What is psychologism in literature? The definition of this concept will not give a complete picture. Examples from fiction should be given. But, in short, psychology in literature is an image of the hero’s inner world through various means. The author uses a system of artistic techniques, which allows him to deeply and in detail reveal the mental state of the character.
The concept
Psychology in literature is the transfer by the author to the reader of the inner world of his characters. Other forms of art possess the ability to convey sensations and feelings. But literature, thanks to its imagery, has the ability to depict the state of mind of a person to the smallest detail. The author, trying to describe the inner world of the hero, gives details of his external appearance, the interior of the room. Often in the literature, a technique such as landscape is used to convey the psychological state of the characters.
Poetry
Psychologism in literature is the disclosure of the inner world of heroes, which can have a different character. In poetry, he usually has an expressive property. The lyrical hero conveys his feelings or carries out psychological introspection. An objective knowledge of the inner world of man in a poetic work is almost impossible. Emotions and feelings are transmitted quite subjectively. The same can be said of dramatic works, where the hero’s inner experiences are conveyed through monologues.
A striking example of psychologism in poetry is Yesenin's poem "The Black Man." Although the author conveys his own feelings and thoughts in this work, he does it a little detachedly, as if observing himself from the side. The lyrical hero in the poem is talking with a certain person. But at the end of the work it turns out that there is no interlocutor. A black man symbolizes a sick consciousness, torment of conscience, oppresses perfect mistakes.
Prose
The psychologism of fiction was particularly developed in the nineteenth century. Prose has a wide range of possibilities for revealing the inner world of man. Psychologism in Russian literature has become the subject of study by domestic and Western researchers. The techniques used by Russian writers of the nineteenth century were borrowed by later authors in their work.
The image systems that can be found in the novels of Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky have become role models for writers around the world. But you should know that psychologism in literature is a feature that can only be present if a human person is a great value. He is not able to develop in a culture in which authoritarianism is inherent. In literature, which serves to impose any ideas, there is no and cannot be an image of the psychological state of an individual.
Psychology of Dostoevsky
How does the artist reveal the inner world of his hero? In the novel Crime and Punishment, the reader learns the emotions and feelings of Raskolnikov by describing the exterior, interior of the room, and even the image of the city. In order to reveal everything that happens in the soul of the protagonist, Dostoevsky is not limited to the presentation of his thoughts and statements.
The author shows the environment in which Raskolnikov resides. A small closet, reminiscent of a closet, symbolizes the failure of his ideas. Sonya's room, on the contrary, is spacious and bright. But most importantly, Dostoevsky pays special attention to the eyes. At Raskolnikov they are deep and dark. Sonya is meek and blue. And, for example, nothing was said about Svidrigailov’s eyes. Not because the author forgot to give a description of the appearance of this hero. Rather, the point is that, according to Dostoevsky, people like Svidrigailov have no soul at all.
Psychology Tolstoy
Each hero in the novels “War and Peace” and “Anna Karenina” is an example of how subtly the master of an artistic word can convey not only the torment and experience of the hero, but also the life that he led before the events described. Psychological techniques in literature can be found in the works of German, American, and French authors. But Leo Tolstoy’s novels are based on a system of complex images, each of which is revealed through dialogues, thoughts, and details. What is psychologism in literature? Examples are scenes from the novel Anna Karenina. The most famous of them is the race scene. On the example of the death of a horse, the author reveals Vronsky's egoism, which subsequently leads to the death of the heroine.
Quite complex and ambiguous are the thoughts of Anna Karenina after a trip to Moscow. Having met her husband, she suddenly notices the irregular shape of his ears - a detail that she had not previously paid attention to. Of course, not this feature of Karenin's appearance repels his wife. But with the help of a small detail, the reader learns how painful for the heroine a family life becomes, filled with hypocrisy and lacking mutual understanding.
Psychology of Chekhov
The psychologism of Russian literature of the 19th century is so pronounced that in the works of some authors of this period the plot fades into the background. This feature can be observed in the stories of Anton Chekhov. Events in these works do not play a major role.
In the story “Lady with a Dog,” Chekhov not only reveals the inner world of his heroes with the help of seemingly insignificant details, but also creates a kind of opposition to the outside world. With the change of the Yalta landscape, the Moscow writer clearly conveys the emotional transition that Gurov is experiencing. In the dialogues and scenes there are also details that Chekhov includes in the narrative is by no means accidental. Anna Sergeyevna reveals her soul to Gurov, and meanwhile he eats mandarin with appetite. The same Gurov later, while in cold autumn Moscow, seeks to share with someone his feelings for a Yalta acquaintance. He begins to tell his friend about Anna Sergeyevna, but he does not hear him, and speaks of the freshness of the sturgeon, which they had just tasted in a restaurant. Love and sublime feelings in the story are opposed to callousness and everydayness through dialogue.
Forms of psychological image
Psychology in 19th century literature is expressed through various artistic details. All of them can have both direct meaning and indirect meaning. If the text says that the hero blushed and lowered his head, then we are talking about a direct form of psychological image. But in the works of classical literature, more complex artistic details are often found. In order to understand and analyze the indirect form of the psychological image, the reader needs to have a sufficiently developed imagination.
In Bunin’s short story “The San Francisco Master,” the hero’s inner world is conveyed through a landscape image. The main character in this work says nothing at all. Moreover, he does not even have a name. But the reader understands about what he represents and what his way of thinking is from the first lines.
Psychologism in the prose of foreign authors
Bunin was inspired by the novel by Thomas Mann to write a story about a rich and unhappy person from San Francisco. The German writer in one of his small works depicted the psychological state of a person who, for the sake of passion and lust, dies in a city affected by an epidemic.
The short story is called "Death in Venice." There are no dialogs in it. The hero’s thoughts are expressed in direct speech. But the author conveys the internal torment of the main character with the help of many characters. The hero meets a man in a frightening mask, which seems to warn him of mortal danger. Venice - a beautiful ancient city - is shrouded in stench. And in this case, the landscape symbolizes the destructive power of lustful passion.
"Flying over Cuckoo's Nest"
Ken Kesey wrote a book that has become a cult. In the novel about a man who ended up in a psychiatric clinic in order to avoid imprisonment, the main idea is not the tragic fate of the heroes. The mental institution symbolizes a society in which fear and lack of will reign. People are not able to change anything and resign themselves to an authoritarian regime. Strength, determination and fearlessness symbolizes McMurphy. This person is capable, if not to change fate, then at least try to do it.
The author can convey the psychological state of the heroes in just one or two lines. An example of this technique is a passage from Kesey’s novel, in which McMurphy bets. Since the fact that he will not be able to win the dispute seems obvious to others, they are happy to bet. He is losing. Gives money. And then he says the key phrase: "But I still tried, I at least tried." With this little detail, Ken Kesey conveys not only McMurphy's mindset and character, but also the psychological state of the other characters. These people are not able to take a decisive step. It’s easier for them to be in unbearable conditions, but not risk it.