The Collected Works Crisis: Sonu Shamdasani on a New Critical Edition of Jung

The Need for a Critical Edition

• 💡 The original English translation of C. G. Jung's Collected Works, spearheaded by R.F.C. Hull, is being re-examined due to potential inaccuracies and liberties taken in translation.
• 🧠 Sonu Shamdasani, a leading Jungian scholar, highlights that Hull, a poet and atheist with little prior knowledge of Jung, may have altered the emphasis of Jung's work, sometimes toning down affirmations of religion and translating concepts like 'the Self' inconsistently.
• 🎯 The critical edition aims to establish the definitive text by critically examining variations, providing detailed annotations, and contextual introductions, serving as the foundational basis for all future studies of Jung's work.

Challenges with the Original Translation

• ⚠️ R.F.C. Hull, the principal translator, was a literary stylist rather than a Jungian scholar, and his translations are described as not reading like translations, sometimes adding or deleting clauses.
• 🧐 Jung himself expressed dissatisfaction with the translations, noting instances where Hull used different words for the same concept, causing confusion, and he believed his translator, G. Adler, was not adequately checking the work.
• 📚 The original Collected Works were arranged thematically, which can obscure the chronological development of Jung's thinking, leading to misinterpretations, such as placing the 'Secret of the Golden Flower' in 'Alchemical Studies' when Jung's initial interest was in mandalas and the centering process.

The Critical Edition Project

• 🚀 A new critical edition of Jung's Collected Works is underway, led by Sonu Shamdasani and Caitlyn Stevens (as the primary translator), aiming for a chronological arrangement as Jung himself recommended.
• ⏳ This monumental project is expected to take approximately 20 years to complete, with the first volume, covering Jung's medical student years, projected for Fall 2026.
• 📚 The edition will comprise around 26 volumes, significantly expanding the original material with new scholarship, unpublished works, and detailed contextual footnotes, aiming for over 4.5 million words in total.
• 🔍 The editorial process involves a collaborative team meeting weekly to discuss even single words, requiring research into historical contexts and Jung's own reading materials to ensure accuracy and clarity.

New Insights and Future Access

• 🗝️ The critical edition will include previously unpublished works and published material that was difficult to track down, offering a more complete picture of Jung's intellectual development.
• 📂 Sonu Shamdasani and his colleagues are accessing Jung's case files at the state archives, which are now available after a 120-year confidentiality period, providing rich details about his patients and his early psychiatric work.
• 🌐 Updates on the project, including publication dates and events, will be available through the Princeton University Press website, with subscribers receiving details of new releases and archival findings.