Final answer:
Psychoanalytic literary criticism focuses on the characters' subconscious minds, revealing their psychological dimensions and hidden motivations within literary works.
Step-by-step explanation:
Psychoanalytic literary criticism is primarily concerned with characters' subconscious minds. This approach to literature delves into the psychological dimensions of characters, exploring themes such as dreams, repressed wishes, and unconscious desires. Developed by figures like Sigmund Freud, psychoanalytic criticism often interprets texts through the lens of Freudian concepts, including the Oedipus complex, repression, and the role of the unconscious. Literary works are analyzed not just for their overt content but for the hidden psychological struggles and motivations of characters. In contrast to other forms of criticism, which may focus on historical context or literary devices, psychoanalytic criticism uniquely homes in on the internal psycho-emotional state of literary characters and how these states influence the narrative.
This type of criticism is exemplified by Frederick Crews psychoanalytical reading of Nathaniel Hawthorne's characters, where Crews sees a reflection of thwarted Oedipal desires and repression. An understanding of psychoanalytical criticism can enrich our comprehension of literature by revealing deeper layers of meaning related to human psychology and interaction, which are often not immediately apparent on the surface of the text.