Literature as transitional object. Between omnipotence and the relinquishing of magic investment

Donald Winnicott's model of the tolerance for paradox offers a new perspective on Edgar Allan Poe's pieces of literature and on the fact that ambiguous reference in fiction does not result in its being perceived as meaningless. In the present article, I argue that Edgar Allan Poe's writings sought to resurrect the satisfying illusion of what Donald Winnicott termed the transitional phase. In a sense, literature is the space where remnants of the subject's illusion of totally creative power over things and objects, its sense of omnipotence, must negotiate with and confront the reality principle. By being referential to a world to which it does not refer, fiction sets up the very condition which, according to Winnicott, founds the emergence of the self. Fiction thus may allow readers, in a paradoxical way (by their non-interfering presence), to experience the unspeakable as having a voice.

Automated summary

This article discusses the new perspective that Edgar Allan Poe's writings offer on Donald Winnicott's model of the tolerance for paradox, specifically that ambiguous reference in fiction does not result in its being perceived as meaningless. The article argues that Poe's works aimed to resurrect the satisfying illusion of the transitional phase described by Winnicott. Literature serves as a space where the subject's illusion of creative power and omnipotence must confront the reality principle. Fiction, by being referential to a world that it does not refer to, establishes the foundation for the emergence of self and allows readers to experience the unspeakable as having a voice through their non-interfering presence.