Forging an Arrow of Gold: Translation and Analysis of Carducci’s “Il poeta” from a Psychosynthesis Perspective

Abstract

The psychological approach to literary criticism has been mainly influenced by the work of Sigmund Freud and Carl Gustav Jung, and is referred to as psychoanalytical criticism and Jungian literary criticism respectively. This article introduces psychosynthesis psychology as an additional theoretical approach for literary analysis. Psychosynthesis, a transpersonal psychology and therapeutic approach, offers a model of the human personality that includes multiple levels of consciousness. Two of its fundamental concepts are that of a Higher Self, with which each individual is in relationship, and ‘right relations’, which refers to the use of all aspects of will and the deepest awareness possible to relate to all that is present. Through the example of the author’s translation of the poem “Il poeta” (“The Poet”) by Giosuè Carducci, this article explores how the fundamental psychosynthesis concepts of the transpersonal consciousness, the Self and right relations can provide an independent methodology for literary criticism. Since these concepts are not considered viable for psychoanalytical criticism or relevant to Jungian literary criticism, psychosynthesis literary criticism can provide a more inclusive and enriching analysis, especially of poetry. An analysis of Carducci’s poem from the Jungian perspective of the blacksmith archetype is also presented. This article demonstrates how the framework of psychosynthesis psychology is a viable methodology for literary criticism.