This course introduces students to the fundamental ideas of psychoanalytic theory, and explores their application to selected works of American literature. The course examines key psychoanalytic concepts like the unconscious, dream work, repression, desire, identity, trauma, and symbolism, based, mainly, on the work of Sigmund Freud, as well as that of later scholars in the field of psychoanalytic theory. By applying the aforementioned notions to the critical reading of American literary works from the 19th to the 21st century, students will be able to employ psychoanalytic theory to examine literary characters, narrative structures, and poetic imagery. The course aims to improve students’ interpretive skills, deepen their understanding of the psychological aspects of literary texts, and promote critical engagement with both theory and literature by fusing theoretical study with close textual analysis.
