As with the psychological approach, the reader must take care that enthusiasm for a newfound interpretive key does not tempt him or her to discard other valuable critical instruments or to try to open all literary doors with this single key. This approach examines how sexual identity influences the creation and reception of literary works. Psychoanalytic literary criticism adopts the methods of reading employed by freud and later theorists to interpret texts. Subsequent study in this field has strengthened this impression, bringing with it the realization that only a new, objective, and scientific approach to critical theory can ever. This approach sees a literary work chiefly as a reflection of its authors life and times or the life and times of the characters in the work. Psychoanalytic literary criticism is literary criticism or literary theory which, in method, concept, or form, is influenced by the tradition of psychoanalysis begun by sigmund freud psychoanalytic reading has been practiced since the early development of psychoanalysis itself, and has developed into a heterogeneous interpretive tradition. Psychoanalytic literary criticism is a way of analyzing and interpreting literary works that relies on psychoanalytic theory. While we dont have the room here to discuss all of freuds work, a general overview is necessary to explain psychoanalytic literary criticism. It was a triumph for the interpretative art of psychoanalysis when it succeeded in demonstrating that certain common mental acts of. Thereafter, a literary work is examined from a socio. Psychoanalysis is the process of using what we know about these three parts of someones personality to analyze the ways that person. First, literary criticism improves your general reading skills, giving you more tools to help solve problems of understanding as you read. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website.
This approach regards literature as a unique form of human knowledge that needs to be examined on its own terms. One common sociological approach is the marxist critique of literature see the first source below, which looks at the types of class conflicts portrayed in literary works. A psychological approach to literary criticism by norman r. The basis of this approach is the idea of the existence of a human consciousness those impulses, desires, and feelings about. The psychological principles which are used in psychoanalytic literary criticism were mainly developed by sigmund freud and jacques lacan. Rather than being art for arts sake, modern literature tends to be more exploratory and didactic. This theory is perhaps freuds most popular psychoanalytic idea. In this theory, freud explains that each persons personality is formed of three parts.
Psychoanalytic criticism builds on freudian theories of psychology. Psychological and psychoanalytic criticism pros of psychoanalytic theory cons of psychoanalytic theory criticism applied to short stories background info conclusion psychoanalysis of flight by doris lessing psychoanalysis of the lottery by shirley jackson works cited. The psychological approach leads most directly to a substantial amplification of the meaning of a literary work. As all literary works are based on some kind of experience, and as all authors are human, we are necessarily caught up. Psychology of the author the study of creative process h d f h l i l the study of psychological types and laws present within works of literature psychology of the characters literary study in its strictest sense the study of the effects of literature upon its readers psychology of the literature and society audience. This approach deals with a work of literature primarily as it is an expression in fictional form. A general theory of psychological literary criticism. Pdf an approach to psychological literary criticism by. Literary criticism, for instance, is conspicuously based on psychological theories. Literary criticism is valuable for a number of reasons. It argues that literary texts, like dreams, express the secret unconscious desires and anxieties of the author, that a literary work is a.
A type of literary criticism that became a dominant force in western literary studies in the late 1970. 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 authors own neuroses. Formalistic approach this approach focuses on form, stressing symbols, images, and structure and. The contribution of psychological theories in literary. This approach emphasizes the recurrent universal patterns underlying most literary works. Many of the elements of psychology he sought to describe and explain are present in the literary. To make the dreamstory from which wonderland was elaborated seem freudian one only has to tell it. The psychological approach analyzes the symbolic fictions that arise from the. Pdf the contribution of psychological theories in literary criticism. The most widely recognized, indeed the almost exclusively accepted, personality theory used in psychological literary criticism has been freudian and neofreudian psychoanalysis. In literary criticism some critics have added to the formalisticaesthetic approach because of their limitations and inadequacies in coming to terms with the major concerns of modern literature. This psychological approach, which reflects the effect of psychology on both literature and literary criticism, was mainly influenced by the work of sigmund freud and carl jung.
Sigmund freud put forward the theory that literary texts are a manifestation of. Literary theory and schools of criticism introduction. Psychological study of the authorpsychological study of the author the pppoet is the possessed. Psychological criticism uses psychoanalytic theories, especially those of freud and jacques lacan, to understand more fully the text, the reader, and the writer. Psychological and psychoanalytic criticism by jerry. In this field of literary criticism, the major concepts of psychoanalytic theory, such as the idea of an unconscious and conscious mind, the divisions of the id, ego, and. Sigmund freud put forward the theory that literary texts are a manifestation of the secret unconscious desires and anxieties of the author. Psychological approach to analyze literature awin language. Freudian psychoanalysis by nasrullah mambrol on april 16, 2016 21.
