Psychoanalysis Essay - Grade: 1:1 PDF

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Primary assessment of the module. This is what I submitted, based on the guidelines and it got me a 1:1....

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Essay Question: Select any film, book, short story, or play, and use three psychoanalytic concepts to add a deeper layer of understanding to the text.

ESSAY TITLE: Fragmented Selves, Phantastic Desires, and “the Most Magical of Mirrors” - Using Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray to Illustrate Three Psychoanalytic Constructs To paraphrase Zizek, a modern psychoanalyst: it’s only in fiction that we get that crucial dimension which we are not ready to confront in our reality (Fiennes & Zizek, 2006). Psychoanalysis’s foundations are laid on that which we are not ready to confront in reality, relentlessly dissecting assumptions of self, desire, and behaviour. Thus, literature is a prime subject to explore through a psychoanalytic lens, as it can allow deeper exploration than an individual might volunteer in the chaise longue. Three psychoanalytic concepts which are of particular interest in this vein are self, desire, and mirrors or doubles. These three concepts are inextricably linked and all feature prominently in Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray (1991). Our entire concept of ‘self’ is created by a split. We begin to conceptualise ourselves when we are mirrored back to ourselves through the mirror stage, and from the position of another’s desire . The Text in Short: First published in 1890, The Picture of Dorian Gray is Oscar Wilde’s only novel. It was heavily censored and regarded as immoral. Excerpts were read aloud during the Wilde trials of 1895, where Wilde was convicted of homosexuality. The plot follows the life of a young bachelor named Dorian Gray, famed for his youth, beauty, and purity, through his descent into depravity. Dorian makes the acquaintance of Basil Hallward, a painter, who clings to him for his muse, planting the first seed of vanity in Dorian’s fair head. Through Basil, Dorian meets Lord Henry (Harry) Wotton, a man full to the brim with aphorisms, paradoxes, and Hedonistic philosophies. Through him, Dorian realises the value of youth and beauty. When Basil paints a portrait of Dorian, Dorian makes an impulsive wish that the painting would age and be scarred with sin, while he remains pure and youthful. This wish comes true. Dorian watches it crease, age, and wrinkle with every passing year and wicked deed - from breaking young actress Sibyl Vane’s heart, causing her to suicide, to the murder of Basil himself while he remains untouched. Ultimately, the portrait leads to his demise. In an attempt to destroy his double, Dorian destroys himself, the weight of years of vice sealing his tomb.

Self: A Psychoanalytic Understanding Though ‘I’, ‘me’, ‘self’ appear to denote a singular entity, psychoanalysis makes distinctions between different facets or ‘provinces’ that comprise that ‘singular entity’ of self, namely: the id, the ego, and the superego (Freud, 1923/1961). The oldest and most primitive of these provinces is the id. The id lays the biological foundations of personality, and from here our basic instinctual drives (such as the libido) emerge, which motivate the organism to seek pleasure. The ego is a modification of the id that emerges due to the influence of the external world. The ego regulates the libido to conform to societal demands. Thus, the ego is

the most self-aware portion of self, and generally what we refer to when we say ‘I’. It is our centre of reason and commonsense and employs defensive stratagems through which one can filter or adapt the expression of ‘inappropriate’ or ‘unacceptable’ drive energies. The superego is a further division within the ego, and it represents the ideal. It emerges from the Oedipal drama, during which a child takes on the authority and magnificence of parental figures through introjection and identification (Lapsley & Stey, 2011). Thus, it is where the inspiration to morally censor oneself originates, and what some might call the ‘conscience’. In sum, the id occupies itself primarily with pleasure, the ego with reality, and the superego with ideals. However, each province is not wholly distinct; in particular, the ego is never fully differentiated from the id. Freud argues that the lower portion of the ego extends throughout the id, and it is by means of the id that repressed material communicates with the ego.

