Freud and the Creative Writer: An analysis of Writing, Dreaming and the Interpretation of Dreams

Abstract

Freud well known for his psychoanalytic theory relates to art in general but focuses on literature in particular. In his thought provoking essays Creative Writers and Daydreaming and The Interpretation of Dreams, Freud like many other writers before him tries to analyze from where the creative writers draw his inspiration and materials and why they have such a tremendous influence on the readers. Freud links this to the activity closest to creative writing and draws our attention to the unconscious or suppressed emotions of our childhood. Splendidly blending science and literature, Freud draws our attention and forces us to rethink the significance of the unconscious minds. Comparing fantasies, the plays of children and dreams, the paper tries to explore and understand Freud’s significance in the contemporary literary scenario. It aims at analyzing the perennial question as to what prompts a creative piece of literature and the forces that distinguishes one man form another even though all men may be ‘poets at heart.’