encompasses
2 almost
contradictory,
critical
theories
the text itself w/out outside
influence and then the text's
author
An emphais on meaning of
dreams
dreams - person's
subconscious desires are
reaveled
what a person
cannot express or
do ~ dream has
no social rules
most of the time,
people aren't aware
secretly desire until their subconscious
goes unchecked in sleep
The
TEXT
reading & interpretation
limited to work itself
symbols examing
conflict, character
& dream
sequence
Example of character:
their outward actions
might conflict with inner
desires
Main areas of study/points of
criticism
Strong Oedipus
Connotation's in
Psychoanalytic
Theory
Story of Oedipus: king and queen get future told that their sonwilll kill the dad and marry his mom.
so dad throws him out. When the son is grown he gets his future told and it says the same. But he
thinks his adoptive parents are his real parents so he doesn't go backhome. At a path he meets his
real dad, doesn't know that, they fight for who passes 1st the son kills the dad the 1st part of the
prophecy. Then he solves some riddle and gets to married the queen who is his mother, which he
doesn't know, and finishes the 2nd part of the prophecy.
~son's desire for his mom
~Father's envy of son & rivary for
Mother's attention
Daughter's desire
for father
~Mother's envy of
daughter & rivary for
father's attention
According to theory...The
Subconscious
There are 3 parts ~ that
want different things
The Id
Basic desire
no sense of conscience
inner child
Children operate entirely
through the id
I HAVE TO HAVE IT,
DON'T CARE ABOUT
ANYONE ELSE
The Superego
The opposite of id
Parents scold children & others of
society teach the child "manner'
punishment & shame
teaches them superego
think about other's
feelings, not just
theirs
The Ego
Reality
struggles to achieve a balence
between the id and superego
takes the desires of the id,
filters them to where it is
socially acceptable
remember example of Kopp and
Daughter and Buffet table
Author
In order to
understand, one
must fully
understand the
author's life and
values
essential relationship exists between
author & their work
Always something of tthe author in the
work ~ character, character trait,
theme, or motif
often authors will criticize characters they
dislike or overtly sympathetice to those they do
like
their bias effects readers
~ exactly ehat they want
Author's personality is used to
explain & interpret a literary work
Expample ~ Charles
Dickens grew up poor
wrote about a poor boy
Studying their
work means
knowing the
author as a
person.