By: Fiona, Sonny, and Caroline

Psychoanalysis attempts to understand the workings and source of unconscious desires, needs, anxieties, and behavior of the writer. Texts contain these unconscious feelings, desires or aggressions. Psychological is usually concerned with beyond the world, real world, the author’s life, and the audience.

Psychoanalytic approach can also be called “Freudian” originated from Sigmund Freud who developed a language that described, a model that explained and a theory that encompassed human psychology. Sigmund Freud: was an Austrian Psychoanalyst created the theory of a Freudian approach of criticism. His theories are directly and indirectly concerned with the nature of the unconscious mind. Freudian analysis looks for hidden causes behind irrational behavior. The text is interpreted as a dream; dream work involves condensation and displacement.

The Jungian Approach assumes that there is a collection of symbols, images, characters and motifs. Based from the works of philosopher Carl Jung, he evokes the same response in basically all people using archetypes. According to Carl Jung, man kind possesses a “collective unconscious.”  Archetypes:  Water – creation, birth-death-resurrection, purification, fertility, growth  Garden – paradise (Eden), innocence, fertility  Desert – spiritual emptiness, death, hopelessness  Red – blood, sacrifice, passion, disorder

 Does the author reveal any fears anxieties or desires?  How do these unconscious desires relate to the inner experiences of the author?  In what way would a reader reveal his/her own obsessions or neuroses?  Are any conflicts revealed mentally or physically?

 It can be a useful tool for understanding most work.  Knowing about a writers psychological make up can give readers insight into his work.  Provides a universalistic approach to literature and identifies reasoning to why literature may survive.  It works well with highly symbolic pieces of literature.  Can neglect to view the literature as a piece of art.  Critics sometimes attempt to diagnose long dead authors based on their works.

This poem reveals a sense of remorse and grief for the deaths of the war, yet inside the author is longing for completion, or a search for happiness. This “memorial day” brings back the memories that went unspoken, but were never truly forgotten. The author hides his sorrow underneath the language of this poem. The author is lost in thought, recalling past events that caused him pain. Unconscious desires reveal his yearning to be with his son again after his death in the war.

“1993 Hypertext Database: Psychoanalytic Criticism.” Contemporary Critical Theory. 3 October Web. 4 December Laga, Barry. “Freudian Psychoanalysis.” PSYCHE. Web. 4 December Murfin, Ross and Ray, M. Supryia. “Critical Approaches.” virtuaLit Bedford. Web. 4 December “Psychoanalytic Criticism.” Approaches to reading and interpretation. Web. 4 December 2011.