Madness, badness, sadness: Aldous Huxley and the shifting shadow of psychoanalysis

Sidaway, Adam James (2011). Madness, badness, sadness: Aldous Huxley and the shifting shadow of psychoanalysis. University of Birmingham. M.Phil.

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Abstract

The influence of Freud on Huxley’s fiction has been frequently understated in criticism. Examining key periods both in history and in Huxley’s life, this thesis reassesses the long-held critical belief that Freud was frequently dismissed by Huxley as ‘bunk’, instead proposing that psychoanalysis was in fact one of Huxley’s major and most enduring intellectual obsessions. Whilst engaging with some of his major novels, this thesis is also concerned with the short stories and novellas that have received rather less critical attention, collectively revealing both the depth and nature of Huxley’s obsession with the concepts of psychoanalysis. This thesis is a radical revision of this contested facet of criticism, proposing that Freud and psychoanalysis were never the subject of satirical attack, but were instead weapons in the satirical artillery against a post-war society that grew increasingly neurotic.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Masters by Research > M.Phil.)

Award Type:

Masters by Research > M.Phil.

Supervisor(s):