1. Psychoanalytic Criticism

2. Psychoanalytical criticism seeks to explore literature by examining: how human mental and psychological development occurs how the human mind works the root causes of psychological problems

3. Psychoanalytic Criticism This information can be used to analyze literature using two different approaches: 1. Psychoanalysis of the author 2. Psychoanalysis of the character(s)

4. Freudian Criticism Based on the work of Sigmund Freud (1856– 1939). Earliest application focused on the text as a window into the psyche of the author – dream analysis Later applied to character and reader analysis

5. The Id, the Ego, the Superego ID: the oldest mental province in the human organism, present at birth, instinctual EGO: the intermediary between the ID and the external world. The ego seeks pleasure and avoids displeasure, to satisfy the demands of the id. SUPER-EGO: the mental province that responds to the demands of parental and immediate social influences on behavior and propriety

6. Examples of Id/Ego/Superego Superego: Parents and teachers tell you to do your homework. (authority) Id: You feel the need to be entertained rather than forcing yourself to focus on your studying. (primal desire) Ego: You compromise by agree to work for an hour if your parents give you money for the movie theater. (satisfaction of both desires)

7. Parental Relationships In Freudian psychology, one’s relationship with one’s parents is the most significant determiner of how that person will relate with other humans throughout life. In general terms, we tend to seek life partners that resemble our opposite-sex parent, whether consciously or unconsciously. Freud believed the id desired the destruction of the same-sex parent, and union with the opposite-sex parent. (Oedipus, Electra)

8. In Freudian psychology, psychosexual development is a central element of the psychoanalytic sexual drive theory, that human beings, from birth, possess an instinctual libido (sexual appetite) that develops in five stages. Each stage — the oral, the anal, the phallic, the latent, and the genital — is characterized by the erogenous zone that is the source of the libidinal drive. Sigmund Freud proposed that if the child experienced sexual frustration in relation to any psychosexual developmental stage, s/he would experience anxiety that would persist into adulthood as a neurosis, a functional mental disorder.Freudianpsychologypsychoanalyticsexual drive theory instinctuallibidooralanalphallic latentgenital erogenous zone Sigmund Freudanxietyneurosis

9. Psychosexual Stages of Development Stage Age Range Consequences OralBirth–1 year Orally aggressive: chewing gum and the ends of pencils, etc. Orally Passive: smoking, eating, et. Oral stage fixation might result in a passive, gullible, immature, manipulative personality. manipulative Anal1–3 years Anal retentiveAnal retentive: Obsessively organized, or excessively neat Expulsive: reckless, careless, defiant, disorganized, Expulsive

10. Phallic (Reference to male sexuality) 3–6 years Oedipus complexOedipus complex (in boys and girls); according to Sigmund Freud. Electra complexElectra complex (in girls); according to Carl Jung. Latency6–puberty Sexual unfulfillment if fixation occurs in this stage. Genital (Maturity)Puberty–death Independence from parents, fulfillment through relationship rather than exclusive sexuality. Stages Continued…

11. Psychoanalytical Critical Questions For psychoanalytical criticism that focuses on the author: 1. To what extent does the text reveal the author’s repressed desires? 2. What conflicts exist among the author’s id, ego, and superego? 3. Does the text indicate any problems in the author’s psychosexual maturation process (e.g. Oedipus Complex, oral fixation, etc.)?

12. Psychoanalytical Critical Questions For psychoanalytical criticism that focuses on the character(s): 1. In what way does the text reflect the psychosexual development of the character? 2. Does the character demonstrate any neuroses or psychoses? 3. Is the character’s behavior indicative of or influenced by repressed desires or conflicts among the id, ego, and superego?

13. Let’s Practice!!! How many folks like Dr. Seuss?

14. Questions for Green Eggs & Ham: Where is the Id present? Be specific. Where is the Superego present? Explain. Where is the Ego present? How does it resolve the conflict between the Id and Superego? Through this lens, how can one interpret the story’s meaning? Why? How is this different than the original or standard interpretation?