Psychologism in literature is Psychologism in literature: definition and examples

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

What is psychologism in literature? The definition of this concept will not give a complete picture. Examples should be taken from works of art. But, in short, psychologism in literature is the depiction of the inner world of the hero through various means. The author uses a system of artistic techniques, which allows him to deeply and in detail reveal the state of mind of the character.

Concept

Psychology in literature is the transfer by the author to the reader of the inner world of his characters. Other types of art also have the ability to convey sensations and feelings. But literature, thanks to its imagery, has the ability to depict the state of mind of a person to the smallest detail. The author, trying to describe the inner world of the hero, gives the details of his external appearance, the interior of the room. Often in the literature to convey a psychological statecharacters use such a technique as landscape.

Poetry

Psychology in literature is the disclosure of the inner world of characters, which can have a different character. In poetry, he, as a rule, has an expressive property. The lyrical hero conveys his feelings or carries out psychological introspection. An objective knowledge of the inner world of a person in a poetic work is almost impossible. Emotions and feelings are transmitted quite subjectively. The same can be said about dramatic works, where the inner experiences of the hero are conveyed through monologues.

A vivid example of psychologism in poetry is Yesenin's poem "The Black Man". In this work, although the author conveys his own feelings and thoughts, he does it somewhat detachedly, as if observing himself from the side. The lyrical hero in the poem is talking to a certain person. But at the end of the work it turns out that there is no interlocutor. A black man symbolizes a sick mind, pangs of conscience, the oppression of committed mistakes.

Prose

The psychology of fiction was especially developed in the nineteenth century. Prose has a wide range of possibilities for revealing the inner world of a person. Psychologism in Russian literature has become the subject of study by domestic and Western researchers. The techniques used by Russian writers of the nineteenth century were borrowed in their work by later authors.

Image systems,which can be found in the novels of Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky, have become a role model for writers around the world. But you should know that psychologism in literature is a feature that can only be present if the human personality is of great value. He is not able to develop in a culture that is inherent in authoritarianism. In literature that serves to impose any ideas, there is not and cannot be a depiction of the psychological state of an individual.

Psychology of Dostoevsky

How does the artist reveal the inner world of his hero? In the novel Crime and Punishment, the reader gets to know the emotions and feelings of Raskolnikov through a description of the appearance, interior of the room, and even the image of the city. In order to reveal everything that happens in the soul of the protagonist, Dostoevsky is not limited to presenting his thoughts and statements.

The author shows the situation in which Raskolnikov lives. A small closet, resembling a closet, symbolizes the failure of his idea. Sonya's room, on the other hand, is spacious and bright. But most importantly, Dostoevsky pays special attention to the eyes. In Raskolnikov they are deep and dark. Sony has meek and blue. And, for example, nothing is said about Svidrigailov's eyes. Not because the author forgot to give a description of the appearance of this hero. Rather, the thing is that, according to Dostoevsky, people like Svidrigailov have no soul at all.

Psychology of Tolstoy

Each character in the novels "War and Peace" and "Anna Karenina" is an example of how subtly the masterThe artistic word can convey not only the torment and feelings of the hero, but also the life that he led before the events described. Methods of psychologism in literature can be found in the works of German, American, French authors. But the novels of Leo Tolstoy are based on a system of complex images, each of which is revealed through dialogues, thoughts, and details. What is psychology in literature? Examples are scenes from the novel Anna Karenina. The most famous of them is the racing scene. Using the example of the death of a horse, the author reveals Vronsky's egoism, which subsequently leads to the death of the heroine.

The thoughts of Anna Karenina after her trip to Moscow are quite complex and ambiguous. Having met her husband, she suddenly notices the irregular shape of his ears - a detail that she had not paid attention to before. Of course, it is not this feature of Karenin's appearance that repels his wife. But with the help of a small detail, the reader learns how painful for the heroine family life becomes, filled with hypocrisy and devoid of mutual understanding.

Chekhov's Psychologism

The psychologism of Russian literature of the 19th century is so pronounced that in the works of some authors of this period the plot fades into the background. This feature can be observed in the stories of Anton Chekhov. Events in these works play a minor role.

In the story "The Lady with the Dog" Chekhov not only reveals the inner world of his characters with the help of seemingly insignificant details, but also creates a kind of opposition to the surroundingthe world. By changing the Y alta landscape to the Moscow landscape, the writer vividly conveys the emotional transition experienced by Gurov. There are also details in the dialogues and scenes that Chekhov includes in the narrative by no means by chance. Anna Sergeevna reveals her soul to Gurov, and meanwhile he eats a tangerine with appetite. The same Gurov later, while in cold autumn Moscow, seeks to share his feelings for his Y alta acquaintance with someone. He begins to tell his friend about Anna Sergeevna, but he does not hear him, and talks about the freshness of the sturgeon, which they just tasted in the restaurant. Love and lofty feelings in the story are opposed to callousness and everyday life with the help of dialogues.

Psychological Image Forms

Psychology in the literature of the 19th century is expressed with the help of various artistic details. All of them can have both direct meaning and indirect meaning. If the text says that the hero blushed and lowered his head, then we are talking about a direct form of psychological image. But in the works of classical literature, more complex artistic details are often found. In order to understand and analyze the indirect form of psychological depiction, the reader needs to have a sufficiently developed imagination.

In Bunin's story "The Gentleman from San Francisco", the inner world of the hero is conveyed through the image of the landscape. The main character in this work does not say anything at all. What's more, he doesn't even have a name. But what he is and what his way of thinking, the reader understands withfirst lines.

Psychology in the prose of foreign authors

To write a story about a rich and unfortunate man from San Francisco, Bunin was inspired by a short story by Thomas Mann. The German writer, in one of his small works, depicted the psychological state of a person who, for the sake of passion and lust, dies in a city engulfed by an epidemic.

The novel is called "Death in Venice". It has no dialogue. The thoughts of the hero are stated with the help of direct speech. But the author conveys the internal torment of the main character with the help of many symbols. The hero meets a man in a frightening mask, which seems to warn him of mortal danger. Venice - a beautiful old city - is shrouded in stench. And in this case, the landscape symbolizes the destructive power of lustful passion.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Ken Kesey wrote a book that has become a cult. In a novel about a man who ended up in a psychiatric clinic in order to avoid imprisonment, the main idea is not the tragic fate of the characters. The hospital for the mentally ill symbolizes a society in which fear and lack of will reign. People are not able to change anything and resign themselves to an authoritarian regime. Strength, determination and fearlessness are symbolized by McMurphy. This person is capable, if not to change fate, then at least try to do it.

The psychological state of the characters the author canconvey in just one or two replicas. An example of such a technique is a fragment from Kesey's novel in which McMurphy makes a bet. Since the fact that he will not be able to win the argument seems obvious to others, they gladly place bets. He loses. Gives money. And then he says the key phrase: “But I still tried, at least I tried.” With the help of this small detail, Ken Kesey conveys not only the way of thinking and character of McMurphy, but also the psychological state of other characters. These people are not able to take a decisive step. It is easier for them to be in unbearable conditions, but not to take risks.