Psychoanalysis and Russian Studies

[Dr. Frederick H. White]

I have enjoyed very much the discussion about Psychoanalysis and Russian
studies, especially because I work on a topic that crosses many of these
boundaries.  Not speaking specifically about psychoanalysis, I think
that a certain level of "psychology" can be found in every fictional
character.  An author gives us the motivation for murder or an act of
kindness and with this motivation we can make certain psychological
assertions.  Raskolnikov does have a "reason" for murder and then each
reader (and literary critic) is left to decide if this is a rational or
irrational decision.  Some will look at this motivation along
philosophical lines and some will look at it along socio-historical
lines and some will examine the psychological line.  I don't think we
have to put Raskolnikov in a doctor's chair for extended periods in
order to argue that his behavior and motivation seem to suggest certain
psychological traits.  Surely, there is bad psychoanalytical analysis
just as there is bad Marxist and Formalist and Post-Modernist criticism.
The point is that good scholarly work (no matter the critical approach)
furthers the intellectual debate.

Specifically, I would like to argue in favor of such interdisciplinary
work.  If we are going to be restricted so that literary critics only
talk about books and psychiatrists only talk about patients, then what
do we do with authors like Sylvia Plath who talks about her illness
experiences in her literature?  There is a movement in the medical
humanities that suggests that medical people can learn from the
humanities and vice versa.  There is a journal called Literature and
Medicine which does try to cross this boundary.  I realize that this is
a little off the topic of psychoanalysis and Russian studies, but I
think it is important to leave all options on the table and then assess
the value of an academic contribution based on its own merits.  Besides,
in general, I am just trying to get my students to think intelligently
and to be able to build a solid argument in their term papers.
Therefore, if they choose to use a Marxist, Formalist, or Psychoanalytic
approach, I am satisfied if they take the time to make a complete
argument.


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Dr. Frederick H. White
Memorial University  SN3056
German and Russian
St. John's, NL   A1B 3X9
Ph: 709-737-8829
Fax: 709-737-4000
Office: 709-737-8831
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