The Faerie Queene is not a dream-poem (Introduction, Section 1). Yet dream-theory (oneirocriticism) can be applied to all texts (oneiropoetic), provided that the subordination of literature to psychology (or vice-versa) is avoided (Section 2). The purpose of this essay (Section 3) is to correlate Freudian dream-structures with literary structures, exemplify the correlations with Spenserian passages, and to build a total model for the interpretation of rhetoric in terms of dream-theory. The result, christened 'oneiropoetic,' employs classical rhetoric and poetics, as known in the Renaissance and earlier, and also uses later formulations by Tynianov, Bakhtin, Todorov, Genette, Derrida and others. Section 4 summarizes Freud's dream-theory in relation to his later ego-psychology. The essay is divided into fifty-two dream:literature isomorphs, disposed in four parts of three chapters each. Freudian theory is updated with the help of the language-centered formulations of Roman Jakobson and Jacques Lacan, among others Part I, 'The Censor: Viewpoint,' discusses 'aesthetic distance' versus dream-depersonalization; nightmares and punishment dreams; day-residues; and the 'Aristotelian' fancy in Spenser (Chapter 1). Chapter 2 discusses parody and paramnesia; irony; and absurdity. Chapter 3 examines genre theory as exclusions of The Censor, and equates literary fragmentation of time with dream-time. Part II, 'Condensation: Symbol,' discusses visual images or 'filming' in terms of literary pictorialism (Chapter 4). 'Escape' literature, including romance narrative in some of its aspects, is isomorphized to Freud's 'family romance,' and certain blazons to hysterical symptoms (Chapter 5). Chapter 6 analyzes such Condensations as algebraic names, the dragon-hermaphrodite, and Faeryland itself. Part III, 'Displacement: Allegory,' relates Freudian associationism to Renaissance hidden meaning (Chapter 7). Spenserian entrelaced allegory is compared to the homologous series of dreams of a single night (Chapter 8). Chapter 9 finds in Spenserian characterization a Galenesque imagery of humours isomorphic to Freudian libidinal 'zones.' The last Part, 'Secondary Revision: The Audience,' discusses the 'finish' of the text-surface, and also persona layers (Chapter 10). Chapters 11 and 12 correlate Transference in Freud with mediation in Spenser / acase@tulane.edu
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TULANE/oai:http://digitallibrary.tulane.edu/:tulane_24676 |
| Date | January 1985 |
| Contributors | Vink, Donald James (Author) |
| Publisher | Tulane University |
| Source Sets | Tulane University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Access requires a license to the Dissertations and Theses (ProQuest) database., Copyright is in accordance with U.S. Copyright law |
Page generated in 0.0014 seconds