Language of Selected Southeast Asian Authors: Basis for Psychoanalytic Analysis of Literary Texts

Authors

Albert C. Drio Sta. Lucia High School Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19653654

Keywords:

Character Development, Freudian Concepts, Language Analysis, Literary Texts, Psychoanalytic Theory, Subconscious, Thematic Analysis

Abstract

This study explored the language of selected Southeast Asian literary texts as a foundation for psychoanalytic literary analysis, focusing on how authors depict the psychological and emotional dimensions of characters. Employing a qualitative-descriptive design, the research examined narrative techniques, linguistic devices, and character traits across ten primary texts. Findings revealed ten core psychological themes: trauma and repression, identity and self-alienation, guilt and conscience, power and control, loss and grief, fear and paranoia, love and obsession, betrayal and trust, survival and resilience, and fate and free will—alongside six additional dimensions, including memory of the haunting past, isolation, conflict between tradition and modernity, repression of unconscious desires, identity and self-discovery, and power and oppression. Linguistic strategies such as fragmented syntax, stream-of-consciousness, metaphorical language, and sensory imagery, together with narrative techniques including unreliable narration, nonlinear narrative, multiple perspectives, and psychological focalization, illuminated characters’ inner lives, moral conflicts, and emotional turbulence. A Teacher’s Guide was developed to enable teachers to help students to critically analyze and interpret selected texts through a psychoanalytic lens, promoting reflective thinking, interpretive skills, and psychological awareness in literary education.

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