Mirrored Sublimation

In Mirrored Sublimation: Essays on the Early Work of Knut Hamsun, Lisa Yamasaki examines a small selection of the Norwegian dramatist Knut Hamsun's early work that reveals the theme of sublimation from a psychoanalytic perspective. Although Hamsun wrote many short stories, plays, and novels in the late nineteenth century, Yamasaki focuses on those that comprise Hamsun's portrayal of sublimation as a culmination of erotic love for humans in nature and art. She also contrasts Hamsun's representation of sublimation with a play by Henrik Ibsen and a novel by Sigbjorn Obstfelder to solidify Hamsun's unique portrayals. While other scholars have been drawn to the more controversial aspects of Hamsun's work, Yamasaki suggests that an examination of how he represented the relationship between women, nature, and art shows his vulnerability, usually more evident in the representation of his male protagonists. Furthermore, to reveal the interconnection between literature and life, Yamasaki includes academic braided essays and her illustrations of Hamsun's works to demonstrate how the investigation itself comments on the topic of sublimation, thus mirroring the phenomenon. Through the combination of the literary analytical essays, academic braided essays, and the illustrations, she portrays how the three approaches to this topic contribute to a more enriched understanding of the topic and could further enhance the relationship between literature, art, and analysis.