#18 Freud, Morality, and Fairy Tales 11.18.00 Lecture 18 – Freud Goes Global: From Little Red Riding Hood to the Roots of Civilization The Abstract: In the last lecture, we considered the Freudian ideas of repression anddefense. In this lecture (and the next, perhaps), we will talk about two other sets of termsthat have entered our vocabulary. First is Freud’s “Structural Psychology” of Id, Ego, andSuperego. In talking about these, we will see how Freud saw the interaction of the persondrama and the larger dramas of civilization. In a nutshell, Freud thought that repression,guilt, anxiety, and so forth were the price that had to be paid for civilization. In the secondpart of the lecture, we will turn to Freud’s developmental theory of Oral, Anal, and Phallic(or Oedipal) stages. Each of these is, in reality, less about bits of the body and more aboutbig issues facing a child (or adult). Is the world safe? Who controls me? What kind ofperson am I? We will discuss this in the context of fairy tales because, among otherpurposes, this will show how Freudian concepts can be used as a lens through which to seeliterary texts. Lecture Notes PART ONE: Freud's Structural Psychology Ego, Id, & Superego were part of the attempt to explain how amoral babies grow into moral adults Begin with an new born infant. From Tennyson’s poem, In Memoriam The baby new to earth and skyWhat time his tender palm is pressedAgainst the circle of the breastHas never thought that "This is I?"But as he grows he gathers much,and learns the use of "I and me,"And finds I am not what I see,And other than the things I touch. Back to Freud What does baby want? pleasure NOW The ID = a collection of unbridled desires The initial state is of an infant is all ID. Where does pleasure come from (a glance ahead) Oral pleasures, oral issues Anal issues: Who is in control here? Phallic / oedipal issues Am I a boy or a girl? page 1 of 4#18 Freud, Morality, and Fairy Tales 11.18.00 The EGO grows out of the collision of little Mr. ID with reality. The ego must thwart the id. The start of repression Morality gets more complex in the Oedipal stage of development. The oedipal conflictStage 1: competitionStage 2: capitulationStage 3: internalization The SUPEREGO is (at first) the internalized voice of the father (mother) Superego is not the same as your conscience __________ is the weapon of the super-ego. ___________is the warning system for the ego. Freud’s theory of civilization (see Civilization and its discontents (1930s) The wacky bits The important bits To be civilized means that you will suffer from anxiety and guilt. PART TWO: What shall we tell the children? Bettelheim, Bruno (1975) The uses of enchantment : the meaning and importance of fairytales. New York : Knopf Freud’s developmental psychologyORAL----ANAL----PHALLIC----LATENCY----ADULT What kind of a story is that for little kids? What are fairy tales about? What are fairy tales…period? A coded language … why? What are the characteristics of fairy tales? 1) 2) 3) page 2 of 4#18 Freud, Morality, and Fairy Tales 11.18.00 4) 5) What do parents know about this? The evolution of tales How could crazy stories about giants and trolls etc. address real problems in kids? Hansel and Gretel as an example of …. Jack and the Beanstalk - an early oedipal tale Classic male oedipal tales Female oedipal stories are different….How and why? Snow White About those dwarves Little Red Riding Hood – Jack and the Beanstalk for girls? Animal groom stories Kiss the frog Beauty and the Beast page 3 of