A. Arfaoui, Femininity and the Unconscious in the Work of the Young Goethe - A Jungian Approach to the Minor Works - Other Literary Studies

French Literature Reviews - 2026

A. Arfaoui, Femininity and the Unconscious in the Work of the Young Goethe - A Jungian Approach to the Minor Works
Other Literary Studies

Amina Arfaoui, Femininity and the Unconscious in the Work of the Young Goethe - A Jungian Approach to the Minor Works

Saarbrücken: Editions Universitaires Européennes, 2012.

328 p.

EAN 9783841789365

96.00 EUR

Publisher's Description:

This study, dedicated to the early plays of Goethe—The Lover's Caprice, Brother and Sister, Lila, and The Triumph of Sensibility, along with his monodrama Proserpina—examines the function of female characters in relation to the representation of the unconscious. While the analysis references the thesis of American psychoanalyst K.R. Eissler, who highlights the role played in the writer's unconscious by his sister Cornelia and by Charlotte von Stein, the chosen method of interpretation is primarily inspired by a Jungian approach, owing to its focus on the collective unconscious and its manifestations through archetypes. Thus, alchemical symbolism is employed to identify images arising from the unconscious, highlighting the significance of the recurring figure of the mediator and the Hermetic element. Lacanian concepts are also applied to analyze the play-within-a-play technique, particularly in interpreting The Triumph of Sensibility. The aim of this research is to demonstrate the significance of these minor plays, which ultimately appear to be drafts for major works such as Iphigenia or The Tale.

Amina Arfaoui is a professor of German literature at the University of Manouba (Tunisia). Her work focuses particularly on Goethe, Kleist, Brecht, and Dürrenmatt.

By focusing on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's lesser-known early plays, this study situates itself within the rich tradition of psychoanalytic literary criticism. While traditional biographical readings often trace Goethe's creative impulses to his relationships with his sister Cornelia or Charlotte von Stein, Amina Arfaoui shifts the focus toward Carl Jung's theories. By exploring the collective unconscious and archetypal figures, the author decodes the alchemical and hermetic symbols embedded in these texts. This approach highlights how the female characters in these minor works function as mediators between the conscious mind and the deeper, symbolic realms of the human psyche.

This volume is particularly valuable for scholars of German literature and researchers interested in the intersection of psychoanalysis and drama. It addresses the critical question of how an author's minor, early writings serve as essential developmental drafts for later masterpieces like Iphigenia or The Tale. By integrating Lacanian concepts alongside Jungian analysis, Arfaoui provides a multi-layered framework for interpreting theatrical techniques such as the play-within-a-play. Students and specialists of Weimar Classicism and literary theory will find here a fresh perspective on the psychological depth of Goethe's early creative period.