A Study on Madness through Victorian Literature

Abstract

The Victorian era is characterized by its great technological as well as scientific advancements, which will eventually have a significant impact on society. This paper will explore the representation of madness through different Victorian works, specifically, “Green Tea” by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson and The Woman in White by William Wilkie Collins. The aim of this essay is to understand how authors made use of the complexities of the mind in order to criticize Victorian society and the new anxieties that emerged among the population. This will be accomplished through a close reading of the three narratives, taking into consideration the historical background. The analysis will begin with an introduction to the Victorian era and the rise of madness, it will continue with the body which will be divided into three different aspects—all supported by scholars—and it will finish with an overall conclusion, which suggests how this use of madness in gothic literature was purely a coping mechanism for the authors who feared the unknown. Furthermore, it will function as a means of criticizing the highest moral values that characterized the period.