Norman N. Holland (Books)

Norman N. Holland Books

Norman N. Holland is an American literary critic whose work delves into the psychological underpinnings of literary theory. He investigates how readers engage with texts and how their own psyches shape interpretation. His analyses illuminate the deeper layers of literary works and the cognitive processes involved in reading. Holland's contribution lies in bridging psychology and literary studies, offering a unique perspective on how we read and understand literature.

The Dynamics of Literary Response

408 pages
15 hours of reading

“The definitive work in psychoanalytic criticism, combining what went before with brilliant new insights and theoretical postulations. ― Psychiatry and Social Science Review Reading a poem or a novel, seeing a play or a film, is a special kind of experience. Yet the essential nature of that experience has remained a mystery. Philosophers have discussed the writer’s role, and critics the writer’s craft, but there has been little disciplined inquiry into the relation of literature to people’s minds―the way in which people re-create within themselves the literary experience. Norman Holland approaches the problem armed with a thorough understanding of psychoanalytic concepts, and develops a comprehensive theory of the psychology of literature that deals with poetry, theater, and film, as well as with fiction, myth, pornography, and humor.