The effect of psychological realism in 19th century & early 20th century fiction: a close study on Henry James’s The Portrait of a Lady & James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Abstract

Human beings are complex living beings because of the intricate interaction of their mental processes and their psychological background. The premise of psychological realism is that a text’s universe can only be credible, significant and enlightening if the author has a solid foundation on, and accurately depicts, the human mind and personality. Therefore, psychological realism is prominently a character-driven genre of fictional writing, because of the emphasis on the characters’ inner lives and reasons. Rather than portraying a comprehensive picture of a multifaceted universe, psychological realism is usually employed to demonstrate a single reflecting human event. It refers to an approach of human reality that emphasizes its psychological aspects. Therefore, psychological realism is comprised of both psychological and environmental factors. A psychological text is a piece of prose fiction that has a major focus on internal characterization and motivations, circumstances and internal activities that precede, accompany and construct upon exterior actions. The theory is mostly relevant and appropriately existent within most of the works of 19th century literature, including many works of Fyodor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, George Eliot, Edith Wharton, Henry James and James Joyce. In my paper, I will critically analyze the effect of psychological realism within the texts of Henry James and James Joyce, putting a particular emphasis on Henry James’s The Portrait of a Lady and James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. The purpose of my research is to show how psychological realism can still be considered relevant within the works of contemporary prose fiction, and how did it help to shape the concept of self and identity, thereby contributing to the contemporary literary fragmentation. Additionally, this research will compare and contrast between Henry James’s and James Joyce’s protagonists within the selected primary texts and hypothesis, proceeding to establish James Joyce as a successor of Henry James.