Lina Alzouabi

Literature has always been linked to psychoanalysis by literary critics and literary theorists in the academic field of literary criticism or theory. The Freudian psychoanalytic approach focuses primarily on exploring and analyzing an individual’s inner world. This study examines Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto from the viewpoint of the psychoanalysis theory founded on Freud’s interpretations of the behaviours of human beings and discusses the novel from that perspective. These behaviours result from the subconscious part of humans and in which they are connected to internal and external conflicts. Freud believes the unconscious mind is the root of all strange behaviours and mental illnesses and points out that the social context is a significant factor in these afflictions. The study aims to apply psychoanalytic theory to analyze in-depth the self-conflict, repetition of language, and taboos that appear in The Castle of Otranto to present examples of internal or external conflicts that are held in the subconscious as being part of human beings’ essence, and eventually as the primary source of disturbance of human behaviour.

Purpose This study aims to address the social, cultural, financial and psychological obstacles these women face in preserving their living arrangements and in parenting as well as the coping mechanisms women adopt to overcome everyday challenges. Researchers used qualitative methodology and interviews to fulfill the aims. Design/methodology/approach Researchers used qualitative methodology and interviews to fulfill the aims. The sample consists of 20 Syrians living in Jordan’s Amman, Irbid and Al Ramtha in specially designed compounds for them (14 widows and 6 divorcees). Findings This study’s findings demonstrate that social and cultural norms existing in Jordan and Syria are generally similar, in which women view the males in the family as a source of socioeconomic and emotional stability for them. Widows and divorcees face serious sociocultural, financial and psychological challenges in maintaining their living conditions and the integration process as well as performing single p...

Following two world wars, the human essence was affected by pessimism and a loss of faith. As a result, new existentialist literature was produced, resulting in a new wave of absurdist fiction plays. The theatre of the absurd was first termed by Martin Esslin, whereas the term ‘absurd’ was first used by Albert Camus in his classic essay ‘The Myth of Sisyphus’. Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot,” a tragic comedy, (1952) is among the most mysterious dramas of the twentieth century that represents the philosophy of absurdism. By adopting the philosophy of theatre of the absurd in analyzing “Waiting for Godot,” this study focuses on Beckett’s employing the dual motif in the plot of the play and its implications, represented in chances that play a significant role rather than logic in the characters’ lives. As a result, the study concludes that Beckett’s use of such a technique underlines the equal opportunities in the world of the play, where chances have their effects on humans; Godo...

Following two world wars, the human essence was affected by pessimism and a loss of faith. As a result, new existentialist literature was produced, resulting in a new wave of absurdist fiction plays. The theatre of the absurd was first termed by Martin Esslin, whereas the term 'absurd' was first used by Albert Camus in his classic essay 'The Myth of Sisyphus'. Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot," a tragic comedy, (1952) is among the most mysterious dramas of the twentieth century that represents the philosophy of absurdism. By adopting the philosophy of theatre of the absurd in analyzing "Waiting for Godot," this study focuses on Beckett's employing the dual motif in the plot of the play and its implications, represented in chances that play a significant role rather than logic in the characters' lives. As a result, the study concludes that Beckett's use of such a technique underlines the equal opportunities in the world of the play, where chances have their effects on humans; Godot might or might not come, and the characters might leave or not: illustrating the unpredictability of the real world.

The industrialization of England during the Victorian era had an impact not only on society's structures but also on people's moral ideals. Charles Dickens sought to demonstrate that the power of the surroundings outweighed the power of people and that certain values and standards were more essential than a human being. This study illustrates how people in Charles Dickens' novel Our Mutual Friend (1864-65) are caught between society's immoral and corrupt values and moral standards that lead to death or imprisonment. By placing Philip Collins's Dickens and Crime as a framework, this study demonstrates how individuals and society are intertwined, as well as how traditional ideals can lead to people's incrimination. The presentation of parallel worlds in the characters' striving to gain societal acceptance produces an ill environment which rejects who does not submit to its rules. The study attempts to demonstrate that morality and criminality are frequently controlled by societal principles and people's needs, resulting in various types of suffering by presenting different plots of good and evil and different backgrounds of characters.

This study reads Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist and Great Expectations as crime novels by applying Sutherland's theory of "differential association" which postulates that criminal behavior is learned rather than inherited, and it is learned through interaction with other people within intimate personal groups in which one learns techniques and acquires motives for committing crimes. In Oliver Twist, Oliver is portrayed as a victim of the corrupted social environment as well as Monks' conspiracy with Fagin to drag him down to the underworld.; he is raised as an orphan in a workhouse and subjected to mistreatment. Thus, he unknowingly indulges in Fagin's gang and learns the crime of pickpocketing, as all the members of the gang come from a poor background and are taught how to commit crimes within the gang, their intimate social group. Nancy's poverty also compels her to join the gang, which ultimately leads to her death, as criminality is not innate in he...

This study explores how Charles Dickens presents a panoramic picture of social and moral crimes, criminals, victims and the causes as well as consequences of criminality in his novel Hard Times (1854). By employing Collins' Dickens and Crime (1964), the article provides a reading of Dickens' Hard Times as a crime novel, arguing that this novel is not only a social commentary on England in the Victorian era for the purpose of achieving social reform at the time. It is also a crime novel, portraying different types of crimes with various motives and criminals from different backgrounds and classes. Gradgrind, a follower of the utilitarian philosophy, manipulates his daughter Louisa into marrying the capitalist Bounderby for social and economic benefit, which, as a result, gets her to be exploited by Harthouse. In addition, Gradgrind's philosophy has affected his son Tom who has turned into an idle and selfish person, stealing the bank and indicting Stephen and indirectly c...