Ian McEwan’s Characters in Žižekian Process of Subjectivity A Study of Ian McEwan’s Atonement and Solar

Amir Barati, Razieh Eslamieh

Abstract


Jacques Lacan’s (1901-1981) theory of subjectivity provides literary criticism with an authentic approach to the analysis of characters. Slavoj Žižek, also, supplies his own reading of the Lacanian theory by adding Hegel to the Lacanian Subject and generates his theory of ‘subject in process.’ Taken from Žižek’s words that “the status of the subject is thoroughly “processual”” (Žižek, 2010, p. 232), we have decided to call the Žižekian theory as processual subjectivity. Considering the psychoanalytic significance of the characters in the novels of the renowned British author Ian McEwan, we will apply the Žižekian theory of processual subjectivity on the main characters of Ian McEwan in two of his novels: Solar and Atonement. It is to be proved that this reading can lead to better appreciation and apprehension of characters’ psyche.

 


Keywords


Subjectivity, Processual Subjectivity, Psychoanalysis, Ian McEwan, Slavoj Žižek

Full Text:

PDF

References


Bressler, C. E. (1999). Literary Criticism: An Introduction to Theory and Practice (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall.

Brooks, P. (1987). The Idea of A Psychoanalytic Literary Criticism. Critical Inquiry, 13(2), 334.

Eagleton, T. (1985). The Subject of Literature. Cultural Critique, 2(2), 95.

Ellmann, M. (1994). Psychoanalytic Literary Criticism. London: Longman.

Evans, D. (1996). An Introductory Dictionary of Lacanian Psychoanalysis. London: Routledge.

Guerin, W. L. (1966). A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature. New York: Harper & Row.

Hawthorn, J. (1997). Studying the Novel: An Introduction (3rd ed.). London: Arnold.

Hegel, G. W., & Sibree, J. (1956). The Philosophy of History. New York: Dover Publications.

Rimmon-Kenan, S. (1983). Narrative Fiction: Contemporary Poetics. London: Methuen.

McEwan, I. (20022001). Atonement: A Novel. New York: N.A. Talese/Doubleday.

McEwan, I. (2010). Solar: A Novel. New York: Nan A. Talese/Doubleday.

Nabokov, V. (19601938). Laughter in the Dark (New ed.). New York: New Directions.

Rabate, J. (2001). Jacques Lacan: Psychoanalysis and the Subject of Literature. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave.

Žižek, S. (1992). Enjoy Your Symptom!: Jacques Lacan in Hollywood and Out. New York: Routledge.

Žižek, S. (2010). Living in the End Times. London: Verso.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.4n.2p.120

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.




Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

2012-2023 (CC-BY) Australian International Academic Centre PTY.LTD

International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature

To make sure that you can receive messages from us, please add the journal emails into your e-mail 'safe list'. If you do not receive e-mail in your 'inbox', check your 'bulk mail' or 'junk mail' folders.