ABSTRACT
Creative Writing pedagogy is characterized by an inherent paradox. Even as academic programmes in the subject proliferate, and universities and colleges enthusiastically introduce or expand their offerings in what has in recent years become an immensely popular, even fashionable, area, the academy still adheres to the belief that Creative Writing can not really be taught. And to make this situation even more paradoxical, the most committed adherents of this cliché are often none other than the instructors themselves. The inevitable consequence of this mindset is that Creative Writing programmes unintentionally belie their name by playing down the ‘creative’ side of the discipline. Rather they focus on teaching students technical or craft aspects of writing: considerations of literary form and structure, effective use of point of view, diction, dialogue and description, ways to render character and construct plot. What cannot be taught, many instructors would insist, is the other, more elusive side, the side which has to do with the quality of the work, with talent, the side that falls under the broader heading of ‘Art’ and emanates from what we might consider the inner dimensions of the writer. Customarily, this internal dimension is not addressed in the vast majority of educational settings, and, if acknowledged at all, is generally considered out of the standard jurisdiction of the teacher. The teacher is not trained to deal with the student’s psyche, and some have even gone as far as to suggest that it might be dangerous for instructors to engage with what goes on in the inner reaches of our students’ souls (Bell 1997). The act of Creative Writing,
however, has as its goal self-expression, which naturally and conspicuously draws upon the writer’s inner world. Currently, Creative Writing instructors have no vocabulary to address this most important dynamic, let alone any method for facilitating it in their students. If, however, we consider the teaching of Creative Writing through a Jungian lens, not only could the independent reality of the inner world be acknowledged, but also specific Jungian concepts could provide tools to assist students and teachers in gaining access and understanding. In the following pages, I hope to offer some preliminary thoughts about how the paradox might be resolved.
