Creativity, Psychoanalysis and Eugene O’Neill’s Creative Process
Keywords:
American drama, O’Neill’s drama, creativity, psychoanalysis
Abstract
O’Neill is undisputedly one of the most autobiographical artists in modern literature. His creativity consistently moves around subjective exploration and autobiographical representation in his art. Therefore drama for him involves primarily dramatization of self and close relations such as mother, father and brother, and this association between life and art goes back to early amateur plays. This factor has exposed the artist to discreet psychoanalytic explorations and analysis. Clearly a depressive and predominantly oedipal pattern emerges in his writings that could be traced in the whole range of his plays. However, preoccupation with the self and pervasive obsession to dramatize peculiar relationships and psychic conditions create its own archeology of limitations in his art that have remained unaddressed so far. The study debates on creativity, psychoanalytic traditions of creativity, O’Neill’s creative process and highlights some of the limitations that pertain to representative and intellectual aspects of his artDownloads
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References
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Knight, G.W. (1977). The wheel of fire: Interpretation of Shakespearian tragedy with three new essays. London: Methuen
Kristeva, J. (1987). On the melancholic imaginary. In S.R.-Kenan (Ed.), Discourse in psychoanalysis and literature (pp. 104-123). London: Methuen.
Pizzato, M. (1998). Edges of loss: From modern drama to postmodern theory. An Arbor: The University of Michigan Press.
Sakura, M. (1987). The literary use of psychoanalytic process. New Heaven: Yale University Press.
Schneiderman, L. (1988). The literary mind: Portraits in pain and creativity. New York: Insight Books.
Shaughnessy, E. L. (2002). Down the nights and down the days: Eugene O’Neill’scatholic sensibility. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press.
Strachey, J. (1953). The standard edition of complete psychological works. London: Hogarth Press.
Szeliski, J.V. (1962). Tragedy and fear: Why modern tragic drama fails. Chapel Hills: The University Of North Carolina Press.
Tingle, N., Alcorn, M.W., Jr., & Bracher, M. (1986). Literature and psychoanalysis. PMLA, 101 (1), 95-97. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/462538. [CrossRef]
Tornquist, E. (1969). A drama of souls: Studies in O’Neill’s super-naturalist technique. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Turner, F. (1971). Shakespeare and the nature of time: Moral and philosophical themes in some plays and poems of William Shakespeare. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Walton, I. H. (1955). Eugene O‟Neill and the folklore and folkways of the sea. Western Folklore. 14(3), 153-169. [CrossRef]
Wilbern, D. (1989). Reading after Freud. In G.D. Atkins & L. Morrow (Eds.), Contemporary literary theory (pp. 158-179). London: Macmillan.
Williams, R. (1966). Modern tragedy. London: Hogarth Press.
Wooster, G. & Buckroyd, P. (2006). Grief, loss, and creativity: Whither the phoenix? In I. Wise & M. Mills (Eds.), Psychoanalytic ideas and Shakespeare (pp. 25-41). London: H. Karnac (Books) Ltd.
Wright, E. (1984). Psychoanalytic criticism: Theory in practice. London: Methuen.
Bogard, T. (1988). Contour in time: The plays of Eugene O’Neill. New York: Oxford University Press.
Bogard, T., & Bryer, J. (Eds.). (1988). Selected letters of Eugene O’Neill. London: Yale University Press
Brown, R. (1991). Causality in O‟Neill‟s late masterpieces. In R.F. Martoon, Jr. (Ed.), Eugene O’Neill’s century: Centennial views on America’s foremost tragic dramatist (pp. 41-54). London: Greenwood Press.
Eldridge, R. (1994). How can tragedy matter for us? The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, 52(3), 287-298. [CrossRef]
Fairberg, L. (1960). Psychoanalysis and American literary criticism. Detroit: Gale.
Frosh, S. (1987). The politics of psychoanalysis: An introduction to Freudian and post Freudian theory. London: Macmillan.
Guerin, W. L. et al. (1992). A handbook of critical approaches to literature (3rd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
Hoffman, F.J. (1950). Psychoanalysis and literary criticism. American Quarterly, 2(2), 144-154. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3031451 [CrossRef]
Karim, A. (2010). Eugene O‟Neill‟s concern with sexuality and the behavioral disorders. Studies in Literature and Language, 1(1), 38-49.
Karim, A. & Butt, N.R. (2011). Ethical crises in O‟Neill‟s modern theatre: Some dimensions. Arts and Social Sciences Journal, 2011: ASSJ-32, 1-16. Retrieved from http://astonjournals.com/assjvols.html
Kauffman, J.C & Baer, J. (2002). I bask in dreams of suicide: Mental illness, poetry and women. Review of General Psychology, 6, 271-186. [CrossRef]
Klein, M. (1986). The selected Melanie Klein. (J. Mitchell, Ed.). New York: Free Press.
Knight, G.W. (1977). The wheel of fire: Interpretation of Shakespearian tragedy with three new essays. London: Methuen
Kristeva, J. (1987). On the melancholic imaginary. In S.R.-Kenan (Ed.), Discourse in psychoanalysis and literature (pp. 104-123). London: Methuen.
Pizzato, M. (1998). Edges of loss: From modern drama to postmodern theory. An Arbor: The University of Michigan Press.
Sakura, M. (1987). The literary use of psychoanalytic process. New Heaven: Yale University Press.
Schneiderman, L. (1988). The literary mind: Portraits in pain and creativity. New York: Insight Books.
Shaughnessy, E. L. (2002). Down the nights and down the days: Eugene O’Neill’scatholic sensibility. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press.
Strachey, J. (1953). The standard edition of complete psychological works. London: Hogarth Press.
Szeliski, J.V. (1962). Tragedy and fear: Why modern tragic drama fails. Chapel Hills: The University Of North Carolina Press.
Tingle, N., Alcorn, M.W., Jr., & Bracher, M. (1986). Literature and psychoanalysis. PMLA, 101 (1), 95-97. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/462538. [CrossRef]
Tornquist, E. (1969). A drama of souls: Studies in O’Neill’s super-naturalist technique. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Turner, F. (1971). Shakespeare and the nature of time: Moral and philosophical themes in some plays and poems of William Shakespeare. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Walton, I. H. (1955). Eugene O‟Neill and the folklore and folkways of the sea. Western Folklore. 14(3), 153-169. [CrossRef]
Wilbern, D. (1989). Reading after Freud. In G.D. Atkins & L. Morrow (Eds.), Contemporary literary theory (pp. 158-179). London: Macmillan.
Williams, R. (1966). Modern tragedy. London: Hogarth Press.
Wooster, G. & Buckroyd, P. (2006). Grief, loss, and creativity: Whither the phoenix? In I. Wise & M. Mills (Eds.), Psychoanalytic ideas and Shakespeare (pp. 25-41). London: H. Karnac (Books) Ltd.
Wright, E. (1984). Psychoanalytic criticism: Theory in practice. London: Methuen.
Published
2012-04-10
How to Cite
Karim, A., & Butt, N. (2012). Creativity, Psychoanalysis and Eugene O’Neill’s Creative Process. K@ta, 13(2), 236-248. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.9744/kata.13.2.236-248
Section
Articles
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