Presentation on theme: "Introduction to Psychoanalytical Literary

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1  Introduction to Psychoanalytical Literary Theory
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not
real.”

2  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?

3  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 imageryJungian- 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)

4  What was Freud’s Psychoanalysis?

“Talk therapy” that brings problems out of the unconscious into the conscious mind to cure them

5  Sigmund Freud spent much of his life exploring the workings of the unconscious
The unconscious- the big iceberg which contains the hidden, repressed desires of life for an
individual

6  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 actionsTrauma can cause the repression or
forgetting/ignoring of conflicts, desires, and memories

7  Infants have a strong sexuality that they grow out of (and back into)
Nearly all human desires are based in the libidoDreams or slips of the tongue can reveal aspects of
the unconsciousInfant males suffer from the Oedipus Complex, which can result in a neurosis if a
trauma occursIt’s all about sex!

8  More Freudian Analysis Terms

Can be looking for examples of the Oedipus ComplexBased 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)

9  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:

10  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

11  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

12  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

13  The Hero’s Journey Another 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.

14  So, What Do Psychoanalytic Critics Do?

Look for the “covert” or hidden content beneath the “overt” or surface content of the textPay close
attention to the unconscious motives and feelings of either author or charactersDemonstrate 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 psychePrioritize “psycho-drama” (conflicts between
characters) rather than “social drama” (historical, political conflicts, etc.)

15  Main QuestionHow do unconscious desires (of the author or characters) shape this literary
work?

16  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 situationsIt's fun to read literature and get to talk about sex and
crazy people.

17  Negative AspectsIt 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.

Psychoanalytic Criticism
1. 1. PSYCHOANALYTIC CRITICISM
2. 2. Sigismund Schlomo Freud (1856-1939), was an Austrian neurologist usually credited with
creating psychoanalytic theory and, by extension, psychiatric therapy. Freud believed that
unconscious sexual drives were the basis for all human behavior, and that dreams were an
important indicator for understanding human behavior.
3. 3. It's all in your head!
4. 4. The Freudian Mind  The conscious mind is the part of the mind that interacts with the
outside world. It is the decisions we make and the actual thinking we do.  The unconscious
mind is made up of the impulses and instincts that dictate our behavior without us knowing
about it; Freud believed these impulses were driven by sexuality, Jung believed they were
driven by cultural archetypes, and some other psychologists believe the unconscious mind to
be made of drives for power, for love, or for any other number of impulses.
5. 5. The Three Tiers of “Self”  “Schlomo” broke down the unconscious into three components
that dictate conscious human behavior:  The ID seeks pleasure and avoids pain; we
normally associate inborn instincts (such as the behaviors of an infant or an animal) with the
id.  The EGO seeks to placate the id, but in a way that will ensure longterm benefits (such
as trying to get what the id wants without breaking laws or social standards). Mediates
between the id and reality. Maintains our “self – how we see our “self” and wish others to see
it.  The SUPER-EGO is a lot like a conscience – it punishes misbehavior with feelings of
guilt. Since the super-ego is concerned with societal norms, it stands in opposition to the id.
The development of an individual’s super-ego replaces a parent’s discipline.
6. 6. Conscious • Current contents of your mind that you actively think of • What we call working
memory • Easily accessed all the time
7. 7. Preconscious • Contents of the mind you are not currently aware of • Thoughts, memories,
knowledge, wishes, feelings • Available for easy access when needed
8. 8. Unconscious •Contents kept out of conscious awareness •Not accessible at all •Processes
that actively keep these thoughts from awareness
9. 9. Freudian Components of Personality
10. 10. Conflicts of Personality Components  Conflicts between the Id, Superego and Ego arise
in unconscious mind  Can’t be reached in unconscious  Come out in various ways – Slips
of tongue (“Freudian slip”) – Dreams – Jokes – Anxiety – Defense Mechanisms
11. 11. Psychoanalytic Literary Criticism  Adopts the methods of "reading" employed by Freud
and later theorists to interpret texts. It argues that literary texts, like dreams, express the
secret unconscious desires and anxieties of the author, that a literary work is a manifestation
of the author's own neuroses. It approaches an author’s work as a kind of textual “talk
therapy”.  One may psychoanalyze a particular character within a literary work, but it is
usually assumed that all such characters are projections of the author's psyche.  Like
psychoanalysis itself, this critical endeavor seeks evidence of unresolved emotions,
psychological conflicts, guilt, ambivalences, and so forth within the author’s literary work. The
 author's own childhood traumas, family life, sexual conflicts, fixations, and such will be
traceable within the behavior of the characters in the literary work.
12. 12.  Despite the importance of the author here, psychoanalytic criticism is similar to New
Criticism in not concerning itself with "what the author intended." But what the author never
intended (that is, repressed) is sought. The unconscious material has been distorted by the
censoring conscious mind.  Psychoanalytic critics will ask such questions as, "What is
Hamlet's problem?" or "Why can't Brontë seem to portray any positive mother figures?"
13. 13. The Relationship Between WRITER, READER & TEXT ..
14. 14. Analysis of Character in Psychological Terms
15. 15. Family & Parent-Child Relationship
16. 16. Reported By: Kimberly Dela Cruz John Louie Edep