Moral Suppression, Social Norms, and the Human Mind: Psychoanalysis in "Wieland" by Charles Brockden Brown
Eighteenth century American literature has yet to witness the science of psychoanalysis that Sigmund Freud had introduced in the 19th century. Psychoanalytic theory posits that people are influenced by unconscious forces, wherein an individual's innate desires and drives are contained within. Upon the conceptualization of psychoanalytic theory, literary works and analysis have portrayed characters and events derived from Freud's basic concept of the unconscious and repressed desires of individuals.
One century apart, and yet, Freudian psychology is already evident in the literary work of Charles Brown, author of the novel "Wieland," written in 1798. In the novel, readers witness the tragic story of the Wielands, a brother and a sister who confronts, unsuccessfully, the reality that they can no longer hold on to society's norms. The commitment of murder and downfall of the Wielands towards the illogical provides an illustration of the unconscious, of repressed desires, at work in the characters of the novel. Ultimately, Brown wants his readers to contemplate the degree of understanding that society has about morality, ethics (what is right or wrong), and justice.
This paper discusses how deviation from the moral standards of the society is characterized through the character of...
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