Embracing the shadow: Archetypal dynamics in the Romantic age (William Blake, Mary Shelley, Theophile Gautier, Gerard de Nerval, France)

Embracing the Shadow: Archetypal Dynamics in Romantic Literature Embracing the Shadow Archetypal Dynamics in Romantic Literature examines the role of Jungian archetypes, especially the shadow and the archetypal feminine, in selected Romantic texts from the British and French traditions. Chapter one introduces the Jungian methodological approach which is employed throughout the entire dissertation. The author proposes that many Romantic era poets and writers projected their psychological struggle with the shadow (repressed and rejected thoughts, ideas, and attitudes) and the archetypal feminine into the plots and characters of their stories, novels, and poems. The author also argues that alchemical symbolism exists in the shadow-feminine dynamics exhibited in various Romantic texts.; The second chapter analyzes William Blake's mythos by examining the archetypal dynamics symbolically portrayed in his short epic, Milton. In the work, the English poet, John Milton, reincarnates to confront his shadow, represented by Satan, and reunite with his feminine counterpart, Ololon.; Chapter three demonstrates that in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein the conflict between Victor Frankenstein and his Creature (his shadow) is both a critique of Percy Bysshe Shelley's idealism and an example of the failed union of the alchemical king and queen.; In chapter four, archetypal dynamics and alchemical imagery are examined in La Morte Amoreuse and Le Chevalier double by Théophile Gautier. In La Morte amoreuse, a young priest named Romauld is seduced by a mysterious female entity. He is torn between his moral and ethical responsibilities to the Church and his sensuous desire for his mysterious lover. In Le Chevalier double, a young knight suffers from a split personality until he confronts his shadow (his double) and wins union with a beautiful and worthy lady.; Chapter five examines Aurélia by Gérard de Nerval. In this novella-length work, Nerval displays his descent into madness and his return to stability through a series of visionary experiences. His confrontation with his shadow, the dissolution of his personality, and his recovery parallel the alchemical process as interpreted by Carl Jung.; Chapter six concludes by synthesizing the dissertation's main ideas, indicating their influence on post-Romantic writers, and proposing other areas of investigation, particularly in German literature.