Faulkner and Psychology

Characteristically William Faulkner minimized his familiarity with the theories of psychology that were current during the years of his apprenticeship as a writer especially those of Freud. Yet Faulkners works prove to be a trove for psychological study. These original papers from the annual Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference held in 1991 at the University of Mississippi vary widely in their approaches to recent psychological speculation about Faulkners texts. In recent years psychological analysis of literature has shifted largely from investigation of a writers life to a focus on the work itself. Whether applying the theories of Freud and Lacan drawing upon theoretical work in womens studies and mens studies or emphasizing the rigid determinacy of psychological pressure the essays included in this collection show Faulkners works to be unquestionably rich in psychological materials.