Self-realization And The Process Of Individuation

The psychology of C.G. Jung is brought to literary criticism. Jung himself applies his psychological theories to the production and criticism of literature, which in return is drawn on in support of his theories. Individuation is Jung's term for his concept of subjective processes whereby the ego is continually deconstructed by the archetypal processes of the unconscious. It consists of four parts: become conscious of the shadow; become conscious of animus/anima; become conscious of archetype; become conscious of self. This thesis explores the four stages of individuation in Villette and draws a conclusion that Villette is a success of individuation.In the introduction, Charlotte Bronte and her Novel Villette are briefly introduced. The review of criticism on the novel and Jungian theory are also presented.The first chapter of this thesis analyzes the first step of individuation. The shadow, in this novel, takes the form of a ghost nun which represents the repressed part in Lucy's mind, which is actually her longing for love and happy life. The evolution of Lucy's view on the nun—from fear to acceptance and finally to her exploration—suggests the overcoming of the shadow.The second chapter explores the second stage of the process of individuation. Lucy becomes conscious of her inner masculinity, namely the animus. In the performance, she feels that it is horrible and tries to resist it. But gradually she transforms it to the"projection". She projects her animus firstly but falsely on John and finally and successfully on Paul.In chapter three, it arrives at the third stage. The archetype in Lucy's unconscious emerges into her conscious when she has resonance with Vashti, who in the novel is a great actress but in fact is a symbol of women's archetype. Vashti is a queen in the Bible. Different from other women, she is self-confident, firm-willed and self-reliant. Her virtue and power awakes the archetype in Lucy's unconscious and makes her grow. Chapter four discusses Lucy's self-realization. The self is simply the center and totality of the entire psyche. It is so powerful that when self possesses people, the ego would lose control of the personality. Lucy's unconscious roam reveals some truth which later encourage her to the final maturity.Chapter five researches into the relationship between Charlotte and Lucy. Without any doubt, Lucy is the speaker of the author. And so the individuation of Lucy is Charlotte's. Charlotte makes great effort on the tough process of individuation and her success owes a lot to her character, her religious belief and her endeavor.The conclusion emphatically analyzes and summarizes that the Novel Villette perfectly displays a process of individuation.