<p><strong>This book explores the history of the idea of the midlife crisis, using the writings of C.G. Jung and Goethe to investigate its relevance for today.&nbsp; Tracing how &ldquo;the ages of humankind&rdquo; became &ldquo;the stages of life&rdquo; in which the midlife crisis represents a pivotal moment, Paul Bishop offers a detailed analysis of a paper by Jung on this subject.&nbsp; He then shifts the focus to Goethe&rsquo;s interest in Orphic wisdom, and one of Goethe&rsquo;s major later poems, &ldquo;Primal Words.&nbsp; Orphic&rdquo; (<em>Urworte Orphisch</em>). &nbsp;Using Jungian ideas to explore the psychological implications of this poem, Bishop draws on Goethe&rsquo;s own commentary, and other background material, to uncover its vital message.</strong></p><p><strong><em>Reading Goethe at Midlife</em></strong> reveals the remarkable symmetry between the ideas and Jung and Goethe. Jung&rsquo;s analysis of the stages of life, and his advice to heed the &ldquo;call of the self,&rdquo; are brought into the conjunction with Goethe&rsquo;s emphasis on the importance of hope, showing an underlying continuity of thought and relevance from ancient wisdom, via German classicism to analytical psychology.</p><p>Table of Contents</p><p><em>List of Abbreviations&nbsp;</em></p><p><em>Acknowledgments&nbsp;</em></p><p><em>Preface to the second edition&nbsp;</em></p><p>PART ONE</p><p>Chapter 1: <strong>The Stages of Life and the Midlife Crisis: A Brief</strong></p><p><strong>History of an Idea&nbsp;</strong></p><p><em>Two Visual Starting Points &ndash; From the Ages of Humankind&hellip;</em></p><p><em>&hellip;</em><em>to the Stages of Life -- The Stages of Life: An Idea Comes</em></p><p><em>of </em><em>Age &ndash; The Midlife Crisis &ndash; Walter B. Pitkin and Edmund</em></p><p><em>Bergler &ndash; Erik H. Erikson and Elliott Jaques &ndash; Gail Sheehy and</em></p><p><em>Daniel J. Levinson &ndash; Other Approaches, Including the Return of</em></p><p><em>the Noonday Demon &ndash; Jungian Approaches to Midlife &ndash;</em></p><p><em>Literature of the Nineties &ndash; Recent French Approaches: &Eacute;ric</em></p><p><em>Deschavanne and Pierre-Henri Tavoillot, Marie de Hennezel</em></p><p><em>and Bertrand Vergely</em></p><p>Chapter 2: <strong>The Turning Point in Life: What Conflict the Sun</strong></p><p><strong>Must Experience at Midday!</strong></p><p>PART TWO</p><p>Chapter 3: <strong>Goethe&rsquo;s Orphism</strong></p><p><em>The Cult of Orpheus &ndash; Orpheus in the Age of Romanticism &ndash;</em></p><p><em>Goethe&rsquo;s Relation to the Orphic Mysteries &ndash; Creuzer and</em></p><p><em>Hermann, Zoega and Welcker &ndash; Faust as Orpheus &ndash; Orphism, </em><em>and Primal Words</em></p><p>Chapter 4: <strong>Primal Words. Orphic</strong></p><p><em>Daimon &ndash; Chance &ndash; Eros &ndash; The Necessity of Love; or, Erotic</em></p><p><em>Necessity &ndash; The Necessity of Necessity; or, Necessary Necessity &ndash;</em></p><p><em>Hope &ndash; Conclusion</em></p><p><em>Index&nbsp;</em></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>