Psychological approachliterary criticism free download as word doc. The study of the selection is more or les based on the socalled literary elements. Second, literary criticism can help you in college by giving you more ways to respond to what you read. The dialog between socrates and two of his associates shows the participants of this discussion concluding that art. The marxist criticism, which reaches back to the thinking of karl marx, sees literary texts as being products of an ideology and social class. During the twentieth century psychological criticism is associated with a particular school of thought. Psychoanalytic criticism emerged in the 1960s, the most influential interpretative theory among the series of waves in the post war period is based on the specific premises of the workings of the mind, the instincts and sexuality, developed by the 19th century. Five approaches of literary criticism paperback june 1, 1963 by wilbur s. When we discuss psychology and its place in a literary work, we are primarily studying the authors imagination.
Deconstruction is a school of literary criticism that suggests that language is not a. Approaches to literary criticism literary criticism is the study, analysis, and evaluation of imaginative literature. Deconstruction theory in literary criticism declares that. The contribution of psychological theories in literary criticism article pdf available in procedia social and behavioral sciences 84. Psychoanalytic criticism psychoanalytic criticism adopts the methods of reading employed by freud and later theorists to interpret texts. A video presentation about psychological literary criticism prepared by saint paul school of business and law students enrolled in world literature. One of freuds most famous theories is the oedipus complex, which. Critical approaches to literature university of new mexico. This theory is also close to post modernism approach in literary criticism in such a way that post modernists. Combining the insights from anthropology, psychology, history, and comparative religion, mythological criticism explores the artists common humanity by tracing how the individual imagination uses myths and symbols common. Pdf psychological literary criticism had its base in the psychoanalytical thoughts put forwarded by sigmund freud.
Introduction in order to understand any genres, it is essentially indispensable to catch up on literary criticism because it is considered as a first step toward developing an understanding of some rather difficult and at times provocative concepts. Psychoanalytic theory was developed by sigmund freud to explain the workings of the human mind. What are the main features of psychoanalytic literary. See all 6 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Historical criticism seeks to interpret the work of literature through understanding the time and culture in which the work was written. Psychological approach to literature by ahna baechle on prezi. From this association have derived most of the abuses and misunderstandings of the modern psychological approach to literature. This, actually, is the authors experiences of the world.
Two distinct fields literary interpretations and psychoanalysis closely associated can in no sense be regarded as part od one discipline other possibilites and limitations freudin approach defense incredibly farfetched as some psychoanalytic interpretations seem to many readers. Psychoanalytic theory is a branch of literary criticism which was built on the principles of psychoanalysis developed by sigmund freud 18561939. Keywords literature and psychology, psychological criticism, readerresponse criticism, depthhermeneutical interpretation, mor jokai the interplay of literature. According to this concept of personality structure, a human being has three.
Review of literary criticism through psychological lenses. Literary theories session 6 psychology of literature. Pdf an approach to psychological literary criticism by means of. Pdf dealing with human behavior in almost all aspects of human endeavor, psychological theories. Psychoanalytic literary criticism can simply be defined as an approach to literature which aims to apply some of the techniques of psychoanalysis in the interpretation of literary works. As lois tyson points out, aspects of psychoanalysis have become so ingrained in our culture. Freudian psychoanalysis literary theory and criticism. Literary criticism is the study, analysis, and evaluation of imaginative literature. Originally an offshoot of feminist movements, gender criticism today includes a number of approaches, including the socalled masculinist approach recently advocated by poet robert bly. While we dont have the room here to discuss all of freuds work, a general overview is necessary to explain.
This resource will help you begin the process of understanding literary theory and schools of criticism and how they are used in the academy. One of the keystones in psychoanalytic theory is the concept of the unconscious. You will be redirected to the full text document in the repository in a few seconds, if not click here. Formalistic or literary approach literature is viewed intrinsically independent of the author, age, or any other extrinsic factor. Archetypal criticism advocated by maud bodkin is also a form of psychological criticism. Name four types of sociological approaches to literature. An approach to psychological literary criticism by means of frommian humanistic psychoanalysis chapter pdf available december 2017 with 4,673 reads how we measure reads.
Psychological criticism in the present context will, by and large, mean psychoanalysis s ingh 164. Lawrences sons and lovers 19 is a text that cries out for a psychoanalytic interpretation. During my earliest readings in the history of critical theory i was considerably impressed with the conflicting and contradictory principles of literary criticism. Psychological criticism delving into the mind slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. Pdf the potentials of psychological approaches to literature.