ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the reader encounters the whole assortment of Dostoevsky’s female characters, with their similarities and their differences. Like in Letters to a Young Psychoanalyst (Routledge, 2017), Heitor O’Dwyer de Macedo discusses his clinical practice in clear and brilliant terms. For instance, as he reflects on women in Dostoevsky’s work, he provides an enlightening example of the stumbling blocks of femininity by showing how a patient whose unconscious desire to forgive her mother for the mistreatment she inflicted on her throughout her childhood found herself unable to accept a man’s love and desire. The author offers a captivating reflection on the relation between sexuality and love in women, in connection with the difficulties they encounter in their relationships with their mothers.
