Seeking a Utopia in the Past to Endure the Present: A Jungian Reading of The Realms of Gold - Issue 6 - Abstract

Oct 15, 2026

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This paper applies a Jungian approach to Margaret Drabble’s novel The Realms of Gold, aiming to reveal features that make the work distinctive and widely read. It classifies the main characters by psychological types, tracing how monologues and narrator judgments disclose personality and inner attitudes. The protagonist Frances Wingate is compared with other key figures to show how different types may coexist. Jungian individuation makes psychological type especially significant, notably in relationships between the sexes and broader interpersonal interactions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Psychological Types and Character Comparison

Jungian Individuation and Interpersonal Relationships

Advances in Language and Literary Studies ISSN: 2203-4714 Vol. 5 No. 6; December 2014 Copyright © Australian International Academic Centre, Australia Seeking a Utopia in the Past to Endure the Present: A Jungian Reading of The Realms of Gold Shahram R. Sistani (Corresponding Author) Department of Foreign Languages, Bahonar University of Kerman Kerman, Iran E-mail: [shahramsistani@gmail.com](shahramsistani@gmail.com) Farzaneh Bagheri Department of English, Azad University, Central Tehran Branch Tehran, Iran E-mail: [ffbagheri@yahoo.com](ffbagheri@yahoo.com) Doi:10.7575/aiac.alls.v.5n.6p. 173 URL: [http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.5n.6p.173](http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.5n.6p.173) Received: 07/08/2014 Accepted: 14/ 10/2014 Abstract This paper attempts a Jungian approach to Margaret Drabble ’s novel The Realms of Gold. Jungian reading has been taken up to unravel the distinctive characteristics which make this novel so unique and popular. The focus of the paper is to classify the main characters of the novel in terms of their psychological types. In this novel from the beginning the reader is introduced to an atmosphere which is related to the personality of the main character Frances Wingate. Her thoughts are introduced to the readers in form of monologues. By the usage of these monologues and the narrator’s judgments on the characters their psychological types can be implied. The protagonist is compared with the other major characters to illuminate to what extent different types can get along with each other. In Jungian psychology knowing about our psychological type is a crucial issue in the process of individuation. It gets more significance when it comes to opposite sex relationships or generally any kinds of interaction. Keywords: extravert, introvert, Carl. J. Jung, personality type, psychological attitude, value judgment 1. Introduction Margaret Drabble is one of distinguishing contemporary novelists of England. She is acclaimed as such,“who gained a sizeable audience who felt their own discoveries and dilemmas in the contemporary world”(Contemporary Novelists, p. 267) . Her realistic approach towards life was warmly praised by reviewers. In an interview with Bernard Bergonzi Drabble remarks,“I don’t want to write an experimental novel to be read by people in fifty years, who will say, ah, well, yes, she foresaw what was coming. I’m just not interested. I ’d rather be at the end of a dying tradition, which I admire, than at the beginning of a tradition which I deplore”(p. 65) . In most of her novels she deals with the problem of being a good citizen. Her novels have been criticized by many feminist and cultural critics. As such Virginia K. Beards considers her novels didactic,“The conversion of sexual protest into novels is what makes her interesting. The choices of artist over activist and imitation over frontal attack allow a subtlety and sensitivity that politics frequently precludes”(p.18) . Among the most precious reading of The Realms of Gold we can mention an essay by Cynthia C. Davis,“Unfolding Form: Narrative Approach and Theme in The Realms of Gold.” She discusses the open-endedness of Drabble ’s writing and gives a thematic reading of the novel. She asserts, The Realms of Gold, then, is sometimes “self-reflexive,” but as a tool, not an end; such elements are severely limited so that they increase awareness of the novel ’s form without destroying its realism. Unlike those novels that aim above all to enforce a sense of the fiction as an artificial construct and by doing so encourage speculation on the act and laws of fiction-making or on the literary tradition, The Realms of Gold has primarily extraordinary concerns. (p.141) Ellen Z. Lambert in “Margaret Drabble and the Sense of Possibility” pays attribute to Drabble ’s criticism of contemporary English society. She emphasizes how Drabble renders a particular mood and a specific mental condition. Some o

FAQs

What method does the paper use to analyze The Realms of Gold?

It uses a Jungian reading to examine the novel and to uncover characteristics behind its uniqueness and popularity.

How does the paper determine the psychological types of characters?

It infers psychological types through monologues, narrator judgments, and comparisons among major characters, especially Frances Wingate.

Why does Jungian psychology matter in the paper’s argument?

It argues that knowing one’s psychological type is crucial for individuation, with special importance for opposite-sex relationships and other forms of interaction.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Cipher