Psychoanalytic Theory: Complete UGC-NET English Guide
Detailed Table of Contents
Essential Concepts for UGC-NET
- Mirror Stage: Lacan's concept of identity formation
- Symbolic/Imaginary/Real: Lacan's three registers
- Jouissance: Beyond pleasure principle
- Abjection: Kristeva's theory of the rejected
- Anxiety of Influence: Bloom's theory of poetic struggle
1. Introduction to Psychoanalytic Theory
Psychoanalytic literary theory applies psychological principles to interpret texts, exploring unconscious desires, identity formation, and psychological conflicts in literature.
Core Principles of Psychoanalytic Criticism
- Texts express unconscious desires of authors/characters
- Literature reveals psychological conflicts
- Reading as therapeutic process
- Focus on language's unconscious dimensions
- Identity formation through symbolic systems
"The unconscious is structured like a language." - Jacques Lacan
2. Freudian Foundations
Sigmund Freud's theories established the foundation for psychoanalytic literary criticism.
Key Freudian Concepts
| Concept | Definition | Literary Application |
|---|---|---|
| Oedipus Complex | Child's desire for opposite-sex parent | Hamlet's relationship with Gertrude |
| Dream Work | Displacement/condensation in dreams | Symbolism in surrealist literature |
| Id/Ego/Superego | Psychic apparatus components | Character analysis (e.g., Dr. Jekyll) |
| Uncanny | Familiar made strange | Gothic literature analysis |
Freudian Reading of Hamlet
Freud's interpretation reveals:
- Hamlet's Oedipal conflict with Claudius
- Repressed desire for Gertrude
- Neurotic paralysis from unconscious guilt
- Displacement of aggression onto Polonius
UGC-NET Focus: Freud's dream work mechanisms (condensation/displacement) frequently appear in exam questions.
3. Lacanian Psychoanalysis
Jacques Lacan reinterpreted Freud through structural linguistics, revolutionizing psychoanalytic theory.
Key Lacanian Concepts
| Concept | Definition | Literary Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Mirror Stage | Infant's recognition of self-image (6-18 mos) | Identity formation in literature |
| Symbolic Order | Realm of language and social norms | How texts reinforce/challenge norms |
| Imaginary Order | Pre-linguistic realm of images | Poetic imagery analysis |
| The Real | Traumatic beyond symbolization | Limits of representation |
Lacanian Reading of Othello
Lacanian analysis might examine:
- Othello's unstable identity in Venetian society
- Iago as embodiment of the Real
- Desdemona as imaginary ideal
- Language's role in constructing jealousy
"Desire is a metonymy." - Jacques Lacan
4. Kristeva's Abjection Theory
Julia Kristeva's concept of abjection examines the psychological process of rejecting what disturbs identity.
Key Aspects of Abjection
| Concept | Definition | Literary Example |
|---|---|---|
| The Abject | What disturbs identity/system/order | Corpses, bodily fluids in Gothic lit |
| Semiotic Chora | Pre-linguistic rhythmic patterns | Experimental poetry |
| Subject-in-Process | Unstable, evolving subjectivity | Modernist stream-of-consciousness |
Abjection in Macbeth
Kristevan reading highlights:
- Blood as abject substance
- Lady Macbeth's psychological unraveling
- Boundary between human/monstrous
- Witches as abject figures
UGC-NET Focus: Kristeva's distinction between semiotic/symbolic frequently appears in feminist theory questions.
5. Žižek's Ideology Critique
Slavoj Žižek applies Lacanian theory to ideology critique, revealing how fantasy structures social reality.
Key Žižekian Concepts
| Concept | Definition | Application |
|---|---|---|
| Ideological Fantasy | Unconscious support of ideology | Analysis of political discourse |
| The Sublime Object | Impossible object of desire | Consumer culture critique |
| Interpassivity | Delegating enjoyment to others | Media consumption analysis |
Žižekian Reading of 1984
Analysis might focus on:
- Big Brother as sublime object
- Party's ideological fantasy
- Enjoyment in oppression
- Two Minutes Hate as interpassivity
"Ideology is not simply 'false consciousness' but the unconscious fantasy structuring reality." - Slavoj Žižek
6. Bloom's Anxiety of Influence
Harold Bloom's theory examines poets' psychological struggles with their literary predecessors.
