Psychoanalysis and Literary Theory

'There are many classic books on literature and psychoanalysis, but they tend to have been written twenty or thirty years ago. Mathew Martin’s Psychoanalysis and Literary Theory: An Introduction is a timely and perceptive study of a subject that has changed dramatically in the intervening years. In its depth and breadth of knowledge, its readability, and its new insights, it will be valuable for anyone who wishes to learn more about classical psychoanalytic literary theory, as formulated by Freud, Klein, Winnicott, and Lacan, as well as psychoanalysis’ profound impact on feminism, queer theory, postcolonialism, and trauma theory. Neither a Freud idealizer nor a Freud basher, Martin presents an admirably balanced view of the founder of psychoanalysis. The book is not only an excellent introduction but also a nuanced analysis that will be of interest to students and teachers of literature and psychoanalysis. Martin’s new book will become, I predict, the authoritative study for many years.'

Jeffrey Berman, Distinguished Teaching Professor at University at Albany, SUNY, USA