Structure

The case history is divided into five sections. Except for the introductory and concluding section, each section relays a different element of the case history. The first is the “Prefatory Remarks,” where Freud outlines his reasons for publishing the case. The second is “The Clinical Picture,” which describes Dora’s biographical details, along with any information that is pertinent to the presentation of her case. The next two sections each correspond to a dream that Dora told Freud, and both focus on his process of dream interpretation. The final section is called, “Postscript,” where Freud summarizes some of his main points, despite the incompleteness of the case history.

The case history is not arranged in a linear fashion, but is presented in a manner that is spatially-oriented: it is structured more around dreams and impressions that are often relayed as images or snippets of memory. The actual...