
Glimpses of Id Domination and Abreaction in Ian McEwan’s First Love, Last Rites
Author(s) -
Sonal Singh
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
smart moves journal ijellh
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2582-4406
pISSN - 2582-3574
DOI - 10.24113/ijellh.v8i1.10333
Subject(s) - conversation , criticism , literature , art , history , psychoanalysis , sociology , psychology , communication
First Love, Last Rites, a collection of short stories by Ian McEwan was published in 1975. This was the first work written by McEwan that consist eight short stories with estranged and perplexed themes. Ian McEwan received a mixed reaction of criticism as well as appreciation by the readers. The stories are usually of fifteen to twenty pages with the following titles – “Solid Geometry”, “Homemade”, “Last Day of Summer”, “Cocker at the Theatre”, “Butterflies”, “Conversation with a Cupboard Man” and “First Love, Last Rites” and “Disguise”. The author has also included a short story named after the title of his collection. There are numerous aspects in the stories where either the narrators or the protagonists talk about their suppressed emotions or fulfilled desires without being concerned about the societal norms and environment around them. This paper will analyse eight short stories of McEwan in light of the psychoanalytical terms, ‘Id Domination’ and ‘Abreaction’.