ABSTRACT
Young Sigmund Freud doubts his own lovability, fears that his beloved might accept a more attractive marriage proposal, and acts jealously and possessively, demanding exclusivity. But the freedom with which Freud relates everything to Martha—one of his first letters describes at length the circumstances surrounding the suicide of his friend Nathan Weiss, which took place soon after an unfortunate marriage—does not extend to the realm of intimacy. While in the case histories and in all his writing Freud does not hesitate to call things by their name, in his romantic correspondence, which remains frank, he displays a modesty and reserve worthy of courtly love. Freud had introduced himself as Dr. Fritz Wahle of Prague. At the level of psychic reality, nothing takes place by chance, as Freud endeavours to prove through dream analysis. Freud's perception of Martha, whose appearance was clearly feminine, included some traits traditionally considered masculine.
