Set this house on fire: the self-analysis of Raymond Carver.
The convergence of features of Raymond Carver's short-story oeuvre and of psychoanalytic methodology suggests that Carver's writing served as the fulcrum and focus of a self-analytic experience. Within this model, his stories function as container and mirror of myriad aspects of the writer's self. Tracing the developmental arc of the contextual meanings of one motif--fire--through six stories and their ur-texts demonstrates gains comparable to certain analytic goals, including enhanced integration, accountability, and self-awareness. Over time, Carver's narratives of rage, impotence, and despair give way to a new story: of mourning, forgiveness, and the rekindling of hope.
Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, USA. atutter@mac.com
Adele
A
Tutter
D003405:Creativity; D004532:Ego; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011572:Psychoanalysis / Q000266:history* / Q000379:methods*; D011573:Psychoanalytic Interpretation; D012649:Self Concept; D012647:Self-Assessment; D014167:Transference, Psychology; D014956:Writing