ABSTRACT
It is clear enough that some understanding of basic Marxist concepts is important if we want to be able to read an avowedly Marxist critic like Jameson. But there are other non-Marxist traditions that are also crucial, and foremost amongst these is the tradition that stems from the work of Sigmund Freud (1856-1939).This chapter looks at the psychoanalytical mode of criticism derived from Freud’s work, and provides a vital background to a full sense of Jameson’s work. It also provides an introduction to psychoanalytical theory and criticism, which has had as wide a currency in contemporary thought as Marx’s ideas.
