Psychoanalytic Criticism on Emily Dickinson Essay

Psychological criticism is known as the type of criticism that analyses the writer’s work within the realms of Freud’s psychological theories. Such approach can be used when trying to reconstruct an author’s position throughout their literary writings, as well as understanding whom the author was and how their mind created such works. When considering the work of Emily Dickinson, psychoanalytic criticism comes into play with the role of explaining the many meanings behind her poetry, as to make the reader relate to such poetry on a deeper level or not to who she was as a human being. Many critics believe that using a psychological criticism approach to understand an author’s literary work leaves common sense behind. For them, such analysis†¦show more content†¦However, because the reader has not spent time with Emily Dickinson for the obvious reason that she is no longer alive, there is no concrete way to prove their newfound theory. And by not being able to prove it, the reader is left with a half-truth of his proposal that ultimately is not strong enough. Analyzing an author’s work, such as Emily Dickinson’s for example, from the positions of the critics cited above, the reader is compelled to believe that even though her poetry can help create an image of whom she was, it cannot be used as the sole source of argument to establish why she wrote her poems. When considering a poem like â€Å"There’s a certain slant of light,† the reader may use approaches such as biographical and historical criticism to find a meaning to the poem, resulting that if psychoanalytic criticism is applied, many of the meanings can be left to the unconscious. For example, when Dickinson exemplifies â€Å"Heavenly Hurt, it gives us- We can find no scar,† (554) the reader has no grounds over what to base their interpretation, given Dickinson could be referring to how her religious beliefs brought her piece, as well as representing a struggle with her own faith. Besides allShow MoreRelatedNathaniel Hawthorne s The Mind1900 Words   |  8 Pagesunconscious mind. He believed that all writers must treat the work of literature as a dream. Using this technique was said to reveal hidden motivations within the writer. It was an amazing thing that allowed authors to repressed desires by applying psychoanalytic techniques. For example in the famous story â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† by Nathaniel Hawthorne, he uses symbols and feeling throughout the whole story, and things like this really draw in the reader s attention. Nathaniel Hawthorne and Sigmund FreudRead MoreThe Madwoman in the Attic4718 Words   |  19 Pagessuccessful foremothers corresponds well with Chodorow’s â€Å"Pre-Oedipal Gender Configurations†. Hence, the book’s way of secretly gendering the language is firmly grounded. Keywords: Women; Language; Tactic; Pre-Oedipal stage; Criticism One of the most interesting topics in feminist criticism is the complicated relationship between women and language. Entailed with the social contract, the symbolic system of language resumes and reveals the uneven distribution of power caused by gender difference. To obtainRead MoreCalculus Oaper13589 Words   |  55 Pagesinvalidated, forced into hiding and disguise; and second, the virtual or total neglect of lesbian existence in a wide range of writings, Including feminist scholarship. Obviously there is a connection here. I believe that much feminist theory and criticism is stranded on this shoal. My organizing impulse is the belief that it is not enough for feminist thought that specifically lesbian texts exist. Any theory or cultural/political creation that treats lesbian existence as a marginal or less naturalRead MoreANALIZ TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS28843 Words   |  116 Pagesmiddle. In still other cases, the chronology of plot may shift backward and forward in time, as for example in William Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily, where the author deliberately sets aside the chronological ordering of events and their cause/effect relationship in order to establish an atmosphere of unreality, build suspense and mystery, and underscore Emily Grierson’s own attempt to deny the passage of time itself. Perhaps the most frequently and conventionally used device of interrupting the flow