The Forgotten Language: An Introduction to the Understanding of Dreams, Fairy Tales, and Myths

The New York Times –bestselling author on the universal language of symbols, expressed through dream and myths, and how they illuminate our humanity.

National Book Award Finalist

"There has been a crying need for exactly this kind of book . . . to guide the layman in reaping some of the wisdom and insights from his dreams. . . . The remarkable value of this timely book lies in the fact that it shows how men may learn again to communicate with themselves and their fellows." — New York Times Book Review

In this study, Erich Fromm opens up the world of symbolic language, "the one foreign language that each of us must learn." Understanding symbols, he posits, helps us reach the hidden layers of our individual personalities, as well as connect with our common human experiences.

By grasping the symbolic language of dreams, Fromm explains, we can then also understand the deeper wisdom of myths, art, and literature. This also gives us access to what we, and our society, usually repress. Fromm shares the history of dream interpretations, and demonstrates his analysis of many types of dreams.

This ebook features an illustrated biography of Erich Fromm including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author's estate.

" The Forgotten Language rises to a strong climax of interest in its later chapters, where Fromm reappraises the significance of various myths and tales, and the famous Oedipus myth in particular. . . . This book ranks high among those that have put us in his debt." —B. W. Overstreet, Saturday Review