Charlotte Perkins Gilman's Herland
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Because of a life of repression living as a career woman in a male dominated society, Charlotte Perkins Gilman was well aware of the impact on personalhty and developmdnt from repression. The psychological criticism approach to literary criticism reflects the effect of modern psychology on literature. Sigmund Freud was unveiling new psychoanalytic theories during GilmanÆs era, while physicians were prescribing rest cures for female hysteria as Gilman portrays in her famous short story ôThe Yellow Wallpaper.ö Such new psychoanalytic theories pertained to repression, the unconscious mind, wish-fulfillment, and sexuality. In one sense, one might argue that GilmanÆs utopian version of a society of all women is somewhat of a wish-fulfillment on behalf of the author. Psychoanalytic criticism often focuses on the creative process of the author and how their own biographical circumstances influence their literary creations. Psychoanalytic theories also focused on experiences and developmental stages in early childhood as relating to any number of psychoses in adult life. Therefore, mothering and child-rearing were provided new significance for their impact on emotional and psychological well-being. This psychoanalytical criticism of Charlotte Perkins GilmanÆs Herland, will explore the themes of repression, the unconscious mind, and child development as illustrated by the author and how these apply to her own life experiences.
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sexually and economically, GilmanÆs own psychological development viewed such a world for women as one that defined women in terms of sexuality or gender. In Herland, we see the authorÆs attempt to define women as more than their gender or sexuality. We see her attempt to define women by something other than their roles typically defined by men and ones that repress their full expression and development. Hurd (p. 172) contends that in Herland, Gilman provides a ôprescient analysis of a womanÆs need to define herself by what she does, by her work.ö Certainly this was a need Gilman desired in her own career, a desire often repressed during the era in which she lived by many women.
The conscious and unconscious mind are often revealed in Herland. In numerous instances, the men try to consciously appeal to the women but are unable to achieve their goals of winning their affection and desire. We see in VanÆs description of his object of love the way that Gilman (p. 126) uses the lingo of psychoanalysis to help him describe his impact on his beloved, ôThere was something so powerful, so large and changeless, in those eyes that I could not sweep her off her feet by my own emotion as I had unconsciously assumed would be the case.ö
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Approximate Word count = 1511
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)
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