Psychoanalytic-Criticism

PsychoanalyticCriticismIntroduction Kekule,achemistinvestigatingthemolecularstructureofbenzeneformanyyears,dreamedastringofatomsshapedlikeasnakeswallowingitstailanddrewthestructureofthebenzene. Tartini,anItalianviolinistofthe18thcentury,sawinhisdreamthatthedevilcametohimandofferedtohelphimfinishadifficultsonatainexchangeforhissoul.Fromwhatheheard,TartinicomposedthebestknownpieceTheDevil’sTrillSonata. Similarly,Dante,Goethe,Blake,Bunvan,andahostofothersowedmuchoftheirwritingstotheirworldofdreams.Poe,DeQuincey,andColeridgeborrowedfromtheirdrug-induceddreamsthecontentofsomeoftheirmostfamousworks.PsychoanalyticCriticism BeginningwiththepublicationofTheInterpretationofDreamsin1900,Freudlaysthefoundationforanewmodelofhowourmindsoperate.Unconsciousplaysalargepartinhowweact,thinkandfeel. Freuddevelopedbothabodyoftheoryandpracticalmethodologytotreatemotionalandpsychologicaldisordersbytalkingfreelywiththepatientsabouttheirchildhoodexperiencesanddreams. PsychoanalyticCriticism:whenweapplythesesamemethodtoourinterpretationsofworksofliterature,weengageinpsychoanalyticcriticism.PsychoanalyticTheoriesofFreud ModelsofthehumanPsyche:DynamicModel 1.Conscious:perceivesandrecordsexternalrealityandisthereasoningpartofthemind. 2.Unconscious:receivesandstoresourhiddendesires,ambitions,fears,passions,andirrationalthoughts. Theunconsciousisthestorehouseofdisguisedtruthsanddesiresthatwanttoberevealedinandthroughtheconscious(throughdreams,art,literature,play,andaccidentalslips). TopographicModel Conscious:isthemind’sdirectlinktoexternalreality,foritreceivesandreactswiththeexternalenvironment,allowingthemindtoorderitsoutsideworld. Preconscious:isthestorehouseofmemoriesthattheconsciouspartofthemindallowstobebroughttoconsciousnesswithoutdisguisingthesememoriesinsomeformoranother. Unconscious:holdstherepressedhungers,images,thoughts,anddesiresofhumannature. Theunconsciousmusttravelindisguisedformstotheconsciouswhenthepreconsciousrelaxes.EconomicModel Pleasureprinciple:cravesonlypleasures,anditdesiresinstantaneoussatisfactionofinstinctualdrives,ignoringmoralandsexualboundariesestablishedbysociety. Realityprinciple:recognizestheneedforsocietalstandardsandregulationsonpleasure. Freudbelievedthatboththeseprinciplesareatwarwithinthehumanpsyche.TripartiteModel ID:theirrational,instinctual,unknown,andunconsciouspartofthepsyche.Containingoursecretdesires,ourdarkestwishes,ourmostintensefears,andlibido,theIDwishesonlytofulfilltheurgesofthepleasureprinciple. Ego:therational,logical,wakingpartofthemind.TheegooperatesinharmonywiththerealityprincipletoregulatetheinstinctualdesiresoftheIDandtoallowthesedesirestobereleasedinsomenondestructiveway. Superego:actsasaninternalcensor,causingustomakemoraljudgmentsinlightofsocialpressures.ItoperatesaccordingtothemoralityprincipleandservesprimarilytoprotectsocietyandusfromID.Freud’sPre-OedipalDevelopmentalPhases Oralphase:aswesuckmother’sbreastinordertobefed,oursexuality(orlibido)isactivated.Ourmouthsthenbecomeanerotogeniczonethatwilllatercauseustoenjoysuckingourthumbsand,stilllater,kissing. Analstage:duringthisstagetheanusbecomesanerotogeniczone,forchildrenbecomesadistic,expellinganddestroyingthroughdefecationasameansofexpressingboththeirangerandtheirexcitementupondiscoveringtheirindependencefromtheirmothers. Phallicstage:achild’ssexualdesireorlibidoisdirectedtowardthegenitalswhenthechildlearnsthepleasurethatresultsfromstimulatingone’ssexualorgans.TheOedipus,Castration,andElectraComplexes Oedipuscomplex:allinfantmalespossessaneroticattachmenttotheirmother. Castrationcomplex:whatpreventsthemalechildfromcontinuingtohaveincestuousdesiresforhismotherisfearofcastrationbyhisfather.Thechildthereforerepresseshissexualdesire,identifieswithhisfatherandhopessomedaytopossessawomanashisfathernowpossesseshismother. Electracomplex:allinfantfemalespossessaneroticattachmenttotheirfather.TheSinificanceofDreams AccordingtoFreud,thechildhasstoredmanypainfulmemoriesofrepressedsexualdesires,anger,rage,andguiltinhisorherunconscious.Dreamisakindofdisguisedformstoreleasethesedesires. Whencertainrepressedfeelingsandideascannotbereleasedadequatelythroughdreams,jokes,orothermethods,theegomustactandblockanyoutwordresponse.Insodoing,theegoandIDbecomeinvolvedinaninternalbattlethatFreudcalledneurosis,whichcancreatemanyphysicalandpsychologicalabnormalities. LiteratureandPsychoanalysis Aworkofliterature,Freudbelieves,istheexternalexpressionoftheauthor’sunconsciousmind. Accordinglytheliteraryworkmustbetreatedlikedream,applyingpsychoanalytictechniquestothetexttouncovertheauthor’shiddenmotivationsandrepresseddesires.Assumptions Allartists,includingauthors,areneurotic.Unlikemostotherneurotics,however,theartistsescapemanyoftheoutwardmanifestationsandresultsofneurosissuchasmadnessorself-destructionbyfindingapathwaybacktosanenessandwholenessintheactofcreatinghisorherart. Anauthor'schiefmotivationforwritinganystoryistogratifysomesecretdesire,someforbiddenwishthatprobablydevelopedduringtheinfancyandwassuppressedanddupmedintheunconscious.Theoutwardmanifestationofthissupressedwishbecomestheliteraryworkitself.Thus,theliteraryworkistheauthor'sdreamorfantasy. Psychoanalyticcriticismistounlockthehiddenmeaningscontainedwithinthestoryandhousedinsymbols.Methodologies Psychobiography:usingamassingbiographicaldataofanauthorandtheauthor'scanon,thecriticscouldtheoreticallyconstructtheauthor'spersonlitywithallitsidiosyncrasies,internalandexternalconflicts,andmostimportantly,neuroses.Inturn,thedevisedtheorycouldilluminateanauthor'sindividualworks,givingrisetothelatentcontentinthetexts. Characteranalysis:Studyingthevariousaspectsofcgaracters'mindsfoundinanauthor'scanonundertheFreudianpointofview.Theauthorhadinmindaparticularpersonalityforhischaractersandreadersdeveloptheirownconceptionofeachcharacter'spersonalitybasedontheirpastexperiencesandknowledge. Symbolism:applyingFreud'sassumptionthatallhumanbehaviorissexuallydrivendirectlytoatext.Everythinginatextbecomesasexualimage.Everyconcaveimage,suchasflower,cup,cave,orvase,isafemalesymbol,andanyimagewhoselengthexceedsitsdiamater,suchasatower,sward,knife,orpen,becomeamalesymbol. ArchetypalCriticism LacaniananalysisThankYou!