ABSTRACT
Fascinated by the search for the moment when the trace that is inscribed in the psyche is still connected to an impression that is recorded and archived, Sigmund Freud took a vivid interest in Wilhelm Jensen's novella, in this Pompeiian phantasy which illustrates the search for a buried memory. Despite Freud's fascination with Italy, and his many vacations on the shores of Lake Trasimeno, less than a hundred kilometres from Rome, he always stopped short of entering the city. In fact, for Freud, Rome remained the symbol of very intrusive desires of a barely disguised Oedipal nature. On 27 February 1902, Emperor Franz Joseph signed the decree that allowed Freud to become a professor at the University of Vienna. Although Freud would have preferred to be judged for his accomplishments and to keep his pride intact, he knew very well that antisemitism had been thriving in Vienna since Karl Lueger had become its mayor in 1897.
