Imagined human beings [electronic resource] : a psychological approach to character and conflict in literature / Bernard J. Paris.
One of literature's greatest gifts is its portrayal of realistically drawn characters--human beings in whom we can recognize motivations and emotions. InImagined Human Beings, Bernard J. Paris explores the inner conflicts of some of literature's most famous characters, using Karen Horney's psychoanalytic theories to understand the behavior of these characters as we would the behavior of real people. When realistically drawn characters are understood in psychological terms, they tend to escape their roles in the plot and thus subvert the view of them advanced by the author. A Horneyan approach both alerts us to conflicts between plot and characterization, rhetoric and mimesis, and helps us understand the forces in the author's personalty that generate them. The Horneyan model can make sense of thematic inconsistencies by seeing them as the product of the author's inner divisions. Paris uses this approach to explore a wide range of texts, includingAntigone, "The Clerk's Tale, "The Merchant of Venice, A Doll's House, Hedda Gabler, Great Expectations, Jane Eyre, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Wuthering Heights, Madame Bovary, The Awakening, and The End of the Road.
Electronic resources
Record details
- Physical Description: 1 online resource (xv, 287 pages).
- Publisher: New York : New York University Press, ©1997.
Content descriptions
- Bibliography, etc. Note:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 275-280) and index.
- Formatted Contents Note:
- Applications of a Horneyan approach -- Horney's mature theory -- A doll's house and Hedda Gabler -- The end of the road -- "The clerk's tale" -- The merchant of Venice -- Antigone -- Great expectations -- Jane Eyre -- The mayor of Casterbridge -- Madame Bovary -- The awakening -- Wuthering heights.
- Language Note:
- English.
- Source of Description Note:
- Print version record.
Search for related items by subject
- Subject:
- Characters and characteristics in literature.
Literature > Psychological aspects.
Motivation (Psychology) in literature.
Psychoanalysis and literature.
Psychology in literature. - Genre:
- Electronic books.
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Summary:
One of literature's greatest gifts is its portrayal of realistically drawn characters--human beings in whom we can recognize motivations and emotions. InImagined Human Beings, Bernard J. Paris explores the inner conflicts of some of literature's most famous characters, using Karen Horney's psychoanalytic theories to understand the behavior of these characters as we would the behavior of real people. When realistically drawn characters are understood in psychological terms, they tend to escape their roles in the plot and thus subvert the view of them advanced by the author. A Horneyan approach both alerts us to conflicts between plot and characterization, rhetoric and mimesis, and helps us understand the forces in the author's personalty that generate them. The Horneyan model can make sense of thematic inconsistencies by seeing them as the product of the author's inner divisions. Paris uses this approach to explore a wide range of texts, includingAntigone, "The Clerk's Tale, "The Merchant of Venice, A Doll's House, Hedda Gabler, Great Expectations, Jane Eyre, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Wuthering Heights, Madame Bovary, The Awakening, and The End of the Road.
