Psychoanalytic Theory

Psychoanalytic Theory

1. encompasses 2 almost contradictory, critical theories

   • the text itself w/out outside influence and then the text's author

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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.

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