Worksheet #3

Due Wednesday February 27

Same rules and guidelines as the previous two worksheets: work to answer one of the following questions, which are listed in order from most accessible to most challenging. NOTE: if you've been doing well on the previous worksheets, try a more challenging question this time! You can also make up your own question, but be sure to check with your TA first.

1. What is the "unconscious" according to Freud? How is it formed? How is the unconscious part of a binary opposition? What are the two main mechanisms the unconconscious uses to "code" information, and what are their literary counterparts? Give specific examples of each.
   

2. Discuss Freud's explanation of how a baby turns into a person with an "appropriate" adult sexuality. How does Freud's pathway to adulthood differ for boys and for girls? What are some of the psychological, sociological, and/or literary implications of Freud's ideas?
   

3. Discuss the significance of the "mirror stage" in Lacan's explanation of how a baby turns into a "self." How does Lacan's pathway to adulthood differ from Freud's? In what ways are they similar? What might be some of the psychological, sociological, and/or literary implications of Lacan's ideas?
   

4. Explain Lacan's idea that "the unconscious is structured like a language."