The relevance of C.G. Jung

This review essay considers recent contributions to the Jung literature by Pietikainen, Stevens and Yates. All three books comment on the interplay between Jung's life and psychology, but interpret his writings very differently from each other. Stevens looks to biology for corroboration of archetype theory, whereas Pietikainen extrapolates from Cassirer's philosophy a conceptual framework for redefining archetypes as cultural products. The anthology edited by Yates is quintessentially about symbolic manifestations of universal existential concerns with death and survival of the soul, though she opts for a more literal interpretation of Jung's concerns. Comparison of the books reveals the status quo of Jung scholarship, but hints on directions in which a study of Jung's polyphonic works could contribute to current debates and inquiries in academic psychology.