Psychoanalytic Literary Criticism Essay

Psychoanalytic Literary Criticism Essay

Choose two of the stories below to answer in a well-supported and structured essay. Be

sure that your thesis, usually located at the end of your introduction, clearly addresses

the prompt you choose. In the introductory paragraph, clearly indicate the works and

authors of the works chosen. Be sure to put short story titles in quotation marks.

Support your thesis with paragraphs that have clear topic sentences and examples of

both quotations and paraphrases from the text of the works. Be sure to introduce all

quotations correctly (use one of three ways to introduce quotations) and do cite author

and page number. This essay will most likely be four, five, or six well-developed

paragraphs.

As this essay requires close textual analysis, do tie your points to specifics in the story.

Every time you quote or paraphrase, you need to cite the author and page number

directly after the information in a parenthesis: (Faulkner 84). If you use the author’s

name to introduce the information, then all you need is the page number in the

parenthesis, as in the following: ​Faulkner describes Emily as a stereotypical patriarchal

woman: “a slender figure in white in the background, her father a spraddled silhouette in

the foreground, his back to her and clutching a horsewhip” (83).

Do double-space and use Times New Roman font, size 12. Please write in complete

sentences and do not use “you” or contractions. You may use the short stories, the

critical theory text, the grids you filled out in class, the quotation vs. paraphrasing

handout, psychoanalytic terms, and a dictionary and/or thesaurus.

No other sources are allowed, and use of them will result in zero for this essay, as will

any other forms of academic dishonesty. Thus, do not confer with anyone while writing

this essay, and do not use any outside sources. The essay will be checked by

Turnitin.com.

You need to choose two of the following texts to respond to the question below: “The

Fortune- Teller,” “The Lady with the Toy Dog,” “A Rose for Emily” or “An Occurrence at

Owl Creek Bridge.”

1) What family dynamics are at work? Is there evidence in the story of the influence of

early family life, and do those patterns reassert themselves in the story? For example,

any Oedipal Complex, sibling rivalry, penis envy, and/or castration anxiety? In your

conclusion, explain how the same family dynamics you chose are at work in real life,

and be sure to give examples to support your conclusion.

Introduction: This should include a reference to Dr. Freud or psychoanalytic theory, the

specific aspect of the theory discussed in the essay, and the short stories and authors

used, such as in the following:

Dr. Sigmund Freud's revolutionary theory of the mind and human personality continues

to give insights, nearly one hundred years after his death. His ideas on family dynamics

shed light on the characters in William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" and Joaquim Maria

Machado de Assis's "The Fortune-Teller."

Thesis: this sentence should respond directly to the prompt and usually goes at the end

of the introductory paragraph:

The character of XX in Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" and XXX in Assis's "The

Fortune-Teller" both show evidence of the unconscious power of family dynamics on

their lives but in very different ways but with tragic results for both.

Topic Sentence for Body Paragraph 2: Short Story "XXX"

quotation

paraphrase

Topic Sentence for Paragraph 2: Short Story "XXX"

quotation

paraphrase

Conclusion Topic Sentence: Here you want to apply the critical theory to your life and

the world around you. You may use personal examples from you own life or the lives

you observe around you. Thus, you get to use "I" in this section. You can discuss

public figures, family, friends, or what you have seen portrayed in the media. You

MUST provide your own examples, though, and you have at least two.