Essay about Heart of Darkness Psychoanalytic Criticism

Heart of Darkness: Psychoanalytic Criticism Psychoanalytic criticism originated in the work of Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, who pioneered the technique of psychoanalysis. Freud developed a language that described, a model that explained, and a theory that encompassed human psychology. His theories are directly and indirectly concerned with the nature of the unconscious mind. Through his multiple case studies, Freud managed to find convincing evidence that most of our actions are motivated by psychological forces over which we have very limited control (Guerin 127). One of Freud’s most important contributions to the study of the psyche is his theory of repression: the unconscious mind is a repository of repressed desires,†¦show more content†¦And though a large part of the ego is unconscious, it nevertheless includes what we think of as the conscious mind. The superego is a projection of the ego. It is the moral censoring agency; the part that makes moral judgments and the repository of conscience and pride. It brings reason, order and social acceptability to the otherwise uncontrolled and potentially harmful realm of biological impulses (Guerin 128-31). Freud’s theories have launched what is now known as the psychoanalytic approach to literature. Freud was interested in writers, especially those who depended largely on symbols. Such writers tend to tinge their ideas and figures with mystery or ambiguity that only make sense once interpreted, just as the analyst tries to figure out the dreams and bizarre actions that the unconscious mind of a neurotic releases out of repression. A work of literature is thus treated as a fantasy or a dream that Freudian analysis comes to explain the nature of the mind that produced it. The purpose of a work of art is what psychoanalysis has found to be the purpose of the dream: the secret gratification of an infantile and forbidden wish that has been repressed into the unconscious (Wright 765). The literal surface of a work of literature is sometimes called the â€Å"manifest content† and treated as â€Å"manifest dream† or â€Å"dream story.† The psychoanalytic literary critic tries to analyze the latent, underlying content of the work, or the â€Å"dream thought† hidden inShow MoreRelatedHeart of Darkness Themes Essay1654 Words   |  7 PagesJacob Lachini Ms. Batten ENG 4U1-03 Monday, October 29th, 2012. Literary Criticisms in Relation to Heart of Darkness Interpretation is the revenge of the intellect upon art. Even more. It is the revenge of the intellect upon the world. To interpret is to impoverish, to deplete the world -- in order to set up a shadow world of meanings,† Susan Sontag. It is a persons interpretation of any form of literary work that defines itself, what the author intends a reader to discover may be completelyRead MoreHills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway Essay examples882 Words   |  4 PagesElephants by Ernest Hemingway â€Å"Which line of criticism best suits this short story? Ernest Hemingway’s ‘Hills Like White Elephants’ is suited to a Psychoanalytic perspective criticism and is the most effective, as it contains hidden, deeper meanings which the author had represented in this piece, by explicating the text to explore the themes of choices, plot, setting and imagery, and essentially abortion. Psychoanalytic criticism expresses the secret unconscious desires and Read MoreEssay Psychoanalytic Criticism1137 Words   |  5 PagesPsychoanalytic Criticism Introduction The psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud spent much of his life exploring the workings of the unconscious. Freuds work has influenced society in ways which we take for granted. When we speak of Freudian slips or look for hidden causes behind irrational behavior, we are using aspects of Freudian analysis. Many literary critics have also adopted Freuds various theories and methods. In order to define Freudian literary criticism, we will examine how various criticsRead MoreHeart of Darkness in the Light of Psychoanalytic Theories.4599 Words   |  19 PagesPsychoanalytic Criticism Psychoanalytic criticism originated in the work of Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, who pioneered the technique of psychoanalysis. Freud developed a language that described, a model that explained, and a theory that encompassed human psychology. His theories are directly and indirectly concerned with the nature of the unconscious mind. Through his multiple case studies, Freud managed to find convincing evidence that most of our actions are motivated by psychologicalRead MorePsychoanalytic Criticism Originated In The Work Of Austrian1287 Words   |  6 PagesPsychoanalytic criticism originated in the work of Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. Freud discovered that most of our actions are motivated by psychological forces over which we have very limited control. One of Freud’s most important contributions to the study of the psyche is his theory of repression: the unconscious mind is a repository of repressed desires, feelings, memories, wishes and instinctual dri ves. A principal element in Freud’s theory is his assignment of the mental processes toRead MoreSons And Lovers : Psychoanalytic Criticism Essay1613 Words   |  7 PagesSons and Lovers: Psychoanalytic Criticism David Herbert Lawrence was born September 11, 1885 in a small coal mining village in Nottingham, England. He was the fourth child of Arthur and Lydia Lawrence. Arthur was a coal miner who worked in the mine from age ten until he was sixty-six. Lydia the more educated out of the two was born into a lower-middle class family; this changed when her father suffered a financial disaster. She passed down to her sons the profound desire to move out of the workingRead MorePsychoanalytic Criticism Of Sons And Lovers1597 Words   |  7 Pageshis ability to form lasting relationship with other women. The book can be best understood using the psychoanalytic lens because many events and characters in the book are based on people in Lawrence’s life. Psychoanalytic criticism is a method of interpreting text that developed by Sigmund Freud that tells the reader about how literacy text is formed and the meaning of the formation. This criticism claims that literature is ambiguous, having a conscious (surface meaning) and unconscious meaning Read MorePsychoanalytic Perspective Of Kurtz s Heart Of Darkness1200 Words   |  5 PagesHari Krishnan - Period 4 Post AP Literary Theory - Dr. Parchesky September 29th, 2017 Psychoanalytic perspective of Kurtz in Heart of Darkness The novel Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad reveals the uncanny similarities between the Europeans and the natives as well as demonstrates why imperialism is not â€Å"civilizing† the natives. Although Conrad often dehumanizes the natives, he still demonstrates that Europeans still are savage in some ways. Kurtz is an example of the savagery still remnant in EuropeanRead More Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Carl Jungs Principle of Opposites2119 Words   |  9 Pagespioneer of psychoanalytic theory along with his former partner and mentor, Sigmund Freud. Though Jung split from Freud and diverged onto his own unbeaten trail of psychoanalysis two years before his decease, they are both highly revered for the myriad of ways in which they developed the understanding of the mind. Parallel to this period, Joseph Conrad penned and published the novella Heart of Darkness, which tackled much of what Jung had found about the psyche and its inner workings. In Heart of Darkn essRead MoreEssay about Psychoanalytic Literary Criticism2493 Words   |  10 Pagesauthor of the story is protruding their own subconscious thoughts and beliefs through their characters? Absolutely, most critics have adapted psychoanalytic literary criticism theory based upon the works of psychoanalysis by famous psychologists Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and Jacques Lacan to literary works. Psychoanalytic literary criticism does not constitute a unified field....However, all variants endorse, at least to a certain degree, the idea that literature...is fundamentally