1. Psychoanalytic Criticism

2. What is it? Psychoanalysis was a form of therapy founded by Sigmund Freud (1856-1939). Sigmund Freud Patients “cured” by becoming aware of their unconscious thoughts.unconscious Psychoanalytical Criticism shows how human behavior is relevant to our experience of literature

3. Freud’s Theories: The Origins of the Unconscious Psychoanalysis is about correcting disorders and dysfunctions Humans are motivated by the unconscious fears, needs, and conflicts we’re unaware of.

4. What is the Unconscious Mind? Unconscious: storehouse of painful experiences and emotions, wounds, fears, guilty desires, and unresolved conflicts we do not want to know about Developed by repression “Forgetting” unhappy things Unconscious strongly affects our behavior in ways we’re unaware of.

5. Family Conflicts Freud believed all children experienced: The Oedipus Complex: Young boys attracted to mother The Electra Complex: young girls compete with mothers for father’s affection

6. Dreams Unconscious reveals itself through dreams Dream displacement: Conscious mind uses a safer symbol to represent more frightening idea Google “40 Dream Symbols” and write down 2 examples.

7. The Struggle Unconscious reveals itself through dreams Dream displacement: Conscious mind uses a safer symbol to represent more frightening idea Google “40 Dream Symbols” and write down 2 examples.

8. The Struggle Id: Primitive and instinctive part of mind. W ants instant gratification for wants and needs. Selfishness. Ego: Decision-making part of mind. Uses reason to meet the reasonable needs of the id. Superego: The moral part of the mind. Often called the conscience.

9. How to Psychoanalyze Literature? Analyze behavior of characters Look at how the characters’ behavior possibly represents the psychological experience of the author (or of humans in general).

10. Some Questions Psychoanalytic Critics Ask about Literary Texts How is the unconscious mind seen in characters or the author? What things are being repressed? What are the family dynamics of characters? (Any Oedipus complex?) What dream symbols appear in your novel? What symbols of fear, sex, and death appear? How are the id, ego, and superego seen?

11. An example What’s with the recurrent images of an apple? What does the apple symbolize? Why is a girl holding the apple? What does this say about the author’s repressed desires? What about the apple is sexual? Does the image of an apple have any religious meaning?