Unveiling a collector's psyche: A psychoanalytic study of John Fowles's novel The Collector

The main purpose of this thesis is to discuss and analyze Frederick Clegg, the main character in John Fowles's novel entitled The Collector, within the context of psychoanalytic literary theory to reveal when and in what way a butterfly collector acquires the collecting behavior, and to investigate how this behavior turns into an obsession in adulthood. Traumatic experiences are expressed through specific changes in behavior and ritualistic participation in potentially criminal acts. Therefore, in the current thesis, the experiences and behaviors of the novel's main character in early childhood and adulthood are evaluated. The data obtained are interpreted by making use of the studies of distinguished theorists and experts in the field of psychoanalysis such as Freud, Jung, Lacan, Randy O. Frost, Donald Black, David Tolin, Bowlby, and Ainsworth. According to the results of the research, Clegg's hobby of collecting butterflies in his early childhood was reinforced by the traumas he experienced during his childhood. This hobby turned into an obsession in adulthood, causing him to kidnap a woman and cause her death.