I psykets vildmark : En komparativ studie av Brott och Straff och Mörkrets Hjärta

Sammanfattning: The aim of analyzing Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment and Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is to study the symbolic undertones of each work from a Jungian psychoanalytical perspective. My thesis revolves around the archetypical story of man versus himself, that is to say, man versus psyche: his own demons personified as a reflection of nature and therefore the environment. The bulk of the analysis is described using narratological tools. By doing a close reading report I compare how the inner processes of the two novels’ protagonists are presented, in both imagery and style, using Aristoteles’ terminology in accordance with Gerald Prince’s definitions. The Jungian model and the concept of the shadow archetype is put into play in correspondence with Aristotelian terms such as anagnorisis and catharsis, where the chosen point of view (or focalization) is also discussed in its relationship to the psyche, characters and setting. The analysis leads me to conclude that the discussed archetypical themes found in the novels are used to portray an essential part of human existence. A recognizable pattern arises once we delve into and reflect upon the encounter with the unknown darkness (or shadow) that eventually leads to a newfound wisdom (catharsis).