Representations and Manifestations of Madness in Victorian Fiction

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dc.contributor.advisorMoffat, Kirstine
dc.contributor.authorBennett, Susanna
dc.date.accessioned2016-01-14T22:21:59Z
dc.date.available2016-01-14T22:21:59Z
dc.date.issued2015
dc.date.updated2015-12-15T20:39:08Z
dc.description.abstractThis thesis explores the complex ways in which mental illness was portrayed in Victorian fiction. It situates the literature within historical contexts, but primarily focuses on fictional representations of madness. At times the fiction studied replicates the dominant attitudes towards mental illness in the period. On other occasions the literature forms a dialogue with the historical record, challenging Victorian attitudes and assumptions. These texts form the core of my discussion: Jane Eyre, Far From the Madding Crowd, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and He Knew He Was Right. Some of these are best described as sensation and Gothic fiction, the authors dawn to the sensational and dramatic narrative opportunities provided by madness. Other authors depict madness in a more understated way in keeping with their social realist mode. Thus a range of perspectives on and attitudes towards madness are discussed. The analysis focuses on three distinct, but at times interconnected, themes. In the first chapter issues of gender and madness in Victorian literature are addressed, the analysis highlighting the particular association between women and madness but also considering depictions of male madness. Next, the thesis turns to questions of race and class, exploring the relationship between racial and socio-economic identity and madness. Here, the multiple fictional examples of professional, middle and upper-class men who are afflicted with madness forms a counter narrative to the historical coupling of madness with racial and class otherness. Finally, the thesis turns to the behaviour of fictional characters described as being mad. Madness frequently manifests in violent and destructive ways in Victorian fiction and thus the connection between madness and criminality is a necessary avenue of analysis.
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.citationBennett, S. (2015). Representations and Manifestations of Madness in Victorian Fiction (Thesis, Master of Arts (MA)). University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10289/9849en
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10289/9849
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherUniversity of Waikato
dc.rightsAll items in Research Commons are provided for private study and research purposes and are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated.
dc.subjectVictorian
dc.subjectMadnesss
dc.subjectBronte
dc.subjectDickens
dc.subjectLady Audley
dc.subjectTrollope
dc.subjectCrime
dc.subjectInsanity
dc.subjectGender
dc.subjectRace
dc.subjectClass
dc.subjectJane Eyre
dc.subjectStevenson
dc.subjectHardy
dc.subjectConan Doyle
dc.subjectAsylum
dc.titleRepresentations and Manifestations of Madness in Victorian Fiction
dc.typeThesis
pubs.place-of-publicationHamilton, New Zealanden_NZ
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Waikato
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Arts (MA)
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