Fragmented and fractured “Basil Hallward is what I think I am, Lord Henry what the world thinks me, Dorian what I would like to be - in other ages, perhaps.” Such is a quote from the author himself about his three protagonists. It indicates that these characters are highly symbolic  of various facets of Wilde’s character. Suggestions arise from the outset that these three parties are not as distinct as they appear. In the opening scene, Basil explains to Lord Henry that he will never exhibit his portrait of Dorian because “I have put too much of myself in it” (p. 5). Through a psychoanalytic lens, Basil represents the ego, Lord Henry the superego, and Dorian the id. Dorian is a wonderful evocation of the qualities of the id, and a manifestation of Wilde’s unconscious. He is childlike, chasing after pleasure without restriction or heed for others. Just as Zizek describes the id, Dorian is the “combination of utter corruption and innocence” (2006). Basil, similarly, exemplifies the qualities of the ego. He is more calculating, attempting to reason with Dorian and Harry, and protect Dorian. He is a reminder of society, when Harry and Dorian appear to have forgotten it, and employs defence stratagems throughout like sublimation of forbidden desires, something which Dorian and Harry do little of. As is customary of the superego, Harry has an intense desire to dominate and is constantly demanding things of others. He, more than Dorian and Basil, appears more as a symbol than a whole person. While the superego is the conscience and moral compass of the self, Harry does function as such, even if the form of morality he asserts is hedonistic and at odds with the social context. As such, the trio represent the three Freudian provinces of the self, personifying them in a way that only fiction can. For the purposes of the novel, however, each of these characters functions as wholes, as well as symbols, carrying amplified id-like, superego-like or ego-like qualities into their own personality. Lord Henry, for example, expertly intellectualises away his emotions, a favourite defence mechanism of his. He uses philosophy, humour, and theory, to reason away any shred of real emotionality. For example, on page 9 the conversation shifts to brothers. He tellingly exclaims that he does not care for brothers, suggesting some real feeling and possibly some tension in his relationship with his brother. But he quickly masks this with a spiel of aphorisms. Since the superego performs the function of observing the self and monitoring psychic activity with respect to internalised standards for good and bad behaviour (Freud, 1923/1961), this is in keeping with his role as superego. Everything is consistently

brought back to his ideas of how people ought to feel or behave. This adds a cold, unfeeling, voyeuristic quality to his personality through the text. As previously mentioned, the id and the ego are not fully distinct, and this is also demonstrated in cleverly in Wilde’s text. Both Dorian, and Basil, see their own soul in the portrait, illustrating their interconnectedness. Dorian and Basil’s fates are connected in another way, suggesting this relationship. Contained in the id, is the real - elements of one’s mind which evade symbolism. ‘The soul’ so frequently talked about in the text could be an attempt to describe the real. Thus, when Dorian (id) forces Basil (ego) to look at his portrait, Basil ‘touches the real’ (Lacan, 2001), and this inevitably overwhelms him. Dorian, like the id, lives in a fantasy-like world, running away from the reality of death and ageing. He disassociates from his desires (frequently alluded to as ‘sins’). However, Dorian manages to split himself further and further, past the distinction of the three provinces of self. He willingly fractures himself to escape harsh realities, shoving all the darkness into his portrait. By casting his sins outside of himself a split occurs, creating his double. This idea of the double will be explored further in later sections. It is clear, however, that Wilde’s novel has, intentionally or otherwise, symbolised parts of the self which map onto Freud’s topography of self, and that the characters that represent these provinces bring to life characteristics of these provinces.

Desire: A Psychoanalytic Understanding Desire is the missing piece that drives us forward. The ever-dangling carrot, it cannot be satisfied (O’Neill, R., 30.09.19). Psychoanalytic theory dictates that it is libido which makes us desire pleasure. Libido is to sex what hunger is to food, and as natural an instinct (Freud, 1905). Libidinal development has its roots in the id. According to Freud, there is no such thing as ‘normative sexuality’. This is of particular relevance to Wilde’s novel, as homoerotic desire is scantily clad throughout. Though Freud was adamant that homosexuality should not be considered an illness nor a crime, he did reason that it came about due to a ‘disturbance in libidinal development’. In 1914, he theorised that if such a disruption occurred in childhood, an individual may later choose their own self as a love object, rather than their mother, resulting in an attraction to their own sex. While this theory has since been updated, within the realm of fiction and metaphor, this description may be of use. Given the social context of The Picture of Dorian Gray , many characters employ defence mechanisms to cover up their homosexual desire, particularly sublimation. Sublimation involves directing one’s libido towards something other than the object of sexual satisfaction, deflecting attention from one’s desire for the object (Freud, 1905). Freud claimed that sublimation could be an adaptive mechanism, with individuals filtering their socially unacceptable desires into socially valued achievements, like art. Thus, some would consider sublimation to be a successful repression  of unacceptable desires (Fenichel, 1945). Despite the common misconception that desire solely relates to our desired object, one important element of desire is phantasy . Wollheim (1999) defined phantasy as belonging to primitive unconscious mental states, often infantile in nature. He theorised that phantasy strives for satisfaction unmediated by the constraints of reality, while desire is constrained by reality’s demands. Wollheim dictated that there were two ways of acting in this regard:

