Freud spoke of the 'repudiation of femininity' as being an 'underlying bedrock', part of the 'enigma' of sexuality. The enigma is not so much the refusal of the feminine dimension as such; it has more to do with rejecting its erotic and genital aspects, as well as its creation through sexual ecstatic pleasure.

Preamble -- Preface -- Repudiating the Feminine Sphere (The Sphinx and Her Forlorn Soul) -- Epistle to the Reader -- Freud and the "repudiation of femininity" -- The "internal foreign body" -- The difference between the sexes -- The "lover-for-ecstatic-pleasure" -- Clinical examples -- The witch-hunt (a tale of hatred of the feminine sphere) -- In Conclusion -- Preludes to the Feminine Sphere -- Horror feminae, or non-dangerous de-liaisons -- "The Sleeping Beauty"-the advent of the feminine sphere in girls -- The tenant: the vagina on lease from the anus -- Rubies abhor red: hysterical relationships and counter-cathexes -- Hysterical identification and projective identification -- From narcissistic to traumatic seduction (when the siren meets the snake) -- "I love you": words of betrayal or words betrayed? -- The family album: reality-testing and remembering-re-finding the object -- Gradiva: representations of the feminine sphere -- Postscript