Imagined Human Beings

A Psychological Approach to Character and Conflict in Literature

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism
Cover of the book Imagined Human Beings by Bernard Jay Paris, NYU Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Bernard Jay Paris ISBN: 9780814768853
Publisher: NYU Press Publication: October 1, 1997
Imprint: NYU Press Language: English
Author: Bernard Jay Paris
ISBN: 9780814768853
Publisher: NYU Press
Publication: October 1, 1997
Imprint: NYU Press
Language: English

One of literature's greatest gifts is its portrayal of realistically drawn characters--human beings in whom we can recognize motivations and emotions. In Imagined Human Beings, Bernard J. Paris explores the inner conflicts of some of literature's most famous characters, using Karen Horney's psychoanalytic theories to understand the behavior of these characters as we would the behavior of real people.
When realistically drawn characters are understood in psychological terms, they tend to escape their roles in the plot and thus subvert the view of them advanced by the author. A Horneyan approach both alerts us to conflicts between plot and characterization, rhetoric and mimesis, and helps us understand the forces in the author's personalty that generate them. The Horneyan model can make sense of thematic inconsistencies by seeing them as the product of the author's inner divisions. Paris uses this approach to explore a wide range of texts, including Antigone, "The Clerk's Tale," The Merchant of Venice, A Doll's House, Hedda Gabler, Great Expectations, Jane Eyre, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Wuthering Heights, Madame Bovary, The Awakening, and The End of the Road.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

One of literature's greatest gifts is its portrayal of realistically drawn characters--human beings in whom we can recognize motivations and emotions. In Imagined Human Beings, Bernard J. Paris explores the inner conflicts of some of literature's most famous characters, using Karen Horney's psychoanalytic theories to understand the behavior of these characters as we would the behavior of real people.
When realistically drawn characters are understood in psychological terms, they tend to escape their roles in the plot and thus subvert the view of them advanced by the author. A Horneyan approach both alerts us to conflicts between plot and characterization, rhetoric and mimesis, and helps us understand the forces in the author's personalty that generate them. The Horneyan model can make sense of thematic inconsistencies by seeing them as the product of the author's inner divisions. Paris uses this approach to explore a wide range of texts, including Antigone, "The Clerk's Tale," The Merchant of Venice, A Doll's House, Hedda Gabler, Great Expectations, Jane Eyre, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Wuthering Heights, Madame Bovary, The Awakening, and The End of the Road.

More books from NYU Press

Cover of the book Manifest Destinies, Second Edition by Bernard Jay Paris
Cover of the book Right Turn by Bernard Jay Paris
Cover of the book Rustic Warriors by Bernard Jay Paris
Cover of the book In the Presence of Power by Bernard Jay Paris
Cover of the book Transnational Women's Activism by Bernard Jay Paris
Cover of the book Parenting Out of Control by Bernard Jay Paris
Cover of the book Long Before Stonewall by Bernard Jay Paris
Cover of the book Sephardic Jews in America by Bernard Jay Paris
Cover of the book After Race by Bernard Jay Paris
Cover of the book Hollywood v. Hard Core by Bernard Jay Paris
Cover of the book Revolutions in the Atlantic World by Bernard Jay Paris
Cover of the book Children of a New World by Bernard Jay Paris
Cover of the book Still Jewish by Bernard Jay Paris
Cover of the book The Production of American Religious Freedom by Bernard Jay Paris
Cover of the book A Brief and Tentative Analysis of Negro Leadership by Bernard Jay Paris
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy