A short presentation aboutFrank O'connor and one of his most well-known works: My Oedipus Complex.

1. MY OEDIPUS
COMPLEX
By FRANK
O’CONNOR

2. 1. FRANK O’CONNOR:
2. MY OEDIPUS COMPLEX:
A – OEDIPUS COMPLEX
B – SUMMARY
C – CHARACTERS
D – SETTING
E – THEMES
F – POINT OF VIEW
G – CONFLICTS
H - TECHNIQUE

3. FRANK O’CONNOR
Frank O'Connor (born Michael
Francis O'Donovan; 17 September
1903 – 10 March 1966) was an Irish
writer of over 150 works, best
known for his short stories and
memoirs. The Frank O'Connor
International Short Story Award is
named in his honour.

4. Frank O'Connor was raised in an extremely chaotic
environment in which his only refuge was his mother,
Minnie. While his father was an addicted drunkard
who could not refrain from exceeding all credit limits,
O'Connor's mother took full responsibility of the
household and supported the family single-handedly.
In addition, O'Connor's father berated him with
derogatory comments toward his masculinity. His
father found it outlandish that instead of wrestling,
Frank preferred to read. As a result, O'Connor's
writing is scarred with the stains of his tumultuous
childhood.
In 1914, he attended St. Patrick's National School
under tutelage of Corkery.
In 1918, he joined the First Brigade of the Irish
Republican Army in its resistance to British rule. He
was imprisoned in the Gormanstown camp between
1922 and 1923. His wartime experiences factored into
his decision to publish "The Big Fellow," a biography of
an Irish Independence leader.
Frank O’Connor’s mother,
Minnie.

5. Following the war, the polyglot O'Connor took
various positions, including that of an Irish
teacher and librarian. In 1931, Mr. O'Donovan
switched over completely to Frank O'Connor, and
went from a businessmen to a full time writer. In
1937, he made his first broadcast on Radio
Eireann. In the same year, he was made
Managing Director of the Abbey.
O'Connor was married twice – to Evelyn Bowen
(1938 – (1948) 1952) and Harriet Rich (1953) –
and fathered four children.
He suffered a stroke while teaching at Stanford in
1961, and thus returned to Ireland. In 1962, he
was awarded the D. Litt. from Trinity College,
Dublin. Frank O'Connor, or Michael O'Donovan at
birth, died on March 10, 1966, in Dublin.
He was buried in Dean's Grange Cemetery on
March 12.O’Connor and his daughter Liadain
O’Donovan on O’Connell Street, Dublin

6. O’Connor’s children:
Back L-R, Myles,
Owen.
Front: Baby - David
Garbary (half-
brother to Myles,
Liadain and Owen),
Liadain, Oliver

7. PUBLICATION
Short story collection:
• Guests of the Nation (1931), including
the famous title story.
• Bones of Contention (1936), including
the story "The Majesty of Law", a
short story adapted as an episode of
the 1957 film The Rising of the Moon.
• Crab Apple Jelly (1944)
• The Common Chord 1947)
• Traveller's Samples (1951), including
the classic story "First Confession".
• The Stories of Frank O'Connor (1952),
including the first publication of
perhaps his most popular story "My
Oedipus Complex".
• More Stories by Frank O'Connor (1954)
• Domestic Relations (1957)
• A Set of Variations (1969)
• The Cornet Player Who Betrayed
Ireland (1981)
• The Collected Stories(Edited by Richard
Ellmann) (1981)
• The Collar: Stories of Irish Priests
(1993)
• A Frank O'Connor Reader (1994)

8. PUBLICATION
Novels
• The Saint and Mary Kate (1932)
• Dutch Interior (1940)
Autobiography
• An Only Child (1961)
• My Father's Son (1968)
Poetry from the Irish
• The Wild Bird's Nest (1932)
• Lament for Art O'Leary (1940)
• The Midnight Court (1945)
• Kings, Lords, and Commons (1959)
• The Little Monasteries (1963)
Irish history
• The Big Fellow, biography of Michael
Collins (1937)
Travel writing
• Irish Miles (1947)
• Leinster, Munster and Connaught
(1950)
Criticism
• The Road to Stratford, US Title:
Shakespeare's Progress (196l)
• The Mirror in the Roadway: A Study
of the Modern Novel (1956)
• The Lonely Voice: A Study of the
Short Story (1962)
• The Backward Look: A Survey of Irish
Literature (1967)

9. MY OEPIDUS COMPLEX

10. A – OEPIDUS COMPLEX:
The term Oedipus complex (or, less
commonly, Oedipal complex) explains the
emotions and ideas that the mind keeps in
the unconscious, via dynamic repression,
that concentrates upon a child's desire to
have sexual relations with the parent of the
opposite sex (i.e. males attracted to their
mothers, and females attracted to their
fathers).
This is named after the mythical Greek King
Oedipus who killed his father and married
his mother.

