he was allotted that particular room.

(Imagine his reaction to a Suite 62 with ferns in the entryway.)

 

 

 

Fun Freud Facts:

• Freud greatly influenced the contemporary vernacular, so much so that we’re often unaware that a lot of our terminology can be credited towards his studies: libido, id, ego, repression, depression, Oedipal complex. Check out this dictionary of Freudian terms.

• Freud’s full name was Sigismund Schlomo Freud. He definitely didn’t move in "slowmo" when it came to posturing theories, however. From castration anxiety to mommy issues, Freud challenged the way we view humanity, our sense of sexuality, individuality and family.

• The man loved cigars. Loved ‘em. Heavy smoking led to mouth cancer, mouth cancer led to 30+ surgeries, and 30+ surgeries led to a painful mouth prosthesis. Is this a “fun fact”? No. It’s practically its own no-smoking campaign.

• As a medical researcher, Freud was a big proponent of cocaine. He believed it was a cure for many mental and physical problems, even recommending it to a friend as a cure to morphine addiction. This recommendation failed, and bruised Freud’s reputation in the medical field.

• Freud’s research created a launching pad of cultural ideas. His theories were so dynamic that they inspired further study and rebuttals in philosophy, sexuality studies, psychotherapy, feminism, etc.

 

Lovely Lewis Facts:

• C.S. Lewis was close friends with J.R.R. Tolkien. Can you imagine their afternoon teas discussing Aslans and Gandalfs? I can. I still am. I can’t stop.

• (I stopped.) Ever wonder what that “C.S.” stands for? The beloved author/literary critic/Christian apologist’s full name was Clive Staples Lewis, known fondly by friends and family as “Jack”…of course.

• Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Lewis kept a strong sense of patriotism for Ireland and thus a general sense of disdain for England.

• Lewis became an atheist in his teenage years, but converted back to Christianity due to discussions with friends like Tolkien and Christian readings. This conversion is discussed in Mark St. Germain’s Freud’s Last Session.

• As a Christian apologist, he wrote some of the most influential books of the century, including Mere Christianity. One of his main theses was the concept of “universal morality,” or a belief that a common morality is known throughout humanity.

• Lewis died on November 22, 1963. The world lost several important figures that day: it was the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and also the day Aldous Huxley, author of Brave New World, passed away.

 

Freud’s Last Session is an imagined meeting between these two great minds; as you can see, with their different world-views, they have plenty to talk about. Come out and join us for the show, October 12 through November 6!

Tickets: Order online or call our Box Office at 678.528.1500.

 

-Hally