Introduction to Psychoanalytical Literary Theory

“It’s All In Your Head!”

Psychoanalytic Literary Theory

“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.”

Is there a doctor in the house?

Two SubcategoriesFreudian- based on the theories of psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud.

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.

Terms to know: unconscious, repression, Oedipus Complex, libidinal imagery

Jungian- based on the theories of psychoanalyst Carl Jung

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: 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 SplitSigmund 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 AnalysisFreudian 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

ArchetypesArchetype: 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 JourneyAnother archetypical format for analysis:

Innocence: Starts with a character who is pretty happy, no real conflicts, lack of worldly experiencesInitiation: Some fall from innocence. Could be death, tragedy, awareness of evil, emotional or sexual relationshipChaos: 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