C. G. Jung on plagiarism in Pierre Benoît’s L’Atlantide

Abstract

ABSTRACTJung explained the possible plagiaristic relationship between Henry Rider Haggard’sSheand Pierre Benoît’sL’Atlantideas either cryptomnesia or archetypal inspiration, but he was misinformed about the case and unfamiliar with Benoît’s life. This essay critiques Jung’s statements about Benoît and then considers the case for plagiarism that was published inThe French Quarterlyin 1919–1920. Neither the typical reply – thatL’Atlantidereflects the author’s African experience and historical knowledge – nor the reading of the novel that arose from Jung’s 1925 seminar adequately refutes the plagiarism charge. A depth-psychological reading ofL’Atlantideshows the danger of seeking the anima archetype itself rather than experiencing the anima in a relationship with an available woman. But even if literary analogies, including the Circe myth, suggest that Haggard and Benoît may have tapped into the same archetypal vein, the novels’ similarities and verbal echoes cannot be dismissed outright.