He Lost Himself in Dreams that Made His Experiments Uncertain

This review discusses a new edition of key works by the German scientist and philosopher, Johann Wilhelm Ritter (1776-1810), edited by the Germanist scholar Jocelyn Holland. It discusses Ritter’s contribution to Romantic science and touches on the history of the reception of his work. Finally, it explores the affinities between Ritter and Jung, hence between German Romanticism and analytical psychology. The review commends Holland’s edition and urges anyone interested in the intellectual context to Jung’s ideas to engage with Ritter’s idiosyncratic, yet significant, writings.