Revisionary Ratios
| Ratio | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Clinamen | Poetic misreading | Milton's correction of Spenser |
| Tessera | Completion of precursor | Wordsworth completing Milton |
| Kenosis | Self-emptying | Keats's negation of Milton |
Bloomian Analysis of Romantic Poets
Application shows:
- Wordsworth's anxiety toward Milton
- Keats's struggle with Wordsworth
- Shelley's apocalyptic daemonization
- Coleridge's askesis of his own talent
UGC-NET Focus: Bloom's six revisionary ratios often appear in questions about poetic influence.
7. Key Concepts Explained
| Term | Theorist | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Jouissance | Lacan | Excessive enjoyment beyond pleasure principle |
| The Gaze | Lacan | Objectifying look that constitutes subjectivity |
| Fort/Da | Freud | Child's game representing absence/presence |
| Phallus | Lacan | Signifier of desire, not biological organ |
| Name-of-the-Father | Lacan | Symbolic paternal function |
Freudian vs. Lacanian Approaches
| Freudian Psychoanalysis | Lacanian Psychoanalysis |
|---|---|
| Biological drives | Linguistic structures |
| Oedipus complex as biological | Oedipus as entry to symbolic order |
| Unconscious as repressed | Unconscious as discourse of Other |
| Focus on meaning | Focus on signifiers |
8. Literary Applications
Psychoanalytic Readings
| Text | Approach | Analysis |
|---|---|---|
| Wuthering Heights | Freudian | Catherine/Heathcliff as narcissistic dyad |
| The Waste Land | Lacanian | Fragmentation of symbolic order |
| Beloved | Kristevan | Abjection of slavery's legacy |
| Paradise Lost | Bloomian | Milton's anxiety toward Bible |
Sample Analysis: Frankenstein
Freudian: Victor's repressed desires in creation
Lacanian: Monster as Victor's imaginary Other
Kristevan: Monster as abject being
Žižekian: Ideological fantasy of scientific progress
9. UGC-NET Practice MCQs
1. The concept of the "Mirror Stage" in psychoanalytic theory was developed by:
- Sigmund Freud
- Jacques Lacan
Explanation: Lacan introduced the Mirror Stage concept in 1936.
2. Which theorist developed the concept of "abjection"?
- Harold Bloom
- Jacques Lacan
- Julia Kristeva
Explanation: Kristeva introduced abjection in Powers of Horror (1980).
3. The "Anxiety of Influence" theory belongs to:
- Jacques Lacan
- Harold Bloom
Explanation: Bloom's 1973 book established this theory.
4. Which term refers to excessive enjoyment beyond pleasure?
- The Gaze
- Jouissance
Explanation: Lacan's term for transgressive enjoyment.
5. Match the theorists with their key concepts:
| Theorist | Concept |
|---|---|
| 1. Jacques Lacan | A. Abjection |
| 2. Julia Kristeva | B. Mirror Stage |
| 3. Harold Bloom | C. Anxiety of Influence |
- 1-A, 2-B, 3-C
- 1-B, 2-A, 3-C
Explanation: Correct matching: Lacan-Mirror Stage, Kristeva-Abjection, Bloom-Anxiety.
10. Exam Preparation Strategy
Psychoanalytic theory forms 15-20% of UGC-NET literary theory questions. Master these strategies:
Key Areas for Focus
- Theorist-Concept Matching: Who developed which ideas
- Term Definitions: Precise meanings of specialized terms
- Textual Analysis: Applying theories to literary works
- Comparative Understanding: Differences between theorists
Memorization Tips
Lacan's Orders (SIR):
- Symbolic - Language/law
- Imaginary - Images/identification
- Real - Trauma/unsymbolizable
Bloom's Ratios (First Letters):
- Clinamen - Creative correction
- Tessera - Completion
- Kenosis - Emptying
- Daemonization - Counter-sublime
- Askesis - Self-purgation
- Apophrades - Return of the dead
Final Revision Checklist
- ✓ Freud's key concepts (Oedipus, dream work)
- ✓ Lacan's three orders and Mirror Stage
- ✓ Kristeva's abjection theory
- ✓ Žižek's ideological fantasy
- ✓ Bloom's anxiety of influence
"The poet is a liar who always speaks the truth." - Jacques Lacan
