Psychological Criticism

View works through the lens of psychology

Looks either at the psychologicsl motivations of the characters or of the
authors themselves
Psychoanalytic Criticism
Based on Sigmund Freud theory
Theoretical framework: literature, like dreams, consists of the imagined or
fantasized fulfillment of wishes that are either denied by reality or are
prohibited by the social standards of morality and propriety.

According to Freud, the mind has three functional aspects:

The id which incorporates libidinal and other desires
The superego which is the internalization of standards of morality
The ego which tries to negotiate the conflicts between the insatiable, and the
limitless possibilities of gratification offered by the real world

Sex is everything
Freud believed that all humans behavior is motivated by sexuality
Oedipus complex: a boys unconscious rivalty with his father fot the love of
his father
Electra complex: a girls unconscious rivalry with her mother fpr the love of
her father
Additional Information
Provides insight into themes that have always been present in western
literature: family, authority, guilt, etc.
Provides a framework for perceptive character analysis
Freud Imagery
Recognize symbols that are linked to sexual pleasure
Concave images, such as ponds flowers, cups and caves as female
symbol
Phallic symbols, objects that are longer than they are wide, are male
images
Dancing riding and flying are associataed with sexual pleasure
Water usually associated with birth, the female principle
Psychoanalytical Approach
Advantages:
Can be a useful tool for understanding some works in which
characters obviously have psychological issue
Knowing something about a writers psychological make-up can give
us insight into his work
Disadvantages:

Can turn a wok into a psychological case study

Sometimes attempts to diagnose long dead authors based on their
works
Tends to see sex in everything, exaggerating this aspects of literature
Carl Jungle and Mythological criticism
Departs from Freud in that the emphasis is not on the individual
unconscious, but on the collective unconscious
Describes human psyche as being divided into 3 parts:
o A person conscious
o A person unconscious , and, beneath these
o A collective unconscious
Archetypes in literature

Assumes that there is collection of symbols, images, characters, and

motifs called archetypes that evokes basically the same response in all
people
Identifies these patterns and discusses how they function
Suggests that to live fully, we must deal three powerful archetypes
that compose the self:
o The shadow: our darker side, the part of ourselves we would
prefer to not to
o The anima: the soul image or life force \ motivation that
causes one to act.
o The persona: the image we show to others
To become a psychologically healthy adult, individuation must occurwe must discover and accept the different sides of ourselves, even
those we dislike. If we reject some part of the
Advantages:
o Provides a universalistic approach to literature and identifies a
reason why certain literature may survive the test of time
o It works well with works that are highly symbolic
Disadvantages:
o Literature may become a vehicle for archetypes
o May ignore the art of literature