A Study On Heroine’s Sex Orientation In Winterson’s Two Semi-autobiographies From The Perspective Of Jungian Archetypal Theory

Jeanette Winterson is a well-known and controversial contemporary British female writer.Her first semi-autobiographical novel,Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit,has received widespread attention from Western literary critics upon its publication and won the “Whitbread Prize for Best Debut” in the same year.In 2011,she publishes her memoir Why be Happy When You Could Be Normal? which won the "Lambda Literary Award" for its outstanding artistic and social value.The two semi-autobiographical novels by Winterson published when she is 25 and 50 years old respectively together tell the stories and insights of the protagonist,Jeanette Winterson,at different stages of her life.Through a close text reading from the perspective of Jungian archetypal theory theory,the thesis firstly explores three key complexes that have impact on Winterson’s sex orientation at the level of the personal unconscious,namely,the mother complex,the father complex,and the knight complex.Winterson’s negative mother complex alienated and antagonized her from her adoptive mother,and she unconsciously transformed her desire for maternal love into a search for love between women.The thesis then explores the key archetypes that interact with Winterson’s sex orientation at the level of the collective unconscious,primarily the animus,the persona,the shadow,and the self.Due to her unique upbringing,Winterson’s personality is more masculine than feminine.At the same time,the normal projection of Winterson’s animus archetype is frustrated,leading to a deviation in Winterson’s perception of gender from social expectations.After falling in love with a girl,Winterson’s two identities: devout believer and well-behaved daughter are increasingly at odds with her homosexuality.Therefore,she chooses to give up the existing persona,which is the insistence on the true sex orientation,the pursuit of same-sex love.On the other hand,this decision is also a release of a major desire in the shadow of Winterson.The two major desires in Winterson’s shadow are the pursuit of same-sex love and the desire for identity recognition,respectively.Her oppression of the latter desire,however,fragmented her life and sent her into schizophrenia.It is not until Winterson enters the stage of self-integration,where her gender identity has been understood and recognized by others as well as herself through the reconciliation of internal and external factors,that she truly becomes a whole individual.The study of Winterson’s sex orientation under perspective of archetypal theory,the thesis aims to enable readers to understand more about Winterson’s sex orientation from a psychological level and to look at different sex orientations in a more objective and inclusive way,so as to promote the development of diversity in human social civilization and the formation of a society where multiple gender forms coexist harmoniously.At the same time,the thesis shows a Winterson’s journey to establish a balance between social life and individuality,revealing the fictional nature of gender division and pointing out the multiple possibilities of human existence.