REPRESENTATION OF NARCISSISM IN TENNESSEE WILLIAMS’S SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER

Abstract

The concept of narcissism, named after a mythological hero, Narcissus, began to be used in psychoanalysis at the end of the 1800s. This concept, which was used to express the mental state of people who admire their own body and love themselves very much, is a psychological state that is discussed in detail in psychoanalysis by being expanded within this framework. Freud used the concept of narcissism in the sense of homosexuality and expressed it as a situation that can be seen in every individual. Narcissism, which can be considered as a part of normal development as long as it does not disturb the individual and his environment, can also become pathological with the variables in the development of the individual. It is common for individuals with narcissistic characteristics to constantly see themselves as right and superior, and to underestimate and value others. In this study, the main characters of Tennessee Williams, one of the important names of American theater, in his play Suddenly Last Summer will be examined in terms of narcissism. Williams, who is a playwright who deeply feels the crises he has experienced in his own life, deals with a main theme that can be evaluated in terms of narcissism in Suddenly Last Summer. The most obvious manifestation of narcissism in the play is Mrs. Veneable’s overconfidence in herself and her son, and that she has the right to humiliate and treat everyone else for herself.

Keywords

• Narcissism
• Tennessee Williams
• Suddenly Last Summer
• Psychoanalysis

References

1. American Psychiatric Association. (1994). (4th ed.). American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc..
2. Ashmawy, M. F. (2016). Ortaöğretim Öğrencilerinde dindarlık ve Narsisizm Sinop Örneği. [Yayınlanmamış Yüksek Lisans Tezi]. Ondokuz Mayıs Üniversitesi. Samsun.
3. Baranger, W. (2012). Narcissism in Freud. In J. Sandler, E. S. Person & P. Fonagy (Eds.), Freud’s “On Narcissism: An Introduction” (pp.108-130).
4. Ezici, T. (1995). Tennessee Williams’ın Kısa Oyunlarında Öz, Biçim ve Biçem Özellikleri. Yayınlanmamış Doktora Tezi]. Ankara Üniversitesi. Ankara.
5. Freud, S. (1977). On sexuality: three essays on the theory of sexuality and other Works. New York: Penguin Books. Fromm, E. (1973). The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness. Canada: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
6. Gençtan, E. (2013). Psikodinamik Psikiyatri ve Normal Dışı Davranışlar. İstanbul: Yaylacık.
7. Grinberg, L. (2012). Letter to Sigmund Freud. In J. Sandler, E. S. Person & P. Fonagy (Eds.), Freud’s “On Narcissism: An Introduction” (pp.95-107).
8. Kernberg, O. (2004). Borderline Conditions and Pathological Narcissism. Maryland: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers.

9. Kohut, H. (1983). An Analysis of the Self. New York: International Universities Press.
10. Lacan, J. (1949). The Mirror Stage as Formative of the I Function [Paper presentation]. 16th International Congress of Psychoanalysis 1949. Zurich, Germany.
11. Rapier, M. L. (2005). An Interview Study of Narcissistic Executives: Piercingthe Corporate Veil of Narcissism in the Workplace. (Yayınlanmamış Doktora Tezi). Faculty of Sayrbrook Graduate School and Research Center, San Francisco.
12. Treurniet, N. (2012). Introduction to “On Narcissism”. In J. Sandler, E. S. Person & P. Fonagy (Eds.), Freud’s “On Narcissism: An Introduction” (pp.75-94).
13. Yorke, C. (2012). Freud’s “On Narcissism”: A Teaching Text. In J. Sandler, E. S. Person & P. Fonagy (Eds.), Freud’s “On Narcissism: An Introduction” (pp.35-53). (dictionarycambridge.org Accessed: 15.08.2022)