A novel on the human psyche
P. SUNDARESAN
THANTHAYIN KATHAI:
Se. Ganesalingan; Kumaran Publishers, 3(12) Meigai Vinayagar Street, off Kumaran Colony 7th Street, Vadapalani, Chennai-600026. Rs. 60.
SE.GANESALINGAN’S erudite introduction to this thought-provoking novel on the human psyche provides a springboard to the understanding of the innovative ideas of Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), hailed as the father of psychiatry. Among Freud’s tenets woven into this fictional work is that beneath the conscious mind is the unconscious that governs much of our behaviour.
The novel revolves round the Sri Lanka-based doctor Kumaresan who had fathered three sons and a daughter. It opens with the doctor’s demise due to a massive heart attack. But his fascination for the doctrines of Freud had left an imprint on those near and dear to him.
Among them was his close associate Sivalingam in the neighbourhood who felt a stunning blow. The progeny of the doctor held him in high esteem as he was interested in their welfare. The novel is fully reflective of the mental landscape. As the social world is a major preoccupation of the narrative, a sociological investigation may make one aware of the attitudes and assumptions that colour each character’s conduct.
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