Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
Psychoanalysis and Literature
Narrative and Psychoanalytic Approaches to Mother Daughter Relationships in Literature
There are several different types of narrative forms utilized by authors in texts and short stories to describe mother daughter relationships. Traditional forms include personal experience narratives where characters are traditionally well defined with personalities and unique identities.
The extent to which modern authors have employed narrative techniques to create true to life characters has been well researched throughout history. The aim of this study is to examine mother daughter relationships from not only a narrative perspective but also a psychoanalytic approach, to determine the extent to which psychoanalytic perspectives and theories may be applied to the mother daughter bond presented in many well-known literary works. The study aims to fill a gap in the research regarding mother daughter relationships currently available.
To that extent, the short stories of Katherine Mansfield will be compared to two novels created by Jamaica Kincaid, in order to offer a wide understanding of narrative technique employed in shorter and longer works.
Background/Purpose of Study
This study aims to examine mother daughter relationships from a narrative and psychoanalytic perspective in the works of two noted authors. I feel this examination will be useful in understanding mother daughter relationships in literary works from a new perspective. I intend to investigate to what extend psychoanalytic theories can be applied to literary works, and evaluate how narrative forms are utilized in literary works describing mother daughter relationships to determine whether or not the authors effectively strengthen and define their characters via use of specific techniques.
The use of personal voice is often employed by writers to convince the reader that the situation at hand is real. Two authors will be examined for purposes of this study, Katherine Mansfield and Jamaica Kincaid, both of whom employ several different narrative techniques in the process of examining mother daughter relationships, including the use of personal voice.
In many cases the writer invests something of themselves in the work to convince the reader of the authenticity of the characters. This is certainly the case in autobiographical works including fictional works derived from true to life situations. Jamaica Kincaid is an exemplary model of an author who utilizes autobiographical techniques among others to define her characters.
Katherine Mansfield is well-known for minimizing drama in her works while simultaneously raising psychological insight and perspective. Her techniques have been described in many ways. In her more recent works O'Sullivan points out that she employs a variety of techniques to build her plots...
Mansfield includes "indirections, shifts of perspective, overlapping and modulations of time and imprecision's of mood and randomness" (O'Sullivan, 1975) to engage the reader.
Helmut Bonheim confirms this technique of shifting modes by saying that a description can have many different modes imbedded within, including setting, manner of speaking and metaphors. This seems particularly valid when applied to Mansfield's works. Bonheim suggests however that authors such as Mansfield shift from more autobiographical description and authorial discussion to use of dynamic mode of speech and language. This may be evidenced by Mansfield's mother figure Linda who uses language to express the attitude that she no longer loves her children and their attitudes.
I will attempt to present a psychoanalytic explanation for the narrative forms presented in each of the authors works examined. To that extend the theories of Montrelay in particular will be examined, particularly her "Inquiry into femininity" and her case study of Louise in "How Lacan's Ideas are Used in Clinical Practice."
The psychoanalytic notions of femininity are strongly evidence in Kincaid's works, particularly as she examines the burgeoning growth of young women in a predominately male oriented society. Kincaid is perhaps one of the strongest and well-known writers for expounding upon feminist idealisms.
Literature Review
Jamaica Kincaid reflects on the mother daughter relationship by discussing female identity as shaped by the male dominated world in which people live. She explores many themes including female bonding. Among the works that explore mother daughter relationships produced by Kincaid include Annie John and Lucy. These works in particular will be examined for purposes of this study.
Kincaid uses autobiographical narrative technique to expand upon the idea of a daughter building a separate identity in the…
Bibliography
Body, C.J. (1989). "Mothers and Daughters: A Discussion of Theory and Research." Journal of Marriage and the Family, (May) pp. 291-301
Bonheim, H. (1982) "The Narrative Modes: Techniques of the Short Story." Cambridge University Press.
Jiska. (2004). "Mother-Daughter Fictions." [Online] Available:
http://www.jiskha.com/english/writing/mother-daughter_fiction.html
http://www.duchesse.org/essays/english01.html
Storytelling Review of Literature For hundreds of years, stories have been used to teach children about morality and ethics. Indeed, many of the same myths, legends and fairy tales have been handed down from generation to generation, remaining largely intact. However, these myths also contain hidden meanings that illuminate the cultural or historical aspects of their origin. The first part of this paper studies the literature examining hidden meanings, cultural norms and morals
African-American Literature -- Alice Walker Women breaking the barriers in literature: Alice Walker, Pioneer of Womanism and Bastion of the African-American Culture (Literature) African-American culture as American society characterizes it today contains significant elements that enrich the character of African-American society and communities. In the realm of arts, African-Americans have excelled, producing works of art that uniquely speaks for the African-American experience, but is universally crafted for people to appreciate and understand
Frankenstein & Romanticism How Romanticism is Demonstrated in Frankenstein In less than six years, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein will be 200 years old. This novel, indicative of the romantic period, is a compelling narrative with numerous themes and vivid imagery to consider. In the context of romanticism, Frankenstein is a worthwhile piece of literature to examine. Literature and art of the romantic period is characterized with an emphasis on intense emotional reactions, specifically
This meant that men held positions of power and authority in all the public spheres including economics/business, politics/the law, and the bearing of arms. Men also possessed social status that women did not have, enabling the perpetuation of a patriarchal society. By applying Freudian psychoanalysis and feminist theory, I will analyze the personality of the independent, strong, risk taker, and smart Alexandra Bergson in Willa Cather's O Pioneer! As Smith
Gallaudet.edu/englishworks/literature/poetry.html). Other components which are very important in understanding poetry's power to express include "tone" (the poet's attitude toward the subject); "theme" (what statement is the poet making regarding the subject being embraced?); and "structure" (the format through which the poem is present). The Unknown Citizen: Wystan Hugh Auden, the author of the poem, was not at all an unknown citizen. He became a very well-known and highly respected poet, in fact.
The Oedipus complex suggests that every son wants to marry his mother and kill his father -- and that is precisely what Claudius does. "Sex and the life instincts in general are, of course, represented somewhere in Jung's system. They are a part of an archetype called the shadow. It derives from our prehuman, animal past, when our concerns were limited to survival and reproduction, and when we weren't