A Psychoanalytical Reading of Female Madness in Selected Victorian Literature

Abstract

This dissertation, A Psychoanalytical Reading of Female Madness in Selected Victorian Literature, argues that the patriarchal Victorian society, gave meaning to female madness using medical and psychological discourses. It examines how literary madwomen of the mid to the late 19 th century operated to reflect the ideological stereotype of the feminine and the female imaginary of the early to the late Victorian Era. A solid comparative study of Jane Eyre, The Woman in White, and Lady Audley's Secret expose several inclinations in thinking about female madness during the 19th century. Chapter 1 of the dissertation concentrate on Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre, it examines the cultural and social context of the Victorian era in connection to Jane's identity, dependency, and autonomy. It also builds a cultural context for Jane's development. Chapter 2 explores the Victorian discussions about the etiology of madness through a corresponding study of Willkie Collins's The Woman in White. The chapter recognizes that the Victorian era is marked by inquiries into the origins of mental illness in women, characterized by both heredity and environmental exposures. Chapter 3 devotes its analysis to the investigation of the asylum narrative. The chapter brings to life the histories of some of the women buried alive in madhouses and forgotten. A thoughtful critique of these accounts shows that a majority of these women were imprisoned in asylums for bravely asserting their religious and domestic rights.