“The spirit of malevolence survives the practical exertion of it. We learn to curb our will and keep our overt actions within the bounds of humanity, long before we can subdue our sentiments and imaginations to the same mild tone. We give up the external demonstration, the brute violence, but cannot part with the essence or principle of hostility.”

The writer tries to explore human sentiment (malevolence) in the above lines. Select the aspect that is reflected here.

Correct option is A

Explanation:

The passage examines the deep-rooted nature of malevolence in human beings, suggesting that while people may control their outward expressions of aggression, they cannot easily rid themselves of inner hostility. This aligns with psychoanalysis, particularly Freudian theory, which explores repressed emotions, unconscious desires, and internal conflicts in human behavior.

Key psychoanalytic concepts in the passage:

• The idea that humans suppress external acts of violence but struggle to remove the inner feeling of hostility corresponds to Freud’s concept of repression.
  
• The struggle between outward civility and internal hostility mirrors Freud’s id (instinctual aggression), ego (rational mediator), and superego (moral control).
  
• Even when overt violence is eliminated, the principle of hostility remains, suggesting the persistence of unconscious drives.
• Since the passage delves into human psychology and subconscious drives, the correct answer is psychoanalysis.
  

​
​Information Booster:

A critical approach shaped by Sigmund Freud's research on human behavior and the unconscious. According to Freud, human responses to the outside world are shaped by the battle between the ego, id, and superego—three opposing impulses in the psyche—and the relationship between parents and children. In the beginning, psychoanalytic literary theory involved studying the symbols found in a particular work, applying psychoanalysis to the author or the main character, and looking for unconscious or latent meaning behind the evident language.

Freud himself published many essays in this manner, applying his theories to figures such as Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Ibsen’s Rebecca West.

Later psychoanalytic theory, which was influenced by Jacques Lacan, concentrated on language and the unconscious and shared some issues with poststructuralist and deconstructionist theories.

Psychoanalytic theory has been enormously influential on a number of other theories, such as reader-response and feminist theory, as well as on individual thinkers. 

Psychoanalysis in Literature:

- Psychoanalytical readings focus on the relationship between literature, the unconscious mind and our conscious actions and thoughts.

- Writers explore themes of repression, guilt, dreams, and internal struggles, aligning with Freudian theories.

Freud’s Model of the Mind in Relation to the Passage:

• Id: The primitive part of the mind driven by instincts (including aggression).
  
• Ego: The mediator between instinctual desires and societal expectations.
  
• Superego: The moral consciousness that suppresses unacceptable urges.
  

Key Themes in Psychoanalysis Applied Here:

• Repression: People suppress their violent tendencies but cannot fully eliminate inner hostility.
  
• Instinct vs. Control: A conflict between primal aggression and social expectations.
  
• The Unconscious Mind: Even when external actions are controlled, internal emotions persist.
  
  

Examples of Psychoanalysis in Literature:

Shakespeare’s Hamlet → The protagonist's hesitation is often seen as repressed desires and unconscious conflicts.

Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment → Explores guilt, repression, and morality, central to psychoanalytic study.

Conrad’s Heart of Darkness → Investigates hidden savagery within civilization, a key Freudian theme.

Additional Knowledge:

"Comparative" →
A comparative approach analyzes similarities and differences between two texts or ideas. .

"Linguistic" →
Linguistics focuses on language structure, syntax, phonetics, and semantics.

"Structuralism" → 
Structuralism examines underlying structures in language, culture, and literature to understand meaning