ANG-101 Intro & ANG-103 LitCult_11
Introduction
Course: BBN-ANG-101/103 Introduction to Literature
Lecturer: Katalin Szlukovényi
Topic: Various ways of reading; Focus on psychology and gender
Recapitulation of Literary Approaches
Overview of various approaches:
Formalism
New Criticism
Structuralism
Narratology
Poststructuralism
Deconstruction
Psychological Approaches in Literary Criticism
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)
Background:
Austrian neurologist; founder of psychoanalysis.
Major works include:
The Interpretation of Dreams (1900)
The Uncanny (1919)
Beyond the Pleasure Principle (1920)
The Ego and the Id (1923)
Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious (1905)
Civilization and Its Discontents (1930)
Important reading: Chapter 5, "Psychoanalysis" by Terry Eagleton.
Terry Eagleton's Perspectives
Describes the child's early life as:
Not unified but a complex shifting field of desire.
The subject lacks a center of identity.
Boundaries between self and the external world are unclear.
Describes the body as a play of drives interacting within this field.
Key Concepts of Freud's Theories
Key Terms:
Pleasure Principle: seeking immediate gratification.
Reality Principle: deferring gratification for greater pleasure.
Unconscious: reservoir of thoughts, memories, and desires.
Neurotic Animals: humans are driven by neurotic conflicts.
Drives:
Self-preservative instincts as key components.
Oedipal Complex
Concepts:
Libidinal drive and erotogenic zones.
Phallic stage is critical in early development:
Boys fear castration, girls experience penis envy.
Establishes binary gender differences, leading to gendered identity formation.
Important Outcomes of the Oedipus Complex
Central results include:
Development of the Self (Ego)
Establishment of Authority (Superego)
Formation of the Unconscious (Id)
Influences of dream analysis, jokes, and slips of the tongue on understanding neuroses.
Psychoanalysis in Literature
Neurosis:
Obsessional, hysterical, or phobic responses indicate fixation.
Psychosis:
Characterized by paranoia or delusion; partial reality loss.
Psychotherapy techniques:
The "Talking Cure" involves transference.
Resolving psychological issues through dialogue and interpretation.
Understanding the Unconscious
Freud's methodologies:
Symptoms hint at repressed memories.
Dream analysis: manifest vs. latent content.
Dream-work processes such as displacement and condensation.
The Uncanny
Definition: unexplained and eerie feelings.
Symbolism of the double (Doppelgänger) showcases internal conflicts.
Example: Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Oedipus Complex Dynamics
Structure within the nuclear family:
Challenges faced by male and female children.
The child's complex emotions towards parents.
Role in establishing gender norms through repression and superego formation.
Conflict of Drives: Eros and Thanatos
Dissonance between sexual energy (Eros) and death drive (Thanatos) in human history.
Eagleton's perception of ego's fragility in the context of societal pressures.
Psychoanalytic Criticism in Literature
Eagleton’s analysis of D.H. Lawrence's Sons and Lovers highlights:
Oedipal themes in family dynamics.
Literary analysis can occur at multiple levels:
Content analysis
Authorial influence
Formal construction
Reader's interpretation.
Influence of Freud's Ideas
Carl Jung and his concepts of anima/animus and archetypes.
Northrop Frye’s archetypal analysis.
Louis Althusser's views on ideology's role in self-formation.
Notable works like those by Harold Bloom and Julia Kristeva reflecting on psychoanalysis in literature.
Jacques Lacan's Contributions
Key concepts:
Revises Freudian ideas to focus on language.
Introduces the "Mirror Stage" for self-awareness.
Language's role in constructing identity:
Language as a barrier to immediate perception.
Separation from the mother prompts identification processes.
Language and Structure by Lacan
Manipulation of language leads to perceptions of self and others.
The role of signifiers creates constructs in literature and identity.
Gender dynamics discussed through symbolic representation.
Concept of Castration
Freud’s ideas on fear regarding identity and desire.
The Phallus as a central theme in Lacanian theory and women's representation.
Feminist Literary Criticism
Concept of Gender
Gender defined not just biologically but socially and culturally.
Historical evolution from grammatical term to social structures.
Feminism Overview
Social, political movement for equal rights.
Historical context of feminist activism through various movements.
Waves of Feminism
First Wave:
. Early suffragette movements; focus on legal rights.
Key events like the Representation of the People Act (1918, 1928).
Second Wave:
Developments in the 1960s focused on sexual liberation and anti-discrimination.
Influential works by authors like Beauvoir, Millett, Greer.
Third Wave:
Post-1990 focus on pluralism and intersectionality.
Expanding feminist discourse to include race, ethnicity, and global perspectives.
Key Feminist Authors and Texts
Mary Wollstonecraft: A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
Charlotte Perkins-Gilman: The Yellow Wallpaper
Virginia Woolf: A Room of One’s Own
Examination of Authorship
Critical analysis of women authors and their struggles within patriarchal frameworks.
Literary reflections of women's experiences from various historical moments.
Examination Details
Format and content overview:
Written tests with multiple choice questions.
Mock tasks to gauge understanding and application of concepts.
Example Questions
Comedy of Manners:
Identify works from provided options.
Psychoanalytic Influence:
Theorists' relationship to psychoanalytic criticism.
Summary of Content Across Pages
Pages reflect the intersection of psychology and gender in literature.
Psychoanalytic frameworks by Freud, Lacan, Eagleton.
Evolution of feminist thought through waves and key writings.
Supports understanding of literary critiques focusing on psychological nuances.