The Symbiosis of Psychoanalysis and Fiction

Abstract

Literature and psychoanalysis enjoy a symbiotic relationship; Freud himself emphasized the link between artistic creation, escapist fantasy and emotional involvement. The transposition of the real world into fictional space, in accordance with the creator’s desire, is a process invested with emotion. Writers construct and enter imaginary spaces of representation where they can play roles by assuming characters, being fully responsible for the distribution of characters, which will lure the reader into identification or empathy. The reconciliation of psychoanalysis with the humanities is due not only to the literary skills of theoreticians such as Freud, Lacan, and others but also to strong affinities between Freudianism and fiction that are fully elaborated in this chapter.