spanned the lead up to two world wars
1. Does "which spanned the lead up to two world wars" in the following text imply "which continued during the two world wars"?

2. When it is said that "Freud’s theories are themselves relational" does it mean that "Freud’s theories themselves want to make relationship with us"? Does "relational" in this context mean "making relationship"?

Text:
In the current trend in art-critical discourse, which embraces relational theories of the subject, it is often forgotten that Freud’s theories are themselves relational, his focus on negativity not only having to do with his time of writing, which spanned the lead up to two world wars, but also telling us something fundamental about the destructive aspects of the psyche which needs to be borne in mind in relation to ethical interrelations between subjects.

Question

spanned the lead up to two world wars
1. Does "which spanned the lead up to two world wars" in the following text imply "which continued during the two world wars"?

2. When it is said that "Freud’s theories are themselves relational" does it mean that "Freud’s theories themselves want to make relationship with us"? Does "relational" in this context mean "making relationship"?

Text:
In the current trend in art-critical discourse, which embraces relational theories of the subject, it is often forgotten that Freud’s theories are themselves relational, his focus on negativity not only having to do with his time of writing, which spanned the lead up to two world wars, but also telling us something fundamental about the destructive aspects of the psyche which needs to be borne in mind in relation to ethical interrelations between subjects.

Answer

Hi there!

1. This means that the time of his writing happened over a time period before two world wars, not during. 
Here is another example of that phrase:

"He suffered from an addiction that spanned the majority of his lifetime." (He had an addiction that was active in most of his life)

2. 'Relational' in this context is referring to the relationship (or connection, in other words) between the two things mentioned in the text.

I hope this helps!!

Answer

For the first question, this means that Freud’s period of writing began before the lead up to the First World War and ended after the lead up to the Second World War. 
The second question is a bit more complicated. Relational theories involve the individual as part of a series of relationships (whereas monadic theories focus exclusively on the individual). So it does not mean that Freud’s theories are about making relationships but that his theories examine the individual in the context of the individual’s relationships. 
Not sure if that helps but there you are. 
Cheers!
Robbo

Answers · 2

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