1. INTRODUCTION
“Like the minority writer, the female writer exists within an inescapable condition of identity which distances her from the mainstream of the culture and forces her either to stress her separation from the masculine literary tradition or to pursue her resemblance to it”.
Lynn Sukenick (In: Miller 1985, 356)
Could madness have been a means of ‘liberation’ for 19th century female writers? Goodman et al (1996, 110) raise this legitimate question while leaving open the question of whether or not the writer herself is considered mad or if she is writing about madness. No matter which approach one chooses, the question remains why women of this century should apply such drastic methods at all. Why would madness be considered a means of liberation for female writers?
In this paper I will explore the reasons why 19th century women may more likely have become mad than men in the same time period. I will discuss the issue of mad female writers as well as the appearance of madness in their texts, and finally focus on strategies that female writers applied in order to be heard (or read) in a male dominated literary environment.
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
2. GENERAL FRMALE MADNESS DURING THE 19th CENTURY
3. Madness and Female Writers
3.1 Madness Of The Female Writer
3.2 Madness In Female Writing
4. Strategies of Female Writers to Overcome Obstacles
5. CONCLUSION
Objectives & Topics
This paper examines the correlation between the prevalence of madness among 19th-century women and the systemic patriarchal constraints placed upon them, particularly within the literary sphere. It explores whether such madness functioned as a genuine form of liberation or was rather a byproduct of repression, while analyzing the strategies female writers employed to reclaim their voices.
- The sociopolitical construction of "female madness" in 19th-century England.
- The impact of patriarchal domesticity and medical pathologization on women's mental health.
- The "angel and monster" dichotomy and its influence on literary representation.
- Strategies used by women writers to circumvent patriarchal censorship and literary silence.
- The tension between creative expression and the risks of social branding.
Excerpt from the Book
Madness Of The Female Writer
Joanna Russ summarizes in her book “How to Suppress Women’s Writing” different forms of “informal prohibitions” (RUSS 1994, 6) employed by the patriarchal society which might have lead to madness among female writers. In her text we find such prohibitions as the “denial of agency” (Russ 1994, 20ff), meaning that a woman either could not have written a text by herself. Either a man did it for her, the book “wrote itself” (e.g. is a product of the male ideas surrounding the writing woman and she was just the means to bring it to paper) or the man inside the writing woman wrote it. If these prohibitions did not work one could also apply the “pollution of agency” (Russ 1994, 25) by saying that a woman might have written a certain text - maybe even a really outstanding piece – but she should not have. For example, when the book “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte was published, many critics admitted “that they thought that the book was a masterpiece if written by a man, shocking or disgusting if written by a woman” (RUSS 1994, 27). Robert Southey verbalized this attitude (addressing Charlotte Bronté) with the words: “literature is not the business of a woman’s life, and it cannot be”. (GILBERT, GUBAR 2000, 8)
Summary of Chapters
1. INTRODUCTION: This chapter introduces the research question of whether madness served as a means of liberation for 19th-century female writers and outlines the paper's aim to explore the link between societal repression and mental health.
2. GENERAL FRMALE MADNESS DURING THE 19th CENTURY: This section analyzes the historical fascination with female lunacy, detailing how patriarchal definitions of "moral insanity" and medical assumptions about the menstrual cycle pathologized women's behavior.
3. Madness and Female Writers: This chapter discusses how female authors were specifically targeted as "monsters" or "freakish" for daring to express their intellect, leading to an analysis of the "angel/monster" imagery in literature.
4. Strategies of Female Writers to Overcome Obstacles: This chapter explores the methods women used to circumvent male-dominated literary standards, including the use of male pseudonyms, irony, and the parodic deconstruction of traditional female roles.
5. CONCLUSION: The final chapter synthesizes the findings, concluding that madness was not a form of liberation but rather a symptom of the stifling environment, yet acknowledges the resilience of writers who cleared the way for future generations.
Keywords
19th Century, female writers, madness, patriarchy, literary tradition, gender, moral insanity, suppression, agency, creativity, angel and monster, social enclosure, Florence Nightingale, Charlotte Bronte, rebellion.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary subject of this academic paper?
The paper focuses on the societal and literary challenges faced by female authors in the 19th century and their frequent labeling as "mad" due to their departure from domestic roles.
What are the central thematic fields covered?
The core themes include 19th-century psychiatry, the patriarchal control of female domesticity, gendered literary criticism, and the strategies women used to assert their creative identity.
What is the core research question?
The author explores whether madness acted as a liberating force for 19th-century women or if it was merely a direct consequence of the oppressive, male-dominated environment.
Which scientific approach does the author take?
The paper utilizes a qualitative literature analysis, referencing feminist literary critics like Gilbert, Gubar, Showalter, and Russ to interpret historical texts and social contexts.
What does the main body address?
It covers the history of medical pathologization of women, the symbolic "angel/monster" binary in literature, and the tactical methods writers used to fight for their voice.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include 19th Century, patriarchy, female madness, gender, literary tradition, suppression, and creative agency.
How did 19th-century male physicians justify labeling women as "mad"?
Physicians linked the menstrual cycle and any refusal to adhere to traditional domestic roles (e.g., career aspirations or intellectual pursuits) to "moral insanity" and a lack of mental stability.
What does the author mean by the "metaphorical transvestism" of female authors?
This refers to the common practice of female writers adopting male pseudonyms or writing according to male-authored genres, which the author notes often led to an identity crisis for the women.
What role does Florence Nightingale play in the text?
Nightingale’s life serves as a case study for how a woman with immense energy and ambition was constrained by domestic expectations, leading to anger and the diversion of her energy into writing.
- Citation du texte
- Jessica Schlepphege (Auteur), 2009, The Writing Madwoman – Challenges for 19th Century Women Writers , Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/144589
