Abstract
Sir John Harington's irreverent and iconoclastic Metamorphosis is subjected to the psychobiographic method of inquiry. The author is first analyzed in the context of his environment and his personality structure. The volume is shown to yield several distinct thematic foci: waste as a product, with its attributions of prurience, omnipotence, divinity, and evil; the eliminatory process and its prominence in life; and the Jakes as a locale which is intrinsically related to power, vulnerability, and thanatos. Each of these themes is pursued in a synthesis of psychoanalysis, text analysis, and historical context. The study yields a poignant profile of a valiant challenge to taboo, while revealing the basic dynamics of a rigid and rule-moribund culture.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 99-114 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Current Psychology |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| State | Published - 1997 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Psychology