The Phenomenon of Madness in the Context of the Historical and Cultural Situation in the 20th and 40th Centuries of the 19th Century

Abstract

The phenomenon of madness in English and Russian literature of the beginning of the nineteenth century was considered for the first time on the material of English and Russian prose of the 20 -40s of the XIX century, the specifics of the author's and national interpretation of the material was revealed, typological coincidences and differences in the rethinking of this phenomenon were established. It is noted that intertextual edges and uniqueness of parallel artistic discoveries at the philosophical, aesthetic and artistic levels of works of some Russian and English writers. Their affiliation to a stage in the development of national literatures, and therefore the historical and literary context and typological similarities allow to put together the texts of English and Russian authors, since they determine the intentions of Ukrainian and English literatures, their presence in the European context, reveal peculiar comparative foundations. In Russian prose of the nineteenth century, the theme of madness became the subject of detailed analysis in numerous monographs, dissertations and publications