11. B – SUMMARY:
There was a family, consist of father who was in the army all through the war (the first
war), mother who was a ordinary simply housewife, and Larry, the single child. Larry was a
young boy who needs much attention and someone to hold on. Firstly, his mother cared
him so much. There was only Larry and his mother in the house. But when his father came
home from The First War, everything was changed. He felt that love that her mother gave
was not as same as before. She prepared all the things his father needed well. It was
difficult to get his mother’s attention. It began complicated when he interrupted his
parents’ conversation and disturbed his father. He had heard ominous words. Even, Larry
and his father became enemies. The feeling of jealosy was getting complex and Larry said
that he was going to marry his mother when he grew up to put his mother stay away from
his father. It was not the only problem, other calamity came, Sonny, Larry’s brother,
arrived. Larry disliked him because her mother took excessive attention care of the new
baby. He did not have anyone to care at him. One night, there was someone beside Larry.
He thought it must be his mother, but it was wrong. He heard Sonny in convulsions in the
next room and his mother’s voice. It was his father. He came and accompanied Larry. In
the end, the relationship between Larry and his father was better than before. Christmast
day came, Larry got a nice model railway from his Santa Claus, father.

12. C – CHARACTERS:
 Larry (pratogonist): We can know his thoughts and feelings. There are changes in his life along with
the father's arrival and the baby's birth. He is about five. He is fond of his mother. He has deeply
strange feelings towards his mother. He goes her mother's bed every morning. She speaks with him
and he is very happy. But after his father arrival, he is unhappy because her mother begins to care
about her husband. He is jealous of his father. In addition, the arrival of the baby irritates Larry.
 Larry’s father: He joins the World War I. During the war, Larry often associates his father to Santa
Claus because his father is a mysterious character who comes and goes unnoticed. In addition,
Larry's father sometime bears interesting gifts such as German uniforms, weapons, artifacts from
the war. But after the war and his father returned to their house, Larry find his father no longer the
Santa Claus he thought him to be - but a stranger who steals all the attention of his mother.
 Larry’s mother: a strong willed, passive and caring woman. She plays the active role in raising Larry.
She knows him best. She listens to him and she plays along in his imaginary world. She answess his
questions and she never physically hurts him. When Larry’s father returns from the war, her
attention is significantly shifted to her husband, which makes Larry irritable. However, after the birth
of her youngest son Sonny, she dotes on her baby most of the time.
 Larry’s younger brother Sonny

13. D – SETTING
Time: During and after
the WWI (early 1900s)
Place: In an Irish
countryside

14. E – THEMES:
The changing dynamics within family relationships is the theme of “My
Oedipus Complex”. The short story looks at the close relationship that
develops between Larry and his mother while his father is away for
wartime military service. It continues with the Larry’s having to learn to
share his mother's attention with the return of his father from the war and
with the birth of a baby brother. The relationships are viewed in terms of
the necessary change in influence over normal male development from
that of the mother in childhood to that of the father in adolescence.

15. F – POINT OF VIEW:
First person POV – the narrator is Larry a five years old boy.
The readers can know what Larry is thinking and feeling.

16. G – CONFLICTS:
Internal conflict of Larry: He is in conflict
with himself. According to Larry, his life is
happier when it is just himself and his
mother. He enjoys things like tea time,
storing out the attic window and chatting
his mother. Although Larry seems happy,
he does not really have the opportunity to
play with other children his peers. Because
he does not have any friend, Larry calls his
feet "Mrs. Left and Mrs. Right" and plays
with them to cope with his problems and
boredom. Although he is a little child, he
behaves like his father to attract his
mother for example he reads newspaper
and smokes like his father.
Familial conflict:
Larry and his father: Larry and his father
have created a “battle” over jealousy for
Larry’s mother’s attention. Her love was
desired by both male characters and they
both wanted her to be their sole caretaker.
Larry, his father and his younger brother:
After Sonny’s birth, Larry’s mother spends
most of her time as well as attention to the
youngest family member. This irritates
both Larry and his father.

17. H – TECHNIQUE:
IMAGERY
Example:
 “like going for a walk with a mountain”. This
is referring to Larry’s father. It gives the
impression that unlike his mother, his father
is solidly immovable. It also gives a sense of
height compared to the little boy, as his
father must seem much taller than he is
from his perspective.
 “feeling like a bottle of champagne”. This
gives the image of fizzling and bubbles and
celebration. This means that the boy is very
happy and energetic at this moment, but
also that maybe his mood with fizzle out and
he’ll run out of “bubbles” as he does later in
the scene.

18. H – TECHNIQUE:
IRONY
 Although Larry always prays God to bring father
safely home, he is upset after his father's arrival.
He thinks that his mother does not care about
him as in the past. That's why he wants that new
war breaks out and he wants his father to go
war.
 Because of the arrival of baby, interaction
between the whole family changes. Firstly, Larry
is jealous of his father then he is also jealous of
new baby. In the morning Larry's father begins
to go to Larry's bed because the mother only
cares about the baby. Larry comes to sympathize
with his father instead.

19. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING