Psychoanalytic Criticism Research Articles

A Mad Woman s Self-exploration A Lacanian Interpretation of The Bell Jar

The Bell Jar is a semi-autobiography novel written by Sylvia Plath, whose literary works are famous for pain, death, and selfexploration. Besides, Plath is a confessional writer and this novel seems to be Esther s mad self-talk, but in the depth of the madness is a profound self-exploration and self-construction. Esther s self-searching is actually the process of finding subjectivity. However, she needs to confirm herself by the existence of the other . Moreover, The Bell Jar constructed a woman s road to growth, showing her rebellion against a man-dominated society. This paper will use Lacanian psychoanalytic criticism theory to analyze The Bell Jar to understand the causes of Esther s internal struggle and the true significance of this mad woman s tragedy.

Psychoanalytic Criticism of Ifesinachi Nwadike’s How Morning Remembers The Night

In recent times, it appears Nigerian poets are influenced by changes in the country's social-political and economic landscape to such an extent that their artistic expressions are thought to have tilted towards psychological dimension. This observation transcends the social commitment and ideological inclinations often identified with the poets in the past. Therefore, this paper attempts a psychoanalytic criticism of Ifesinachi Nwadike’s poetry, How Morning Remembers the Night, focusing on the instances of psychosocial disorder as an association of socio-economically induced psychological conditions that find expression in the collection. Conceptualising this condition, the study adopts a descriptive research method premised on critical analysis in which attention is given to symptomatic elements like the persona’s recollected experiences, tone and cathartic disposition. Here, a synthesis of the theoretical paradigms of psychoanalysis proposed by Sigmund Freud and Erich Fromm is found rewarding in providing a framework for the conception of the poetry as the persona’s dream text. The study discovers that the psychosocial disorders identified in the collection symptomatically find expression in the poetic persona’s tone in form of emotional disturbances and that they are triggered by memories of societal failings. Consequently, the persona displays the identities of an aggrieved songbird and a griot whose memory is clouded by grief and anguish in reaction to societal foibles. The paper concludes that certain psychosocial disturbances that are noticeable among Nigerian citizens under the same unfavorable societal conditions have permeated Nwadike’s poetry.

Norman N. Holland: The Dean of American Psychoanalytic Critics by Jeffrey Berman (review)

Norman N. Holland: The Dean of American Psychoanalytic Critics by Jeffrey Berman (review)

A Psychoanalytic Critique of Trauma Aesthetics in Ferdinard Oyono’s Houseboy

This article engages in a psychoanalytic critique of the trauma aesthetics in Ferdinand Oyono’s Houseboy. The study employs an explanatory research design, using qualitative methods to delve into the under-researched dimensions of colonial trauma depicted in the novel. Explanatory research is particularly suited for this study as it addresses problems that lack extensive previous research, sets priorities, generates operational definitions, and offers well-developed models for understanding complex issues. The study reveals that characterization is crucial in exposing colonial trauma, prominently illustrated by the character of Toundi, who suffers immensely on his deathbed. The agony of Toundi, along with other characters like Calisia, Sophie, and Toundi’s sister, underscores the deep psychological scars inflicted by colonial oppression. Keywords: Aesthetics, Houseboy, Psychoanalytic critique, Tragic end, Trauma

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

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.

Psychoanalytic Criticism on song Lyrics Cancer by My Chemical Romance

This research delves into the feelings experienced by the main character in the song "Cancer" by My Chemical Romance. This descriptive qualitative research aims to discover the anxiety and mental condition faced by a patient affected by cancer, as reflected in the song's lyrics, using Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory as an approach. Data were collected by repeatedly listening to the song, understanding, and interpreting the literary work. The song "Cancer" by My Chemical Romance, without an accompanying music video, is the focus of the analysis, relying solely on the lyrics as the source. This approach involves understanding the meaning of the words, examining the emotional context, and exploring potential symbolism within the lyrics. The main goal of this research is to uncover and analyze the anxiety and mental journey of a patient affected by cancer through the lens of Freud's psychoanalytic theory. Through this research, it is hoped that a deeper understanding of the emotional and psychological dynamics faced by the main character in the song "Cancer" will be achieved and how Freud's psychoanalytic theory can assist in analyzing subconscious layers and psychological conflicts that may arise in the context of the song's lyrics. In conclusion, through the psychoanalytic lens, "Cancer" becomes an emotional narrative illustrating the dynamics between personality components in facing feelings of loss and death, creating a profound experience that feels personal and universal.

Dream, Reality and Fantasy: A Psychoanalytic Reading of Sucker Punch

This paper explores the 2011 movie Sucker Punch directed by Zack Snyder through the lens of psychoanalytic criticism. The movie projects the many worlds of the protagonist Baby Doll in an attempt to mitigate the on-going psychological battle within her psyche. Utilizing the psychoanalytic theory the main character’s journey within the movie will be analyzed. Baby Doll’s projection or interpretation of her reality in other worlds where she sees her desires manifested in a character which differs absolutely with her reality is the crux of this paper. Using the theories propounded by Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung and Jacques Lacan an attempt will be made to situate and redefine the characters and their stories to understand them in a different light.

Miejsce i psychogeografia w Ambasadorach Henry’ego Jamesa

Following the recent spatial turn in literary criticism and the shift of focus on place, the present paper examines the special significance of place in Henry James’s novel The Ambassadors (1903) and explores the relationship between geography and psychology through the main character, Lambert Strether. Analysing the latter’s outer and inner observations draws on a close reading of the novel and the instrumentation of such theories as psychogeography and psychoanalytical criticism. Strether’s trip is an introspective voyage as much as an exploratory expedition, allowing insight into his subconsciousness through the tropes of the places he traverses. His mental visions of spaces in the novel can be surmised in terms of a psychogeography of his movements, a sort of landscape of the mind which is a reflection of the Freudian perception of the human psyche.

Pushing the Boundaries: Examining Victorian Prejudices Through Dimensional Satire in Flatland – A Book Review

This paper explores collaborative literary analysis between a human and AI assistant. Prompting the conversational agent Claude iteratively, the author directs an examination of Abbott’s Flatland structured around psychoanalytic critique and connections to scientific paradigm shifts. Each draft refines the analysis by incorporating academic conventions like citations and expanding discussion of social hierarchies. The iterative process elicits the AI’s unique interpretations while nudging it toward increased scholarly rigor. While noting Claude’s limitations in accuracy, the reflective commentary finds AI can productively expand human scholarship if treated as a partner, not just a tool. Additional ethical implications of advancing AI emergence in academia are considered, such as establishing frameworks for responsible and equitable integration. Overall, the collaborative project suggests measured, humane guidance elicits meaningful scholarly contributions from AI without compromising rigor. But care must be taken to avoid overlooking long-term pitfalls in our rush to capitalize on AI productivity gains. Author's note: This abstract and the title are by the AI, Claude 2

Identity Crisis of the Characters Escalate Protagonist’s Doom: A Psychoanalytical Reading of Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge

The current research endeavors to provide a psychoanalytical analysis of Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge. The interaction of Id, Ego and Super-Ego, the theoretic components of Freud’s Psychic Apparatus, brings forth various conflicts among the characters of Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge. These conflicts imply most of the characters are confused, uncertain, biased or devious. Mainly the protagonist, Eddie, is aberrant of his supposed social, relational and familial roles. Even though, occasionally, Eddie’s ego drives him to act rationally, most of the time, he is id-ridden, which becomes one of the major reasons of his identity crisis. Erikson’s psychosocial theory of identity crisis also provides means to analyze the reasons of Eddie’s tormented identity. Moreover, nearly every character in the play is driven either by pleasure principle, reality principle, or morality principle. This invites psychoanalytical criticism for the exposition of the main concerns of the play, like: decreased marital intimacy, incest, irrationality, aggression, conspiracy and violence. These concerns are likely to be rooted in the behaviour of the characters who seem to be either careless of what they do, or hold some self-created justifications for their actions. The imbalance in their psychic apparatus worsens the odds against Eddie. In almost all the cases, they tend to escalate tragedy for the protagonist, who, himself, appears to be a victim of wrath, obsession, fears, apprehensions, inferiority complex and broken self-image etc

Songs of Life: Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy and Deleuze and Guattari’s ‘Desiring-Production’

This paper argues that practitioners of psychedelic-assisted therapy could learn a great deal from Deleuze and Guattari’s critique of psychoanalysis in Anti-Oedipus, as well as the practice of materialist psychiatry – schizoanalysis – that they offer in its stead. Much of the clinical research on psychedelics (particularly psilocybin) over the past fifteen years has privileged mystical experience, assessed according to a quantifiable scale, as the goal of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and source of cure ( Griffiths et al. 2006 , 2016 ; Barrett and Griffiths 2018 ; Pollan 2018 ). Has ‘mystical experience’ become the ‘imperialism of Oedipus’ within the psychedelic revival, towards which all psychedelic experience and activity of the unconscious is expected to tend? Distressed patients would be better held, I contend, through a therapeutic practice that adopts Deleuze and Guattari’s concept of the unconscious as a desiring-machine and the cure as a completion of the process of desiring-production that is not arrested and reduced to pre-assigned ends. In this mode of working with psychedelics, the embodied memories, visions and sensations of the patient do not in a predetermined way ‘express’ or ‘represent’ a perennial, quantifiable experience (or myth). Rather, they enable the positive task of schizoanalysis of learning what a subject’s desiring-machines are and how they work, and the negative task of identifying and destroying all that stands in the way of their functioning.

DESIRE ON THE ROAD: A PSYCHOANALYTICAL READING OF “THE LAKE ISLE OF INNISFREE” AND “STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING”

W. B. Yeats’s “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” and R. Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” contain various kinds of similarities and dissimilarities in several ways. Both the poems can be analyzed in order to explore how the poets are exploiting symbols in order to reveal the speakers’ dream states, how the speakers are moving between conscious and unconscious states of mind, and how their ids, egos, and superegos are working in relation to the desires in their minds. In order to examine all these related issues that the poems embody to thrill their readers, the relevant literary theory is psychoanalysis. A comparative study of these two poems using Freudian psychoanalytic criticism reveals that in both the poems, the poets/speakers are not only somehow on the road, but they are also constantly engaged in handling their desires which are hard to satisfy, yet difficult to repress. Desire in both Yeats’s and Frost’s poems appears to be overwhelming and always in the process of satisfaction though satisfaction finally seems unachievable. Such a psychoanalytic reading can help the readers appreciate these two poems in a new light.

Scribe: Machine Learning, Parafiction, and the Perversion of Practice

Abstract Scribe (2022) is a choral work for three voices. It is a multidisciplinary project that encompasses paleography, machine learning, transcription, and performance. Furthermore, Scribe is a work of parafictional art where fact and fiction overlap, conventional practices of paleography and edition-making are playfully reconfigured, and supposed historical authenticity is employed as a compositional material. This paper describes the creative processes in the making of Scribe before evaluating aspects of the uncanny and material agency. It draws upon autoethnographic analysis before contextualizing this within the psychoanalytical criticism of philosopher Slavoj Žižek.

Of Maternal Uncles and Mangalik Brides: Sakuni in the Folk Narrations of The Mahabharata

The timelessness of The Mahabharata lies in its ability to re-invent itself, thereby giving the society a chance to re-negotiate, revise, and revive the discourse. It also gives the so-called ‘villains of the piece’, well established in the ‘rogues’ gallery’, a chance to redeem themselves. One such character is Sakuni, the ‘shrewd’ maternal uncle of the Kauravas, whose negative image in Vyasa’s textual universe is questioned by the folk renditions of the grand epic. The Oriya Mahabharata by Sarala Das views Sakuni not as the master conspirator who brought about the great war, but as a victim who suffered because of the court politics of the Kauravas. The strong popular culture that supports him is also evident in the narratives of the Kalbelias of Rajasthan, and in the folk renderings of the epic in Kerala. This makes us reflect as to why the meta-narrative has vilified Sakuni and treated him with contempt when the folk traditions view him in a more charitable light, or at least give him the benefit of doubt. This paper utilizes narrative research methods to understand the dehumanization of Sakuni in the dominant discourse. It employs the postmodern theories of psychoanalytical criticism and deconstruction in the study of the petite narratives associated with Sakuni to facilitate engagement, plurality, and divergence in the discourse. The paper attempts to read the chronicles of self, society, and social justice in these lesser-known narratives to liberate Sakuni from his filial debt and relocate him into the discursive universe.

“she can turn and turn,… and turn again” (4.1.255-6): The Culpability for Desdemona’s Soft-Porn Performance

In the cannon of Shakespeares criticism, Othellos Desdemona is often depicted as an icon of modesty, wifeliness, and Christian virtue; however, many psychoanalytic critics tout a more venal and meretricious interpretation of her character. The subtle process of gradually goading teen Desdemona into the trap of a prostituted, soft-porn practitioner by the male agency is orchestrated through extolling her to an exquisitely beautiful, feminine icon while dropping seemingly innocuous innuendoes of the need to offer such beauty and charm, whether platonically or carnally, to men. Her culpable passivity and disinclination to unequivocally reject attempts to prostitute her render her in collusion to her moral descent. Taking her amorous history, erotic propensity, and resolute decision-making, Desdemona strikes us as a sexual experimenter who marries Othello for her own gratification, having turned away many European princes. Shakespeare projects an image of her as an exquisitely beautiful celebrity who takes pride in flaunting her charms, seducing men, and leaving a trail of broken hearts. In the psychologically intense slap scene, without verbally agreeing to the behests of her spouse-turned-pimp, she nonetheless undertakes his every utterable and non-utterable whim. Desdemonas sudden, inexplicable reticence to spurn Othellos prompting in this scene while surrounded by her Venetian compatriots who are oxymoronically transformed to function as depraved, ferocious voyeurs reinforce her image as purposely feeble and unerringly eroticized, rendering her a complicit performer rather than a helpless victim. Whether willing or compelled, Desdemonas conflicting, character-trope served Shakespeares performative histrionics, business acumen, and rendered Othello a popular, considerably successful classic.

