Jung’s theory of archetypes is generally considered one of the defining features of his system of psychology.   The theory of archetypes also forms the foundation for clinical interpretation of dreams, complexes, and deeper disorders of the psyche.  At the same time, the theory has been one of the most controversial aspects of Jung’s system, both within the Jungian community and among critics of Jung’s theories.  Much of the controversy surrounding the theory of archetypes has taken the form of arguments about the scientific basis for the theory, an aspect of the theory that Jung himself initiated.  The publication of the Red Book brings both the foundations for the theory of archetypes, and the precise meaning of Jung’s more scientific comments on the theory into greater relief, and allows us to understand at a deeper level precisely what Jung considered to be at the center of the theory.  This lecture will outline the history of controversy that has surrounded the theory of archetypes since Jung first used the term in 1919, and explore how the publication of the Red Book sheds light on the foundations of the theory.  While the Red Book will not finally resolve the issues surrounding this central theme in Jungian theory and practice, it nevertheless sheds an important light on Jung’s thought and intentions