Myth, Literature and the Unconscious – (M.A.)

The University of Essex is one of the UK's leading academic institutions, ranked ninth nationally for research excellence following the most recent Research Assessment Exercise (RAE).

Our interdisciplinary MA Myth, Literature and the Unconscious draws on complementary expertise in our Department and in our Centre for Psychoanalytic Studies. You critically explore a variety of theories of myth, both ancient and modern, but focus on the depth psychological theories of Freud and Jung, which postulate that the real subject matter of myth is the unconscious mind. With these theoretical foci, we examine the role of myth in literature, with special emphasis on mythic representations of the city in western culture and the uses of myth in some of the key texts of literary modernism, whose authors worked in an intellectual milieu informed by the new depth psychologies.

Graduates will develop key skills in oral and written communication, and will be able to work in an interdisciplinary way with literary and psychoanalytic texts, which will enhance your career prospects. Our course will also prepare you for possible progression to doctoral research.