Although his methods have been widely discredited, Sigmund Freud's theories on the unconscious, the subconscious and the repression are extremely useful when applied to literary texts. . None of the three novels discussed here - Jane Austen's Emma, ​​Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre and Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles - contain overtly psychoanalytic themes such as frequent dreams or psychological illnesses (apart from The Madwoman in the Attic found in Jane Eyre), but they can all be read with the aim of discovering latent themes, displaced or repressed thoughts and feelings, and subconscious desires. The traditional approach to psychoanalytic criticism involves neglecting a work's other contexts (historical, socio-economic, etc.), making it extremely difficult to gain meaningful insight into these texts through mere Freudian psychoanalytic criticism. Say no to plagiarism. Get Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original Essay Sigmund Freud revolutionized human psychology by suggesting that people are primarily motivated by unconscious powers. He stated that "much of what is in the unconscious has been put there by consciousness, which acts as a censor, pushing underground unconscious or conscious thoughts or instincts which it deems unacceptable" ( Murfin 503). This repression cannot remain dormant, and it often reappears in disguise; or, as Freud quoted, “There is always a return of the repressed” (Barry 100). Repressed thoughts usually appear in the guise of symbolic dreams. Freud was a great proponent of dream analysis, and it remains one of his most famous legacies. Dream analysis, called dreamwork, examines the many ways in which repressed thoughts are processed. These include condensation, in which a number of events or people are summarized into a single symbol, and displacement, in which one person or event is represented by another person or event that is associated in some way, through meaningful or superficial connections. In addition to reappearing in dreams, repressed thoughts and emotions can also be redirected in various ways, through what are called defense mechanisms. Some examples of defense mechanisms are transference, when emotions felt toward someone in the patient's life are transferred onto the analyst; projection, when undesirable aspects of ourselves are instead perceived as aspects of another; screen memories, or insignificant memories that serve to block out more important memories; and Freudian slips, accidental slips of the tongue or pen that represent repressed material (Barry 97-98). Freudian psychoanalytic criticism was officially applied to literature in 1908, when Freud published “A Poet's Relation to Reverie” (Murfin 505). He quickly caught on, because his analysis of symbols in the mind can easily be applied to symbols in literature. In general, Freudian psychoanalytic critics examine the relationship between the overt content of a literary work and its covert content (which can also be considered conscious versus unconscious content), observe unconscious motivations in characters and in the author, and examine the psychological context of the literary work (and not the historical, socio-political or economic context). Another branch of psychoanalytic criticism findsits origin in the work of Jacques Lacan. Beginning in the 1950s, Lacan developed a theory of psychoanalytic criticism that can be summarized by the following statement: “the unconscious is structured like a language” (Barry 111). The structure of language in relation to the unconscious lies in the fact that "meaning in language is a matter of contrasts between words and other words, not between words and things", and that "there is a perpetual barrier between the signifier (the word) and signified (the referent)" (Barry 111). Moreover, "words and meanings have a life of their own." own and constantly overstep and obscure simplicities and clarity assumed from external reality”, which implies that “language detaches itself from external reality and becomes an independent domain” (Barry 111). Lacanian criticism echoes the method of deconstruction, in the sense that it seeks to. finding meaning in the contradictions of the text, in addition to observing the aforementioned psychoanalytic techniques However, I will analyze the following texts by observing the Freudian psychoanalytic tradition which seems least applicable to Jane Austen's story of Emma. serious conflicts, traumatic events, dreams or mental illness. However, we can see the seeds of repression on the first page of the novel: “[Emma] was the younger of the two daughters of a very affectionate and indulgent man. father, and, following the marriage of his sister, had very early been mistress of his house. Her mother had been dead too long for her to have more than a vague memory of her caresses” (Austen 23). The narrator goes on to describe the housekeeper, Mrs. Taylor, who essentially raises Emma, ​​although she becomes more of a friend. than a disciplinary one. Throughout the novel, Emma must not only indulge and care for her fickle and dependent father, but she must also serve as the reigning queen of Highbury society. Additionally, Emma thrives on arranging relationships and marriages, as well as taking. on