PSYCHOANALYTIC LITERARY CRITICISM

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PSYCHOANALYTIC LITERARY CRITICISM

• By Cara, Kelly and Maddy

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Introduction

• 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.
• Freudian approach Involves pinpointing the
  influences of the characters 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.

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Background

• Modern psychoanalytic criticism was created by
  Sigmund Freud.
• Before this idea became popular in the 1950s,
  psychoanalytical critics focused more on the
  authors psyche than the readers. Literary works
  were readsometimes unconvincinglyas fantasies
  that allowed authors to indulge repressed wishes,
  to protect themselves from deep-seated anxieties,
  or both.
• Freud felt that psychoanalytical critics should
  instead focus on the way that authors create
  literary works to appeal to the readers
  repressed wishes and fantasies.

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Advantages to the psychological approach

• This is a very useful tool for understanding
  literary works in which the characters have
  obvious psychological issues.
• Having insight into a writers psychological state
  can give readers a greater understanding of their
  work.
• Psychological literary criticism is easily
  applied to works that are highly symbolic.

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Disadvantages to the psychological approach

• 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.
• The art in the piece can end up being completely
  overlooked with all the other analysis.

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Psychological Approach to Memorial Day for the
War Dead

• In the poem Memorial Day for the War Dead, the
  author, Yehuda Amichai discusses how death, the
  fear of it, its unavoidability, can act as a
  common unifier between people. He writes, And
  everything is in three languages Hebrew, Arabic,
  and Death. Although Hebrew and Arabic have worked
  as both cultural and language barriers in Israel,
  death is a common bond that unites all people,
  everywhere. Although Amichai was an Israeli
  citizen who fought against the Palestinians in
  the Arab-Israeli war, he was able to see the
  unifying factor of death amongst these two rival
  ethnic groups. He viewed the situation fairly
  objectively, unlike many other people living in
  Israel who are so caught up in the violence and
  hate that surrounds them that they are unable to
  see any shades of grey. Because of this, it can
  be said that Amichai is higher up on Maslows
  hierarchy of needs, transcending beyond the need
  to belong and possibly even esteem needs, leaving
  him a self-actualized person, capable of viewing
  the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from every
  angle, and therefore wanting peace.

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Works Cited

• http//allpsych.com/images/iceberg.gif
• www.freudfile.org/psychoanalysis/definition.html
• www.psychoanalysis.net/
• www.personalityresearch.org/psychoanalysis.html