GENDER OPPRESSION: THE YELLOW WALLPAPER BY CHARLOTTE PERKINS GILMAN

This literary study uses Feminist Criticism and Psychoanalytic Criticism, specifically it looks into the characters, themes, and symbolisms to reveal the issues of gender oppression that are reflected in the story. The method of literary research used is qualitative method of discourse analysis. In addition, the related literature and studies are utilized to support the textual investigation. Through the lens of the literary theories used, the issues that are found in the characters, are done through by looking into its portrayal and implication. Hence, the portrayal and implication of all the characters in the story are highly showing the presence of gender oppression. For the analysis of themes, it explores the significant issue about gender oppression that is happening inside the marriage wherein the husband turns to be dominant while the wife becomes inferior. On the other hand, the symbolisms reflect the essential representation of gender oppression experienced by the women in the story. Based on the findings, it is concluded that the story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman contains gender oppression. This study recommends that the literary researchers should make a character analysis, may create a study of the story that studies the theme of the literary work and should make a symbolism analysis essay on the story The Yellow Wallpaper.

(After)Word

Research Article| May 01 2023 (After)Word Poulomi Saha Poulomi Saha POULOMI SAHA is Associate Professor of English and Co-Director of the Program in Critical Theory at the University of California, Berkeley. Their research and teaching interests span postcolonial studies, ethnic American literature, feminist and queer theory, critical theory, and psychoanalytic critique. Her first book, An Empire of Touch: Women’s Political Labor and the Fabrication of East Bengal (Columbia, 2019), was awarded the 2020 Harry Levin Prize for outstanding first book by the American Comparative Literature Association and the Helen Tartar First Book Award. Saha’s scholarship has appeared in differences, qui parle, Signs, Interventions, The Journal of Modern Literature, Postcolonial Literary Inquiry, and the Journal of American Studies, among other places. They are currently at work on Fascination: America’s “Indian” Cults. Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Representations (2023) 162 (1): 144–148. https://doi.org/10.1525/rep.2023.162.10.144 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Poulomi Saha; (After)Word. Representations 1 May 2023; 162 (1): 144–148. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/rep.2023.162.10.144 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentRepresentations Search This content is only available via PDF. © 2023 by The Regents of the University of California2023 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

The Interpretation of the Character in the movie “Joker” from the Psychoanalytic Criticism

"Joker" is a comic film with a mentally ill person as the protagonist, mainly telling the story of Arthur Frank, mentally ill and engaged in clown acting work, because of the indifference of society, the betrayal of colleagues, the deception of his mother, the ridicule of his idol and various bad encounters, his spiritual world gradually collapsed, and eventually went to the road of crime. Supported by Freud's relevant theories, this paper interprets Arthur's character image from the perspective of psychoanalysis, explores the close relationship between Arthur's life experience and his own mental and psychological conditions, and analyzes the causes of his illness, the process of self-repression and the changes of personality structure.

Demolishing Humanity through Pleasure and Pain: Reading Huxley’s Brave New World and Orwell’s 1984 Side by Side

Oligarchical collectivism that supports totalitarianism silences freedom of speech, privacy, assembly, etc. both personal and communal through horrific pain or plentiful pleasure. Authors write literary works to remind readers of this situation through novels, poems, plays, political essays, and or satire. In today's life, it seems these two ways of totalitarianism are being practiced in life singly or combined in different parts of the world. This can be seen in a number of countries where the government does this both in disguise and addressed to a certain group of members of society such as in Nigeria and in real terms such as in Nicaragua. This is also done in total for a country such as Ukraine by Russia. Two of those great anti-utopia literary works are novels that raise the issue of restrained freedom of life in Huxley's Brave New World and Orwell's 1984. These two anti-utopian novels raise the issue of the freedom of life that is confined but in different ways. Using Marxist psychoanalytic criticism, this paper discusses this issue seen in both novels by the two authors. The focus is on how both authors show totalitarianism being practiced both personally, and in the society found in these novels – how they are treated to follow rules that confine personal and societal freedom in totalitarianism.

George Herbert Mead and Psychoanalysis

This article examines G.H. Mead’s critique of psychoanalysis, in order to show how it reflects the parallels with his own conception of social psychology. In showing that both Freud and Mead address the same issues of the redefinition of the psyche based on experimental psychology in their own theoretical entreprise, the analysis makes clear that Freud’s two topics (Conscious, Preconscious, Unconscious; Superego, Ego, Id) and Mead’s theory of the Self (I, Me, Self) are closely related but nevertheless kept apart by fundamental oppositions. However, further explorations in Lacan’s reading of Freud help in seeing how close psychoanalysis and social psychology can be, by shifting attention to the distinction between unconscious and conscious communication. By addressing the issue of emotions in social life, a final look at the transformation of social norms shows how the confrontation between social psychology and psychoanalysis can be fruitful.