Androgyny In Anglo-American Fictions

The concept of"androgyny"in Carl G. Jung's concept belongs to the system of mythology and archetype. That is, each individual has some characteristic of the opposite sex.Anima is the soul of man and his feminine inner personality, which is present in the unconscious of the male. And animus is the masculine inner personality present in women. The mother archetype stems from an intensification of all anima instincts. These three combine to make the full sense of androgyny. Jung's theory of androgyny scarcely touches classical literary works. But it is of slightest reason to suppose that literary criticism is immune from this psychology concept. It includes all animals with articulated body and limbs and so gives a name to this phenomenological group. The introduction is dealt with. A general account of the history of androgyny previous and studies of three fictions are presented. Jung's androgyny concept is different from that of Virginia Woolf's. The short story A Rose for Emily demonstrates the overdevelopment of mother archetype. Under the guise of Miss. Emily's servant, Tobe clung to her and enveloped her in his protecting, nourishing and maternal circle.The American novel Fall of the House of Usher concerns the overriding of animus. Lady Madeline was driven by ruthless animus; she succeeded in distorting not only her personality but also that of her brother's. The English novel Wuthering Heights illustrates the overrunning of anima. Anima softens the Heathcliff's character and makes him touchy, irritable, moody, jealous, vain, and unadjusted. Those are the detrimental element of the tragic ending.At last there is the conclusion that three works present three concepts respectively, and the Anglo-American literature is still peopled with countless examples of androgyny.