Literature and the unconscious

Interdisciplinary approaches to criticism contribute to greater understanding of literary texts. The principles of psychoanalysis reveal that many opinions often expressed about African and African American literary works are 'interogable'. Within the context of psychoanalytic principles, it is unarguable that biology and culture work together to shape the lives of individuals, and literary works which portray human actions should highlight influences of unconscious factors on characters' behaviour.This study investigates unconscious determinants of disorientative behaviour in female protagonists of selected novels written by selected Black women. The study utilizes Sigmund Freud's theory of the unconscious, Jacques Lacan's theory of the Other, Melanie Klein's Object Relations theory and Julia Kristeva's theory of 'Abjection' to investigate and identify unconscious determinants and hidden forces responsible for disorientative behaviour of the protagonists in the texts studied. Some of the disorientative behavioural traits identified in the protagonists include: Neurosis, Psychosis, Sexuality problems, Aggression, Dysfunctional or Horrific Love, Neurotic Depression and Melancholia.