Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
Availability
Open Access Thesis
Keywords
Head, Bessie, --1937-1986--Question of power; Plath, Sylvia--Bell jar; Bell jar (Plath, Sylvia); Question of power (Head, Bessie); Mental illness in literature; Women in literature; Academic theses;
Abstract
The use of female mental illness in fiction has previously been characterized as a subversive act. Theorists such as Juliet Mitchell, Susan Gubar, and Sandra Gilbert have advocated the use of madness as a way of protesting patriarchal systems and language. Female madness in many cases has been viewed not only as a conscious choice, but as an option that is preferable to sanity. In their view, mental illness is an embodiment of a woman's rejection of the patriarchal order. I would suggest that mental illness is actually about powerlessness. The madwoman is placed in a space outside of normal patriarchal culture, but this new space has still been formed by patriarchy. What mental illness consists of and how it should be treated is defined only in its relationship to normative western patriarchal values. The task of determining what behavior and thoughts are normal and what is not has historically been left up to western men. Therefore, psychology has often been a way to keep those without power silent and in their traditional roles. The real power lies in overcoming or avoiding madness - when women are active rather than passive. The history of race, gender, and mental illness (as recent as current DSMIV guidelines) and the way they are reflected in the novel will be explored in this paper. Postcolonial and feminist theories are central in this investigation of the function and meaning of women's mental illness in the novel. Bessie Head's A Question of Power illustrates the relationship between Post-colonialism, gender, and mental illness. Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar is the primary text used for investigating the relationship between feminism and mental illness in fiction. Mental illness is an outcome of unbearable social pressure or definitions for some women, while writing is a space where women can be powerful and fight back against the society that has labeled them and driven them to madness.
Year of Submission
2003
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Department of English Language and Literature
First Advisor
Pierre Mvuyekure
Second Advisor
Samuel Gladden
Third Advisor
Julie Husband
Date Original
2003
Object Description
1 PDF file (81 leaves)
Copyright
©2003 Amanda Lynn Graeber
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Graeber, Amanda Lynn, "A Question of Sanity: Women and In/Sanity in Bessie Head’s a Question of Power and Sylvia Plath’s the Bell Jar" (2003). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 2780.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/2780
Comments
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