psychoanalysis and lit crit

[mipco]

In view of implementation of psychoanalysis to literary criticism, it 
would be useful to review Armalinsky's General Erotic recent issue 
N139 http://www.mipco.com/win/GEr139.html where among other things 
Lev Tolstoy and his works are discussed. Some limitations of 
psychoanalysis as a research tool are indicated.
Alexander Sokolov
M.I.P. Company
P.O.B. 27484
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55427 USA
http://www.mipco.com


>Dear Seelangers,
>
>Please let me preface my comments with a few words... I am not hostile to
>psychoanalysis either as a methodology or as a tool for literary criticism,
>given a few caveats. There is always a temptation to claim that a fictional
>character is either capable of revealing a subconscious or is a mirror of
>the psyche of the author- both of which are, at best, dubious assertions
>given the nature of literature. A fictional character is a result of a
>conscious intention to create a persona- any motivations, intentions,
>dreams, symbology etc are the result of a decision by the author; therefore,
>the fictional character does not, and cannot, have the experiences or
>motivations other than those attributed to him/her. An author may reveal
>certain facets of his/her own mind in writing, he is also able to imagine or
>project any characteristic which is desired. While in the hands of a
>sophisticated scholar, the tools of psychoanalysis may lend insight into the
>craft of the writer, there are dangerous pitfalls awaiting the unwary
>student. While this may lead some to claim a hostility to the methodology,
>it may, in fact, be simply a matter of legitimate objections to the manner
>in which it is applied.
>I think this is a fruitful matter for debate with many different points of
>valid points of view.
>
>Mark Konecny
>Institute of Modern Russian Culture
>
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------
>  Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
>   options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
>                     http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------


-- 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                    http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------