Dinamiche di relazione fra uomo e donna nel Genji monogatari e nello Yoru no nezame analizzate secondo l’orientamento psicodinamico

The use of psychoanalitycal theory in literary criticism is commonly accepted – except when it is focused on pre-modern literature. Nevertheless, as not only psychologist Kawai Hayao and psychoanalyst Doi Takeo but even Japanese celebrated writer and Heian literature scholar Enchi Fumiko demonstrated, pre-modern literature and psychology can interact in several ways and this is especially true for Genji monogatari. Using Geni monogatari and Yoru no Nezame as case studies, this article focuses on the psychodynamical interpretation of three phenomena typical of women’s way of living sentimental relationships in monogatari: being used by a male character as a substitute for an impossible loved one; being possessed by a rival’s spirit, so that the female character is enabled to show her resentment; and abandoning the world to escape from a disappointing relationship.