ENGL 497

Senior Seminar
Prof. G. Steinberg

Freud

NOTE:  You do not have to read “The Theme of the Three Caskets” yet.  We will be reading that selection from Freud later in the term.

Freud considers the creation of literature to be pretty much like the creation of daydreams.  On at least some level, literature does often operate like a daydream (e.g., in the unrealistic fact that “all the women in the novel invariably fall in love with the hero”).  How does Freud think daydreams work?  What prompts them?  How do they relate to the present, the past, and the future?  What are the implications if literature is created in the same way as a daydream?  Can you speculate on the infantile memories and unfulfilled wishes that might underlie some of the literature you’ve read in your classes at TCNJ?

To respond to these questions on the message board, click here.