Melvyn Bragg discusses the role of Freudian analysis in literature with guests. They explore the relationship between psychoanalysis and literature, questioning if psychoanalysis can be reclassified as literature itself. The conversation delves into the impact of Freud's work on contemporary literary thinking and the emotional essence conveyed through literary masterpieces.
Freud's psychoanalysis is intertwined with literature, sparking debates on its scientific basis and relevance.
Psychoanalysis, viewed as poetry by some, continues to impact literature and offer therapeutic insights.
Deep dives
Freud's Influence in Literature
Freud's impact on literature is explored, with critics, like Harold Bloom, debating Freud's relevance. The discussion delves into the intertwining of psychoanalysis with literary works, analyzing Freud's ideas through the lens of famous literary works such as Sophocles' Oedipus Rex and Shakespeare's Hamlet. The relationship between psychoanalysis and literature is scrutinized, with emphasis on how Freud's concepts like the unconscious and childhood influence literary themes and character development.
Freud and The Unconscious in Literature
The podcast delves into the influence of Freud's ideas on literature, particularly exploring the concept of the unconscious in works like Chaucer and Shakespeare. The conversation debates whether these literary figures were consciously aware of concepts like the unconscious or incorporated them organically into their works. References to specific plays and soliloquies illustrate the nuanced relationship between literature and Freudian concepts.
Freud's Writing Style and Influence
The discussion delves into Freud's writing style, likening his approach to that of a late romantic writer. Insights are shared on how Freud's emphasis on irrationality and childhood align with romantic ideals. The podcast contemplates the lasting impact of Freud's writing style and theorizing, positing how his narrative structures and exploration of human motivations persist in contemporary literature and therapeutic practices.
Psychoanalysis and Freud's Legacy
The application of psychoanalysis as a therapeutic tool is examined alongside Freud's narrative constructions. The conversation navigates how psychoanalysis, as a 'talking cure,' remains relevant in understanding human consciousness and behavior. While critiquing Freud's scientific structures and visions, the dialogue highlights the enduring importance of psychoanalysis in fostering self-awareness and aiding individuals in articulating their inner struggles.
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss role of Freudian analysis in understanding the great works of literature. Freud said, “The poets and philosophers before me discovered the unconscious. What I discovered was the scientific method by which the unconscious can be studied”. Psychoanalysis has always been more than a ‘talking cure’ and it has strong ties to literature, but one hundred years after the publication of the first great work of psychoanalysis, The Interpretation of Dreams, critics are putting the scientific basis of Freud’s work in grave doubt and he is in danger of being pitched in with poets. The great American critic Harold Bloom has said “Freud, the writer will survive the death of psychoanalysis”, and the analyst and writer Adam Phillips seems to go further in his new book Promises Promises where he writes, “I think of Freud as a romantic writer, and I read psychoanalysis as poetry, so I don’t have to worry whether it is true or even useful”.So what is the relationship of psychoanalysis to literature, and if it is to be reclassified as literature itself can it still be practised as a talking cure?With Adam Phillips, author of Promises Promises: Essays on Psychoanalysis and Literature; Malcolm Bowie, Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature, Oxford University; Lisa Appignanesi novelist and co-author of Freud’s Women.
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