The thing About Freud

There's this interesting little thing about Sigmund Freud when it comes to AP courses. He seems to sneak his way into every single one of them. He's the basis of most psychological greats in the AP Psyche course. He's the reason everything connects to sex in lit. He developed theories that help us understand why the poletics of our gov class run the way they do. As in music, where everything is either Pacabelle or John Philip Souza, in the world of AP, everything is Shakespear, the Bible, of Freud. But why is he everywhere. What in our culture is so enamored with him that his ideas continually pop up. Actually, the answer may lie in the whole "all stories are connected" thing. We love Freud because he put what we already see in society into words. Society came first and Freud just analyzed it. So the reason Freud turns up is because he already permeated society so much in the first place, only we didn't know it was him yet. What does this mean for literature? This gives us yet another vantage point to look at what we read. Where is that from? It sounds a little like Freud!

Is It REALY a Cigar

It was astutely noted in "How To Read" that Sigmund Freud once told a patient that "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." But given what I know both about literature and psychology, everything can have a meaning or a purpose, even if it's not what the author intended. We subconsciously draw lines and parallels to everything we read- the hero's journey, the fall from grace, a setting or character from another story, so even if the author in unaware of the connections, they have still been influenced by The things they have read and heard, drawing parallels just by that influence. Therefore, we, as readers should find those parallels as well. The meaning of what a writer says is not only up to the writer, but also how the reader interprets it. A cigar may be just a cigar to the author, but to the reader, it could have o whole host of meanings.

Why is The Bard Everywhere

Shakespear- it's all Shakespear. Why do writers go back to the bard so often? What is it abut his works that are so relatable. Well, for one, he had so many. If you can't find a relatable situation in the Shakespearian play you're reading, there are dosens of remaining plays to go through. The sheer volume of work that Shakespear did means that no matter how much you use it, there will always be a reference you haven't made. Secondly, he wrote about people. There may be witches and faires, but the problems faced by his characters are very human and deal with jealousy, fear, hate, anger, and love, some of the most raw human states. If your character needs to appear indecisive or worked up, reference Hamlet. If they need to be fooled into a self destructive action, draw a parallel with Othello. If a character is dealing with harsh and opressive social environments, look no further than the "star-crossed lovers." And as an added bonus to why we all love Shakespear, he's already everywhere. People know him and understand references to him, regardless of whether they've read his work. He is a universal watering hole for ideas.

The Importance and Reoccurrence of a Quest

Being a lover of adventure novels and fiction, I am aware and comfortable with the archetypes and elements of a quest. The hero and his journey, his ultimate goal and the obstacles he must face, the vilan and his relentless quest to deter the hero. All of these are familiar concepts, but I found it so fascinating how often they reoccur in stories outside of the usual quest- genre. The real purpose of the quest is not for the physical prize- it's for the character's personal growth.  A good example would be Shrek- he wants to be left alone so he goes on a quest to regain his privacy. Along the way he discovers that life is a lot better when you're not alone. The journey is for self-improvement, not a material goal.