‘acting on desire’ and ‘acting on phantasy’. Segal (2007) characterised acting on phantasy by three elements: a misperception of external reality, a misperception of internal reality, and a compulsion to act rather than a choice of action. These different motives within the realm of desire are illustrated in The Picture of Dorian Gray . Phantastic Desires Given the time in which it was written1 , and the fact that Wilde peppered the book with allusions to ‘sinning’ and ‘indulging the senses’, these allusions can be interpreted as innuendo for homoeroticism. There are many different desires at play in this novel. Lord Henry’s desire for Dorian is less about any physical attraction than a desire to dominate . He intends to mould Dorian into his own image. This narcissistic desire, which Harry eventually imbues Dorian with, could be interpreted by Freud’s explanation of homosexuality. Lord Henry is seeking as his love object his own self, due to the poor relationship that he presumably had with his mother2 . However, there is something else underpinning Harry’s desire for Dorian: fear of his own mortality. He tries to forget this by clinging to Dorian’s youth. Lord Henry’s desire for Dorian, therefore, stems from his fear of his own mortality and a narcissistic desire to dominate, which aligns well with his symbolic role as the superego. Basil’s desire for Dorian is akin to love. He fears losing himself in the depth of his feelings for Dorian, and makes a prophetic statement about it to Harry at the book’s opening: “When our eyes met, I felt that I was growing pale. A curious sensation of terror came over me. I knew that I had come face to face with someone whose mere personality was so fascinating that, if I allowed it to do so, it would absorb my whole nature, my whole soul, my very art itself.” (p. 7) If we look at this description we can see Basil’s symbolic role as the ego illustrated. “If I allowed it to do so”  being the key phrase, Basil is the voice of control and reason, attempting to mediate his impulses. It also illustrates a feeling of vulnerability, which is particularly telling given the unlawful nature of homosexual acts at the time. Basil expertly sublimates his desire for Dorian throughout the novel, channelling it into his art. Even when revealing the depths of his feelings to Dorian he includes this line: “You became to me the visible incarnation of that unseen ideal whose memory haunts us artists like an exquisite dream.” (p. 78). As suggested by Freud, this is an expert way of turning an unacceptable desire into fuel for a socially valued achievement: art. Wilde himself, who identified most Basil, was an expert sublimator, trying to use arguments of this sort to evade sentencing during his trials for homosexuality. Dorian’s desire for Sibyl Vane is interesting in that it is extreme and fleeting. Dorian’s desire involves a large portion of the phantasmatic, and indeed he was ‘acting on phantasy’ in courting her. Dorian falls for Sibyl during her performances in the theatre. Once they grow closer, she acts poorly, shattering the illusion, extinguishing the phantasy. Dorian immediately loses interest. Therefore Dorian’s libido was dependent on illusion for sustenance. Dorian demonstrates all the characteristics of acting on phantasy, as laid out by Segal (2007). He misperceives the external reality, neglecting to realise that Sibyl was a human being, not a myriad of theatrical heroines. He misperceives his own feelings for her

and their depth, and he acts without thinking, proposing to her as if he had no other choice. To again apply Zizek’s work on cinema - art does not give you what you desire, it tells you how to desire (2006). Dorian’s love for Sibyl exemplifies this. Dorian falls for Sibyl solely because theatre has told him that she is desirable - a heroine of a love story. Theatre in this way provides Dorian with the script for desire, and he merely plays the part. He plays this part so well that when she kills herself as a result of him spurning her, it becomes a part of the beautiful tragedy. As if it had taken place on the stage, Dorian seems an observer - an audience member to his own tragedy. Sibyl could also be argued to be a narcissistic supply (Ferreira, n.d.) - an object of desire capable of inspiring others to envy Dorian. When she embarrasses him in front of his friends, she has no value to him. Nacissistically wounded, deprived of the envy he expected her to deliver, he leaves her heartlessly in a narcissistic rage. That is when the first stroke of cruelty appears on his portrait. Narcissism is tied closely to the mirror stage and has its roots there. Sexual desire also stems from the alienation of the mirror stage. This is why Dorian only truly begins to desire once he is mirrored back to himself by Basil (both in his compliments and portraiture). Furthermore, desire distorts and wounds reality (Zizek, 2006), thus, once Dorian begins to desire, phantasy creeps in. In this way, Dorian’s desires in The Picture of Dorian Gray a  re characterised by an excess of phantasy, Lord Henry’s by a desire to dominate, and Basil’s by expert sublimation.

