Borderlines of Madness

We will explore various themes related to insanity and altered states of consciousness by examining a number of 19th-century works of fiction. Novelists and poets often had the greatest insights into the workings of the mind, and many Victorian psychiatrists cited works of fiction in their case studies. Among the authors we will analyse are Charlotte Bronte, Edgar Allan Poe, Wilkie Collins, Gogol, Herman Melville and Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

What is the course about?

During this in-person literature class, we will explore representations of extreme mental states in 19th-century fiction. All diagnoses were hotly contested, and among the psychological phenomena we will examine are ‘hysteria’, paranoia, alcoholism, ‘moral insanity’ (ie psychopathy), learning difficulties and post-natal depression. We will also examine the phenomenon of the Victorian asylum.

Each of the authors had a huge insight into such states, and constructed impressive and thoughtful works of art to explore these often distressing conditions and the impacts upon those close to the men and women who suffered from them.

What topics will we cover?

The seven works we will study are (in this order):

(NB week 1 will be a course and topic overview; week 6 will cover both Bartleby and Diary of a Madman.)

The Fall of the House of Usher (1839). Poe’s short story contains a range of psychological phenomena. They include: morbidity, neurosis/hysteria, heredity, possibly also venereal disease.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (1847). We will concentrate on: ‘moral insanity’, alcoholism, serious delusional disorder/‘schizophrenia’, the menstrual cycle, home-incarcerated ‘lunatics’.

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins (1860). Wrongful or malicious asylum certification.

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1892). Gilman’s short story/novella covers: post-natal psychosis,

the medicalisation of femininity, the late 19th-century diagnosis ‘neurasthenia’.

Bartleby The Scrivener by Herman Melville (1853): ‘monomania’, autism, work-related anxiety, the ‘crisis’ ofmmasculinity.

The Diary of A Madman by Nikolai Gogol (1834); paranoia, delusions of grandeur.

Harriet by Elizabeth Jenkins (1934). The plight of the learning disabled, legal measures to protect those deemed incapable of caring for themselves, the passing of the 1913 Mental Deficiency Act.

By the end of this course you should be able to:

* Explore the attitude and approach to the subject of mental illness shown by a number of giants of 19th-century fiction, and the narrative strategies they used to present their views.

* Identify the stylistic innovation and shifts in literary genre that each of these works display.

* Define key diagnoses made by 19th-century psychiatrists.

* Identify the opposition that was expressed to each of these theories.

* Pursue further reading on these subjects, with a detailed bibliography/secondary reading list handout.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

No previous skills or knowledge required except curiosity and a capacity for reading texts that are occasionally distressing; sharing your insights with the group is desirable.