New lenses for literature #2

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 In 11 AP, we learned a bit about the different lenses that readers can analyze the characters and/or themes that are in literature. Here is the link: https://chineseaccordionboi.blogspot.com/2019/11/after-learning-about-different-lenses.html. It honestly feels great to learn more about things that I have interacted with in the past like the different literary theories. I think a lot of these different literary theories can be used in almost every book to explore new ideas or themes that may or may not have been intended by the author. Oedipus Rex is a great example of a story that can be viewed under many lenses.

The most prominent and famous one is through the psychoanalytic lens. The term "Oedipus Complex" refers to the "unconscious sexual desire for the opposite-sex parent and hatred for the same-sex parent." This is a theory by Sigmund Freud that allows readers to understand the story of Oedipus through a new lens. The readers can directly relate the prophecy to Oedipus's unconscious
mind because they literally state the same thing. The prophecy shows that Oedipus will marry his mother and kill his father. This perfectly resembles the Oedipus Complex which means that Oedipus's actions might seems controlled by fate or totally out of his control, but he actually unconsciously wanted to commit his crimes. 

While some literary theories like the psychoanalytic lens suggest that Oedipus reached his tragic end by his unconscious desires or his own actions, others can offer suggestions that blame fate or divine punishments for the ending. From a religious lens, a reader might say that while Oedipus took extreme measures to prevent his prophecy and considers himself almost equal to god, no one can truly outrun the fate assigned by god. I am not a religious person, but I know that in many religions, there are rules in place that can bring divine punishments upon people who have committed crimes. Similarly in Oedipus's case, a religious person could also say that because he has committed those crimes against his father and mother, he is punished by discovering the truth about his parents from god.

Literary Theories like these are so important for opening up new areas in great works of literature for the readers to explore. They can create many interesting debates and allow literature to evolve. 

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