Download Intro to Psychoanalytic Literary Theory

Introduction to
Psychoanalytical Literary
Theory
“It’s All In Your Head!”
Psychoanalytic Literary Theory
Is there a
doctor in the
house?
“Psychological critics view
works through the lens of
psychology. They look either
at the psychological
motivations of the characters
or of the authors themselves,
although the former is
generally considered a more
respectable approach. Most
frequently, psychological
critics apply Freudian
psychology to works, but
other approaches (such as a
Jungian approach) also
exist.”
Two Subcategories
Freudian- based on the theories of
psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud.
Jungian- based on the theories of
psychoanalyst Carl Jung
Freudian approach: Involves pinpointing
the influences of the character’s ego,
superego, and id, as well as pointing out
the sexual implications in the symbols and
imagery, since Freudians believe that all
human nature is motivated by sexuality.
Jungian approach: The Jungian theory is
concerned with the process of what makes
a person different form everyone else,
called individualism. Jung focuses on
three parts of the human mind; the
shadow (villain in literature,) the persona,
(hero,) and the anima (heroine.) Jung is
also very influential in archetypal literary
criticism.
Terms to know: unconscious, repression,
Oedipus Complex, libidinal imagery
Terms to know: collective unconscious,
archetypes (hero, mentor, trickster) hero’s
journey/quest (innocence, initiation,
chaos, resolution)
What was Freud’s
Psychoanalysis?
“Talk therapy” that brings
problems out of the
unconscious into the
conscious mind to cure
them
Sigmund Freud spent much of his life
exploring the workings of the unconscious
The unconscious- the big iceburg which
contains the hidden, repressed desires of life
for an individual
Freud’s Main Ideas
Freud’s couch. Photograph: David Sillitae
http:// www,guardian.co.uk
The mind is divided into three parts:
the id (the unconscious)
the ego (the conscious part),
the superego (the conscience that negotiates between the
others).
The id or unconscious influences actions
Trauma can cause the repression or
forgetting/ignoring of conflicts, desires, and memories
•
Infants have a strong
sexuality that they grow out
of (and back into)
•
Nearly all human desires are
based in the libido
•
Dreams or slips of the
tongue can reveal aspects of
the unconscious
•
Infant males suffer from the
Oedipus Complex, which
can result in a neurosis if a
trauma occurs
It’s all about sex!
More Freudian Analysis Terms
Can be looking for examples of the Oedipus Complex
Based on Greek tragedy story where a orphaned prince
later finds out that he’s killed his father and married
his mother without ever knowing it. He finds out,
freaks out, and blinds himself.
In working out instinctual desire to possess mother,
leading to inevitable conflict with father, the child
forms a personality.
Creepy? Yes, but don’t a lot of issues come from the
dynamics of family power? Don’t kids often wish they
had more power or authority over their parents?
look for libidinal imagery:
yonic (sexual symbolism for a female)
phallic (sexual symbolism for a male)
The Split
Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung were both interested in the
role of the unconscious mind. They quickly formed a
strong bond as friends and colleagues. Jung even looked up
to Freud as a father figure until there came a fork in the
road. Freud held strong to his belief that sexual urges were
“the” driving force behind human behavior. Jung strongly
disagreed and felt there were other forces, such as religious
beliefs, the drive for power and the need for approval. more:
http://socyberty.com/psychology/brief-history-of-carl-jung/#ixzz3TZqszmy9
Jungian Analysis
Freudian analysis assumes that images and
ideas in a text mean something else than they
apparently mean. He usually assumes their
meanings are inherently about repressed sexual
issues.
In contrast, Jung assumes that images
essentially imply (or symbolize) something
based on the “collective unconscious” of the
population, or, based on what the most people
would generally recognize to be true
The Collective Unconscious
Carl Jung's collective
unconscious: man shares
knowledge, experiences,
images with entire human
race, resulting in archetypes
that affect how people
respond to life--when
certain images are in
literature, they call up our
archetypal feelings
Archetypes
Archetype: something that serves as the model or pattern
for other things of the same type
•
“The innocent”: a character that despite being
simple or child-like, has a intuitive wisdom. Charlie
from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Pollyanna
•
“The trickster”: a character who succeeds through
playfulness, often irreverent and disrespectful. Pee Wee
Herman, Ferris Bueller
•
“The warrior”: a character who does not subvert the
system, but faces it head on. Superman, Batman
•
“The teacher/prophet”: a character who has learned
from experiences and uses their wisdom to guide
others. Yoda, Merlin
The Hero’s Journey
Another archetypical format for analysis:
Innocence: Starts with a
character who is pretty happy, no
real conflicts, lack of worldly
experiences
Initiation: Some fall from
innocence. Could be death,
tragedy, awareness of evil,
emotional or sexual relationship
Chaos: After that cruddy fall
from innocence, a time of trial.
Will the character come through
it, or regress back to a false
innocence or denial?
Resolution: If the character has
made it through chaos, they’re
smarter, stronger, and more
stable. They have learned from
their issues and are now looking
towards a bright future.
So, What Do Psychoanalytic Critics Do?
Look for the “covert” or hidden content beneath the “overt” or surface
content of the text
Pay close attention to the unconscious motives and feelings of either author
or characters
Demonstrate classic psychoanalytic symptoms
in the text (such as oral, anal, and phallic stages,
or the Oedipus complex, etc.)
Analyze literary history as if it is one psyche
Prioritize “psycho-drama”
(conflicts between characters)
rather than “social drama”
(historical, political conflicts, etc.)
Main Question
How do unconscious
desires (of the author
or characters) shape
this literary work?
Positive Aspects
It focuses on human problems, not just formal ones.
It is a very useful tool for understanding literary works
in which the characters have obvious psychological
issues.
It is easily applied to works that are highly symbolic.
It may be applicable to real life emotional, mental, or
relational situations
It's fun to read literature and get to talk about sex and
crazy people.
Negative Aspects
It is very easy to fake. With all the focus on
the psychological aspect, the actual piece can
end up being ignored.
Critics can try to diagnose dead authors writing and
end up as not the best evidence for psychology.
It is extremely subjective.
It assumes that all human beings are driven by
repressed, illicit sexual urges and is, therefore,
a very negative view of human nature.
It’s All In Your Head
It’s All
About Sex