David Copperfield | Psychological Projection in David Copperfield and Franz Kafka's Work
In the following essay, Spilka explores and compares psychological projection in David Copperfield and Franz Kafka’s work.
When we speak of psychological fiction, we generally mean the use of probing methods, like introspection or analysis; or we mean enveloping techniques, like point of view and stream of consciousness, which simulate the flow of inner conflict. But there is another kind of fiction, the projective novel, in which surface life reflects the inner self. David Copperfield belongs to that tradition. As the hero views the world, his feelings fuse with outward action, and his selection of events advances inward meaning. Franz Kafka saw this when he called Amerika his ‘Dickens...
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