Which critical approach focuses on desire, dream-work, Oedipus complex, and archetypes in the collective unconscious?

• A. Structuralism
• B. Psychoanalytic interpretation
• C. Trickster studies
• D. Mythic time

Answer: (B)

The main concept tested is the psychoanalytic interpretation of literature, which treats narrative and myth as expressions of unconscious desires and conflicts. This approach examines dream-work—the way latent wishes and fears are disguised in dreams and symbols within a text—and considers Oedipal dynamics in family relationships as a lens to understand character motivation and theme. It also draws on Jung’s idea of archetypes in the collective unconscious—universal symbols that appear across cultures and shape the motifs and imagery in myths and stories. Together, these elements illustrate a psychoanalytic reading: uncovering hidden motivations, symbolic meanings, and psychological patterns behind what happens in the text.

Structuralist approaches focus on structures of language and culture rather than psychic forces; Trickster studies looks at the role and symbolism of the Trickster figure; mythic time deals with how myths represent time rather than individual or collective psychology.