Identity Crisis In New Grub Street

George Robert Gissing (1857-1903) is one of the famous novelists in thelate-Victorian era. Among his prolific works, New Grub Street (1891) which portrays agroup of literary men struggling in1880s London, is widely recognized as the pinnacle ofhis career and the most significant fiction on the subject of writing profession in Englishliterature.Although the discussion on New Grub Street in the west and China has covered avariety of issues, critical attention has not been paid to the problematic identity of thecharacters that the story reveals. Their identity crisis not only plays an important part incharacterization, but also contributes to the theme of the novel. This thesis probes into thepsyche of major characters and defines two types of identity crisis in adulthood-one isunderachievement in career, the other is ill-developed intimacy in romantic relationshipand family ties. The study further shows that the crisis results from the conflict betweenindividual personality and social expectation. The former has concern with the earlyexperience of the characters; the latter refers to the interpersonal context and historicalbackground of the novel. The identity issue in New Grub Street mirrors the existential andspiritual crisis of literary men in an era of sweeping changes.Based on Erikson‘s theory, this thesis applies psychoanalytic approaches toinvestigate five protagonists and elaborates on the formation, evolution and solution ofidentity crisis. Introduction offers an overview of Gissing study and relevant identity theory,and develops new arguments. Chapter One centers on Edwin Reardon‘s crisis in career andmarriage. Chapter Two analyses Alfred Yule‘s troubles regarding literary achievements andfamily authority while Chapter Three explores his daughter, Marian Yule and the anxiety ofher dual identity in terms of gender and profession. Chapter Four focuses on JasperMilvain and Amy Yule, two utilitarians that undergo confusion in mate choice.The thesis tries to contribute to the development of Gissing study by revealing a freshperspective to make psychosocial interpretation of his writing. It provides an update on thecategory of adult identity crisis according to different sources that compose a stableidentity, and indicates that the fluctuation or shortage of sources forms a direct threat to the original identity of the characters. Moreover, the thesis attempts to reflect the socialinfluence on individual development with adoption of a historical view on the examinationof root cause.