Psychoanalytic Criticism

Let’s talk about Freud... Psychoanalytic criticism builds on Freudian theories of psychology The unconscious, the desires, and the defenses "...the notion that human beings are motivated, even driven, by desires, fears, needs, and conflicts of which they are unaware..." (Tyson 14-15) Freud believed that our unconscious was influenced by childhood events Oral, anal, phallic stages stages reflect base levels of desire, but they also involve fear of loss and repression Id, Ego, and Superego Oedipus Complex

So what does this mean? Put simply, some critics believe that we can "...read psychoanalytically...to see which concepts are operating in the text in such a way as to enrich our understanding of the work and, if we plan to write a paper about it, to yield a meaningful, coherent psychoanalytic interpretation" (Tyson 29). Tyson provides some insightful and applicable questions to help guide our understanding of psychoanalytic criticism.

Example: Hamlet by Shakespeare Prince mourns father’s loss Mother remarrys her brother-in-law Claudius Father’s ghost comes back to inform that Claudius murdered him Hamlet hesitates and decides not to kill Claudio right away Applying psychoanalytic theory: Based on Oedipus Complex, it can be argued that Hamlet spares his uncle, Claudius, out of guilt Hamlet feels guilty because he had the same desire as Claudius: to kill his father and marry his mother This theory can be supported by Hamlet’s lack of interest in Ophelia

Example: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Story of a man that falls to the control of his id - gives into id by creating the monster Acts based on the reasoning of his ego - ego rationalizes the creation of the monster Suffers punishment of superego - superego suffers the consequences One could argue… Victor’s id acts like a child in its desire to discover the power of creation Victor’s id directs Victor to work to uncover the dark secrets he previously wondered about Victor’s ego enacts this desire procuring

Questions How do the operations of repression structure or inform the work? Are there any oedipal dynamics - or any other family dynamics - are work here? How can characters' behavior, narrative events, and/or images be explained in terms of psychoanalytic concepts of any kind (for example...fear or fascination with death, sexuality - which includes love and romance as well as sexual behavior - as a primary indicator of psychological identity or the operations of ego-id-superego)? What does the work suggest about the psychological being of its author? What might a given interpretation of a literary work suggest about the psychological motives of the reader? Are there prominent words in the piece that could have different or hidden meanings? Could there be a subconscious reason for the author using these "problem words"?

Helpful Videos Psychoanalytic Theory (more about Freud): https://youtu.be/iMkJ9vtn8jQ Psychoanalytic Literary Criticism: https://youtu.be/81GWBfieHEA (part 1) https://youtu.be/vlifQrQsdYg (part 2)