An Interpretation Of Orlando From The Perspective Of Freudian Psychoanalysis

As an outstanding representative female writer in the twentieth century, Virginia Woolf has created a myriad of masterpieces of stream of consciousness. Orlando is a fantasy novel with innovative plots and ideas. Woolf depicts the life of androgynous protagonist Orlando over the four hundred years by means of an autobiography. Woolf expresses her own in-depth thinking of gender in Orlando. This thesis digs deep into the most profound meaning of the novel in light of the theory of Freudian Psychoanalysis. Meanwhile,it analyzes the character's personality and psychology based on Woolf's own experiences and writing purpose. This thesis includes four chapters. The first chapter gives a brief introduction about Woolf and her Orlando as well as current situation of researches on her and her works by both domestic and foreign scholars. The second chapter is focused on Freudian psychoanalysis, discussing Woolf's understanding of it. The third chapter dwells upon the theory of consciousness and unconsciousness, the personality structure namely id, ego and superego, life instinct and death instinct in Orlando on the basis of Freudian psychoanalysis. The last chapter is the conclusion,aiming to dig deep into the inner world of the character and the novel's influence on the era.