Mirrors and Doubles: A Psychoanalytic Understanding The mirror stage, according to Lacan (1949) is the moment at which a child identifies themselves externally. It is the moment when ‘me’ appears to be visually definable. It is a moment of joy, as one realises for the first time that one is a whole and not a fragmented self. However, it is also a moment of disappointment too, as that ‘whole’ appears to be outside of oneself. Thus it is also a moment of separation and exile, introducing a wedge between ‘me’ and ‘me’ - a disconnect with self. This significant phase in a child’s development also marks the coming of the ego and narcissism (Gallop, 2011). Narcissism is a love for one’s own image, occurring for the first time during the mirror stage when a child stands transfixed by their own reflection. The mirror-stage is also the moment when a child realises they can be doubled, when they can point at themselves outwardly as well as inwardly. The double is a popular subject in literature and psychology. Rank (1958) has traced the history of the double within literature and found it to have roots in guardian angels. Doubles, he explained, used to serve as an assurance to the self of immortality, a protector ensuring one’s survival. Over time, however, the double became to be used as a reminder of an individual’s mortality. The slaying of the double is both the slaying of one’s guilt and one’s self.

“The most magical of mirrors”3 In the opening scene of the novel, before we meet Dorian, Basil tells Lord Henry:

It is not [the sitter] who is revealed by the painter; it is rather the painter who [...] reveals himself. The reason I will not exhibit this picture is that I am afraid that I have shown in it the secret of my soul. (p. 07) Thus, we can look at both Dorian and Basil through the same looking glass, bearing in mind that Basil represents the ego, and Dorian the id. Given that this text incorporates the preternatural, and operates symbolically, outside the bounds of reality, one could argue that the book opens with Dorian entering into the mirror stage. Hitherto, he has been oblivious to his looks, entirely innocent and pure, as is stressed by his childish nature. For Dorian, this comprises three stages. First, he is mirrored through Basil’s words, as he compliments him, making him aware of his good looks, and thus instilling in him vanity. Through Basil’s desire, Dorian catches the first glimpse of himself. Secondly, the idea of mortality and the value of youth is instilled in him by Lord Henry. And finally, he recognises  himself for the first time in Basil’s portrait of him: “A look of joy came into his eyes, as if he had recognised himself for the first time” (p. 20). The portrait is described as being ‘life-sized’, carrying within it both Dorian’s personality in all its purity and youth, and some of Basil’s soul. Basil’s soul, in this case, could be interpreted as Basil’s desire  for Dorian. Thus, this portrait is more than sufficient as a mirror. Up until that moment, Basil’s compliments meant nothing to Dorian, Lord Henry’s lectures on youth’s brevity had been captivating but not realised. Once Dorian identifies with his own image, he realises his own mortality. It is at that moment when he makes the damning wish to trade places with his double, retaining all his youth and purity while the painting ages. Thus, the double in this text appears to function as Rank identified doubles did historically - a guardian angel. While Dorian’s angel is bearing the brunt of age and corruption, Dorian will not die. There is, however, horror in this. “Once in boyish mockery of Narcissus, he had kissed, or feigned to kiss, those painted lips that now smiled so cruelly at him” (p. 73). Dorian leads a life parallel to Narcissus, chained to his own image, unable to love or repent. He becomes erotically infatuated with his image, claiming he cannot love because “I am too much concentrated on myself” (p. 138). Dorian cannot heal himself when he bears none of the scars of his own deeds. The double strips him of a sort of responsibility, keeping him in a childlike state, and is, therefore, a defence mechanism - a means to escape mortality and morality. There is a moment when Dorian realises his power over himself and his double, his culpability in this wilful self-splitting. He considers praying to break the curse he drew unto himself, but decides against it, searching for reasons why it would not work...