protégés to become proper ladies, as is the case with Harriet, Emma functions perfectly in her society by conforming to her role in every way except one: her rejection of marriage would probably explain his rejection. as a maladjustment resulting from the absence of a maternal figure. Generally speaking, we can see that Emma feels a deep responsibility to act as everyone else's mother figure, because she herself had no such figure (and no attributions of a mother figure). this role assigned to Mrs. Taylor would likely be considered unfounded due to the portrayal of Mrs. Taylor as a friend rather than a motherly figure). She is therefore reluctant to get married and give up this responsibility. This idea is confirmed later, when she marries and insists that she and her husband live in her father's house so that she can continue to care for him. A more intensely Freudian approach would attribute all of Emma's problems to the disruption of the process (formation then rejection) of an Electra complex, which prevents her from developing true romantic feelings for the male sex, and thus explains her reluctance to marry. All of the above seems a bit far-fetched, however, as the text shows virtually no evidence of psychological conflict in Emma. A Freudian psychoanalytic critique of Emma can be developed, but it is exaggerated. Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre conforms more easily to Freudian analysis, given Jane's problematic childhood and lack of parents. Orphaned at a very young age, Jane lives in the care of her aunt and uncle, the Reeds. After the death of Mr. Reed, the only father figure she knew, Jane is taken into careonly by Mrs. Reed, a cruel woman who wrongly blames and punishes her at every opportunity. Jane's childish rebellion—she yells at Mrs. Reed more than once—is the result of her feelings of isolation and abandonment (both by her parents and by Mr. Reed). Furthermore, we cannot ignore the scene in the red room, because Jane imagines the ghost of Mr. Reed coming to avenge "the wrongs of his sister's child", and sinks into a fit of hysteria which ends by a loss of consciousness (Bronté 29). Two factors are at work here: the displacement of Jane's sadistic (and even masochistic) desires against Mrs. Reed onto Mr. Reed's ghost, and the loss of consciousness that prevents her from fully realizing these repressed emotions - a mechanism defense to protect themselves. the mind conscious of a disturbing realization. Another significant problem arises from the disruption of Jane's daily life, the development of a normal relationship with a father figure and Jane's banishment to Lockwood (a miserable boarding school in which she is punished, malnourished and humiliated) as punishment for his bad behavior. This inculcation of obedience and sacrifice, in addition to her lack of a father figure, leads to what Dianne F. Sadoff describes as a "sadomasochistic" tendency in Jane's romantic relationships (Sadoff 518). She is always looking for someone to fill this missing paternal role, as an object of affection and also as a disciplinarian. The frequent references to Mr. Rochester being "old enough to be [his] father", and his constant wishes of "may I help you, sir?" – I would give my life to serve you,” are evidence of the power dynamic of the relationship: both thrive on Jane’s submission to Rochester (Sadoff 519, Brontë 204). In fact, Rochester constantly calls Jane condescending names and insists on lavishing her with expensive clothes, not to mention having Jane work under him, as a governess for his illegitimate daughter. Jane eventually marries Rochester, but once again she lives her life as a servant. However, it becomes very difficult to extract this view from a Marxist or socio-economic context, as Jane was raised working class and submissive to the upper classes. Plus, she has no such thing with St. John, who is actually a male relative. Beyond the red room scene, it seems that a Freudian psychoanalytic critique of Jane Eyre goes further than Emma's, but not far enough to merit real consideration. Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles seemingly presents the perfect setting for a Freudian analysis, through the plot elements of neglectful parents, heavy family responsibilities, rape and the resulting guilt and rejection, by Tess's true love due to circumstances over which she had no control, her passivity and blurred conscience, as well as her act of murder. Yet it seems that all of these events are portrayed as consequences of Tess's socioeconomic status rather than her psychological state. It can be proposed that Tess' foggy or blurred state of consciousness at crucial moments in the book (her rape being the most notable example) serves as a defense mechanism for her to repress painful memories or events. In fact, Tess displays great guilt, stemming from blaming herself for the death of her horse and her role in her family's poverty. In reality, however, Tess is the only responsible member of the family; she is the one responsible for taking care of everyone. It may even be a consequence of having so many responsibilities at such a young age that Tess experiences guilt so easily. Yet the structure of the novel prevents any significant psychoanalytic insight, as Hardy., 1996. 518-535.