A Seminar by Mary Pyle
Mary’s doctoral thesis was based on exploring the unconscious reasons why the series appeals not just to the teenage group which it is aimed at, but is enjoyed by much younger children as well as adults of all ages. I approach the question from the object relations stance, in particular basing it on the ideas of Winnicott. Linking psychoanalysis and literature is not new but this brings in a new dimension.
Mary’s primary degree was in English Literature which she subsequently taught to university entrance level. Later she trained in psychoanalysis which she has practised and taught for many years. She five original members of the Irish Forum for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (IFPP) and later a member of the group which established the Irish Institute of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (IIPP). She has returned to English Literature and completed her doctorate on ‘Harry Potter and the Unconscious Dimension’ in 2022.