THE PSYCHOANALYTIC
LITERARY CRITCISM:
A Study Guide on the Short Story,
FOOTNOTE TO YOUTH
By Jose Garcia Villa
BACKGROUND OF THE
PSYCHOANALYTIC CRITICISM
Psychoanalytic literary criticism refers
to literary theory which in method,
concept, or form, is influenced by the
tradition of psychoanalysis. Its main
focus is analysis of the mind and
behavior
Sigmund Freud
He famous Austrian psychoanalyst
and is the founder of psychoanalysis
who is influential in the field of
psychoanalytic literary criticism.
Jose Garcia Villa
José García Villa (August 5, 1908 –
February 7, 1997) was a Filipino
poet, literary critic, short story
writer, and painter. He is
considered one of the finest
literary poets regardless of race or
language.
He was born in Manila, Philippines, in 1908,
and emigrated to the United States in 1929.
He received a bachelor’s degree from the
University of New Mexico in 1932, He moved
to New York for graduate study at Columbia
University. Scribner’s published a collection of
stories called Footnote to Youth in 1933. Villa
died on February 7, 1997 in New York City.
Footnote to Youth (1933)
(A Philippine Short Story in English)
This is a story of a father who made a mistake in the
past and ended up living a hard life. Then he had a
son who is like him when he was young, hasty in
making the decision to get married.
Would he stop his son to repeat the same mistake he
made?
Could he stop his son to repeat that mistake?
PSYCHOANALYTIC
LITERARY CRITCISM
GENERAL PRECEPTS
EVIDENT IN THE STORY
General Precepts
Paragraph
According to PLC, “the work of (5) Thinking himself man –
the literature is entwined with grown, Dodong felt he could
the psyche.” Psyche refers to
do anything.
the spirit, soul; the mind
especially as a functional
entity governing the total
organism and its interactions
with the environment.
One of the aspects of
individual’s personality:
Id – concerned with pleasure
or desire; motivates behavior
in the most primitive ways,; it
drives aggression, anger,
sexual desire, hunger and all
the appetites.
Justification
Being young and
inexperienced Dodong thinks
he is invincible. He doesn’t
consider the consequences of
his actions. He is only after his
desires.
(14) “I am am going to marry
Teang,” Dodong said.
(16) “I will marry Teang,”
Dodong repeated. “I will marry
Teang.”
(31) “Son, if that is your
wish…of course…” There was a
strange, helpless light in his
father’s eyes. Dodong did not
read it, so absorbed was he in
himself.
The id which motivates
aggression is working its way
on Dodong’s emotions and he
may not even know it.
Dodong’s desire overwhelmed
him that he didn’t even read
the signs that his father is not
happy of his decision to let
him marry.
(70) “I am going to marry
Tona. She accepted me
tonight.”
(74) “I love Tona…and I want
her.”
(76)“You want to marry Tona,”
Dodong said. He did not want
Blas to marry yet. Blas was
very young. The life that would
follow marriage would be
hard…
Like Dodong, Blas exemplified
the aggression of youth. His
girlfriend just accepted him
that night and he already
wanted to get married. Again
aspect of personality that
controlled the character is the
Id.
The aspect of personality at
work here is the superego
because Dodong is an
experienced man, he already
know the consequences of the
Blas’ decision to get married
early.
General Question Guides
in Analyzing Literature through the
Psychoanalytic Criticism
Subject Matter
1. Is the literary piece entwined with the
mind?
2. Does the literary piece embody universal
human psychological processes and
motivations?
3. Does the literary piece represses its real
content behind obvious content?
4. Does the literary piece contain symbolism
to reverse the process of the dream work
and arrive at the underlying latent
thought?
Character/Persona
1. Does the character persona expresses the
unconscious desire and anxieties of the
author?
2.
Does the character/persona exemplify a
combination of conscious and unconscious
mind or behavior?
Style
1.
Does the writer used a language in the text
that means more than its surface?
2.
Is there meaning in the verbal plays?
Prepared by:
Dorina Michille Lubong
James Patrick Sayao
BSE III-A
Consultant:
Prof. Jahnese D. Asuncion