Narkose og myndighed

om psykoanalyse og litteratur

Abstract

In the first part of this article the limits of our understanding of the behaviour of others are pointed out. Consequently, it is argued that in or der to understand both behaviour and literary texts we need to rely on theories with high explanatory power, such as
psychoanalysis. Next, the relationship between psychoanalysis and literature (and literary scholarship) due to the faet that both work with fantasies is stressed. The second part suggests a taxonomy of the human fears and desires that are considered
to be anthropological invariant. In the third part it is suggested that literature is the type of discourse that articulates fears and desires. Finally it is suggested that reading literature means that the reader allows a foreign fantasy to take root and in his psyche
and to influence his conscious and unconscious life - without loosing authority.