Honesty and journalism
For Isadora Wing, writing is done for a specific purpose, with specific goals in mind. The first of those goals is intellectual honesty, and although she has her privacy and her secret life, her passion is for truth and exposure. This leaves her with confusing sexual problems that are redoubled by the event she is covering. She has agreed to write about an Austrian psychoanalyst conference, so her attention is split between her passion for honest writing and secret shameful feelings about sexuality and commitment.
Sexuality and taboo
The imagery of the novel is dual. On the surface, there are fancy events with business coats and proper language, and in this waking world, Wing is a writer and reporter. Then there is the secondary imagery that lurks beneath the surface. The psychoanalysts in attendance know her intimate secrets, because she has hired many of them to help her with her complicated mental health issues. She feels a kick of embarrassment that twists into a craving for the sexual taboo. Her private life is a depiction of her thirsty sex life and her desire to break the rules.
Mental health issues
As noted, Isadora understands a great deal about psychotherapy through studying theories from important voices in that school of thought. She also knows about these particular therapists from years of going to them for therapy. Through that therapy, she understood her own relationship to health and balance (or sometimes, the lack thereof), and she understands the risks of letting mental health issues go unchecked. She once married a passionate genius who spiraled into schrizophrenic delusions who also attacked her.
Austria and scholarly environments
Austria is the home of important psychotherapeutic theories throughout history, so the setting of the conference in Austria is fitting. The scholarly environment of the events is a reminder of the technical and procedural nature of these psychotherapists and their practices. The journalism is a type of writing designed to bring complex academic ideas into the mainstream, so in one sense, Wing is accepting a journey into the scholastic underworld of dense, complex, technical lingo with the goal of taking something vital back to her readers.
