Psychology in literature is ... Psychology in literature: definition and examples

What is psychology in literature? The definition of this concept will not give a complete idea. Examples should be given from works of art. But, to put it briefly, the psychology in literature is an image of the hero's inner world through various means. The author uses the system of artistic techniques, which allows him to deeply and in detail reveal the state of mind of the character.

The concept of

Psychology in literature is the transfer of the characters to the reader of the inner world. The ability to convey feelings and feelings and have other kinds of art. But literature, thanks to its imagery, has the ability to depict the state of a person's soul to the smallest detail. The author, trying to describe the inner world of the hero, gives details of his external appearance, interior of the room. Often in the literature for the transfer of the psychological state of the characters used a technique such as landscape.

Poetry

Psychology in literature is the disclosure of the inner world of heroes, which can have a different character. In poetry, he, as a rule, has an expressive quality. The lyrical hero conveys his feelings or performs psychological introspection. Objective knowledge of the inner world of man in a poetic work is almost impossible. Emotions and feelings are transmitted quite subjectively. The same can be said about dramatic works, where the hero's inner experiences are transmitted through monologues.

A vivid example of psychologism in poetry is Esenin's poem The Black Man. In this work, though the author conveys his own feelings and thoughts, he does it somewhat detached, as if watching himself from the side. The lyrical hero in the poem talks with a certain person. But at the end of the work it turns out that there is no interlocutor. The black man symbolizes the sick consciousness, the torture of conscience, the oppression of perfect mistakes.

Prose

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

The system of images, which can be found in the novels of Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky, became an example of imitation for writers around the world. But you should know that psychology in literature is a feature that can only be present if the human person is a great value. He is not able to develop in a culture that is inherent in authoritarianism. In literature, which serves to impose any ideas, there is not and can not be an image of the psychological state of an individual person.

Psychological Dostoevsky

How does the artist reveal the inner world of his hero? In the novel "Crime and Punishment" the reader learns Raskolnikov's emotions and feelings by describing the exterior, the interior of the room and even the image of the city. In order to reveal all that occurs in the soul of the protagonist, Dostoevsky does not confine himself to an exposition of his thoughts and utterances.

The author shows the situation in which Raskolnikov is staying. A small closet resembling a closet symbolizes the inconsistency of his idea. Sonya's room, on the contrary, is spacious and bright. But most importantly, Dostoevsky pays special attention to the eyes. In Raskolnikov they are deep and dark. Sonya has meek and blue eyes. 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, it's all about the fact that, according to Dostoevsky, people like Svidrigailov have no soul at all.

Psychology of Tolstoy

Each hero in the novels "War and Peace" and "Anna Karenina" is an example of how subtly the master of an artistic word can convey not only the torments and emotions of the hero, but also the life that he led to the described events. Methods of psychology 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, details. What is psychology in literature? Examples - scenes from the novel "Anna Karenina." The most famous of them is the race scene. On the example of the death of a horse, the author reveals Vronsky's selfishness, which subsequently leads to the death of the heroine.

Quite complex and ambiguous are the thoughts of Anna Karenina after a trip to Moscow. When she meets her husband, she suddenly notices the wrong shape of his ears - a detail she did not pay attention to before. Certainly, this feature of Karenin's appearance does not repel his wife. But with the help of a small detail the reader learns how painful for the heroine is a family life filled with hypocrisy and devoid of understanding.

Psychology of Chekhov

The psychology of Russian literature of the 19th century is so vividly expressed that in the writings of some authors of this period the plot goes to the background. This feature can be seen in the stories of Anton Chekhov. The events in these works do not play a major role.

In the story "Lady with a 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 surrounding world. With the help of the change of the Yalta landscape to the Moscow writer, he expresses the emotional transition experienced by Gurov. In the dialogues and scenes there are also details that Chekhov includes in the narrative is not accidental. Anna Sergeevna reveals her soul to Gurov, and in the meantime he eats a tangerine with appetite. The same Gurov later, staying in the cold autumn Moscow, seeks with someone to share his feelings for Yalta acquaintance. He begins to tell his friend about Anna Sergeyevna, but he does not hear it, and talks about the freshness of the sturgeon, which they had just tasted in the restaurant. Love and sublime feelings in the story are contrasted with callousness and commonness through dialogue.

Forms of psychological image

Psychologism in the literature of the 19th century is expressed through various artistic details. All of them can have both direct value, and indirect value. If the text says that the hero blushed and lowered his head, then it is a direct form of psychological image. But in the works of classical literature, there are often more complex artistic details. In order to understand and analyze the indirect form of the psychological image, the reader needs to possess a sufficiently developed imagination.

In Bunin's story "Sir from San Francisco," the inner world of the hero is transmitted through the depiction of the landscape. The main character in this work does not say anything at all. Moreover, he does not even have a name. But the reader understands what he is and what his way of thinking is, from the first lines.

Psychology in the prose of foreign authors

To write a story about a rich and unhappy man from San Francisco, Bunin was inspired by a novel by Thomas Mann. German writer in one of his small works depicted the psychological state of a man who, for the sake of passion and lust, perishes in a city embittered by an epidemic.

The novel is called "Death in Venice". There are no dialogues in it. The thoughts of the hero are set forth with the help of direct speech. But the author's inner tortures are transmitted through a set of symbols. The hero meets a man in a frightening mask, which seems to warn him of the deadly danger. Venice - a beautiful old city - is enveloped in a stench. And in this case, the landscape symbolizes the destructive power of lascivious passion.

"Flying over Cuckoo's Nest"

Ken Kesey wrote a book that became cult. In the 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 heroes. 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 are reconciled with the authoritarian regime. Strength, determination and fearlessness symbolizes McMurphy. This person is capable, if not to change destiny, then, at least, try to do it.

The author can transmit the psychological state of the heroes in only one or two cues. An example of such a reception is a fragment from the novel Kizi, in which McMurfy concludes a bet. Since the fact that he will not be able to win the dispute seems to others obvious, they are happy to bet. He loses. He gives money. And then he pronounces the key phrase: "But I still tried, I at least tried." With the help of this little detail, Ken Kesey not only transmits the mindset and character of McMurphy, but also the psychological state of the other characters. These people are not able to make a decisive step. It's easier for them to be in unbearable conditions, but do not take chances.