Institute of Scientific Information for Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia, e.v.sokolova@inion.ru
The article dedicated to the memory of the Austrian writer, poet, philosopher Ingeborg Bachmann (1926–1973) explores the central pair of her only novel published during her lifetime, Malina (1971): the mysterious union of a woman-narrator “I” and a man named Malina. Along with well-known biographical interpretations (considering the narrator “I” as the voice of the writer herself, and Malina as a reflection of the Swiss writer Max Frisch), the article critically rethinks some psychoanalytic interpretations of the system of characters in the novel (likening them to Jung's “partial souls”). Basing on archetypes in K.G. Jung’s understanding, the article proposes to see in Malina (“an imaginary spiritual biography” of the author) a chronicle of one unsuccessful attempt to break through the “Ego” to the “Self” (Jung), during which the relationship between "I" and the title character sometimes resembles relationship of a “Wiseacre” and a “Simple”, psychoanalyst and patient (the Second chapter). The main obstacle to the successful integration of shadow contents in the novel is the “symbolic order” prevailing in society and its discursive practices infected with violence. They make it extremely difficult for a child (in this case, a daughter) to become an adult and to get in touch with her productive and creative part in psychology called the “inner child” оr “Child” (Berne).
the twentieth century Austrian literature; Ingeborg Bachmann; Malina; Animus and Anima; “Self”; Carl Jung
Download textFor citing: Sokolova E.V. (2023). Riddles of the central couple of Malina (50 years since the death of Ingeborg Bachmann). Human being: Image and essence. Humanitarian aspects. Moscow: INION RAN. Vol. 3(55): “Simpleton” and “scribe” in and around literary fiction, pp. 168-185. DOI: 10.31249/chel/2023.03.09