The Psychological Orientation Towards Growth in Lawrence Durrell's "The Alexandria Quartet" Page: 105
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105
In this chapter I discuss Durrell's theory that guilt
not merited "by bad behavior is a feeling of psychological
discomfort associated with the inhibition of growth. I
preface my discussion of this topic with a brief analysis
of merited guilt or regret for bad behavior and then turn
to the subject of unmerited guilt, almost entirely
presented in relation to Justine and her compulsive and
guilty desire to have many lovers, a desire associated
with her having been raped as a child by Capodistria.
I begin my discussion of Justine's guilt with a considera-
tion of her relationship with Arnauti, her first husband,
and her unsuccessful psychoanalytic treatment by Freud.
I then consider the repressive and restrictive nature of
society and religious injunctions as contributory factors
to Justine's guilt. I finally trace the resolution of
Justine's compulsion in her relationship with Pursewarden,
by her admission of an essential delight in having
experiences which to her are undesirable.
Guilt is a minor topic in The Alexandria Quartet.
Various characters display what I call merited guilt or
regret for bad behavior at different times. In Balthazar,
in recalling the pathetic story of Melissa, Darley
writes that "the memory of those days haunts me afresh,
torments me with guilts," and observes "that I was not
alone in feeling such guilt," citing Clea as feeling
"the guilt of the wound we were all of us causing
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Fordham, Glenn Wayne, Jr. The Psychological Orientation Towards Growth in Lawrence Durrell's "The Alexandria Quartet", dissertation, May 1981; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc330626/m1/111/?q=war: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .