Mid-1920s

Mid-1920s is the novel’s approximate temporal marker for Monica Breedlove’s journey to Vienna for psychoanalysis, a turning point in the personal history she repeatedly recounts. The passage gives no exact year; its importance lies in the sequence it anchors: treatment in Europe, a return to her husband three years later, and the start of divorce proceedings.

The Period and Monica’s Journey

In the middle twenties, Monica’s husband agreed to her wish to go to Vienna and be psychoanalyzed by Professor Freud. After an intense initial session, Freud told her that her temperament exceeded his skill and suggested that she consult his pupil, Dr. Aaron Kettlebaum, in London. Monica followed that advice, so the period encompasses not a single treatment but a journey from one analyst to another.

Return and Aftermath

Monica returned to her husband three years later and immediately began proceedings for a divorce. He made no effort to oppose them. The chronology places the trip within a marriage that ended after her return, while the account presents her wish to seek treatment—and her subsequent decision to leave—as actions she pursued with her husband’s acquiescence rather than resistance.

Retrospective Significance

Monica continued to tell the story of her analysis, describing Freud’s recommendation as fortunate and distinguishing his approach from Kettlebaum’s. The period thus survives in the narrative through her retrospective account: it establishes the timing of her treatment and separation, while her repeated retelling makes the episode a lasting part of how she presents her past.