Now, all of us have endogamous kinship libido in our psyches. Most likely, Melville experienced the liberation of endogamous kinship libido in his psyche in the process of writing his semi-autobiographical 1852 experimental novel Pierre.
For an informed discussion of Pierre, see Brian Higgins and Hershel Parker's book Reading Melville's Pierre; or, The Ambiguities (Louisiana State University Press, 2006).
For further discussion of Neumann's Jungian account of the eight stages of consciousness, and of Erik H. Erikson's Freudian account of the eight stages of psycho-sexual growth, see my essay "Secondary Orality and Consciousness Today" in the book Media, Consciousness, and Culture: Explorations of Walter Ong's Thought, edited by Bruce E. Gronbeck, Thomas J. Farrell, and Paul A. Soukup (Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, 1991, pages 194-209). What Neumann refers to as the liberation of endogamous kinship libido in stage seven of the eight Jungian stages of consciousness correlates with what Erikson refers to as generativity in stage seven of the eight Freudian stages of growth.
In conclusion, if Sanford's hints about reading Melville are effective for him as he reads Melville's three experimental novels of 1849, 1851, and 1852, mentioned above, Sanford may emerge from his reading experience as a more deeply flourishing human person - and so may other Melville readers who follow the letter and the spirit of Sanford's reading hints. However, I would still remind Sanford and other flourishing Melville readers that Ong never tired of touting I-thou person-to-person and face-to-face encounter as the desirable optimal experience for human flourishing.
(Article changed on Sep 23, 2021 at 4:02 AM EDT)
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