is madness its own cure? austrian literature and the ... · madness and its social effects, and...

IsMadnessitsOwnCure?AustrianLiteratureandthe

BeliefinAnomaly

GeoffreyC.HowesBowlingGreenStateUniversity

AustrianStudiesAssocia;onConferenceMay4,2013

Theproject

• TheRepresenta=onofMadnessinAustrianFic=on– Literatureasasourceofnon‐clinicalknowledgeaboutmadnessanditssocialeffects,andhenceaboutAustrianculture.

– Thisknowledgeisembeddedincomplexculturalstructures,whichallowsaviewofmadnessasanintegralpartofsociety.

Construc=vistapproachappliedtotheeffectsbutnottotheoriginsofmadness

• Theprojectwillassumeonthebasisofrecentresearchinneurology,physiology,andgene;csthatthee=ologyofmadnessisextremelycomplexandindividual.

• Theprojectwillnotaskliteraturetohelpshowhoworwhyasocietyproducesmentalillnessesinsomeofitsmembers,butratherhowasocietytreatsthosememberswhodosufferfrommentalillness.

Construc=vistapproachappliedtotheeffectsbutnottheoriginsofmadness

• Cri;calapproachtowardFoucault’shistoricaltheoriesofmadnessandthean;‐psychiatricmovement(e.g.R.D.Laing,ThomasSzasz,KenKesey’sOneFlewovertheCuckoo’sNest)

• Thispresenta;onwilldrawinpartontheworkofMartaCaminero‐Santangelo,TheMadwomanCan’tSpeak,orWhyInsanityisNotSubversive(1998).

Beliefinanomaly:Foucault

• Foucault,MadnessandCiviliza-on(1961;Engl.1964;nowHistoryofMadness,2006)

• “…bythemadnessthatinterruptsit,aworkofartopensavoid,amomentofsilence,aques;onwithoutanswer,provokesabreachwithoutreconcilia;onwheretheworldisforcedtoques;onitself.”(288)

Beliefinanomaly:Felman

• ShoshanaFelman,Wri-ngandMadness(1978;Engl.1985)

Felmandescribes“thevanishingpointoftheuninterpretabletowardwhichtheeffortofinterpreta;onheads,butwhereitfallsapart”(32).

Interpreta;onmustenact,notexplain,thisdisintegra;on.

Madnessasan=‐reason

• FoucaultandFelmanlookforliteraturethatenactsmadnessrhetoricallyasanul;matechallengetothepowerofdiscourse(especiallypsychology)toaccountfortheworld.

• Thisprojectlooksmoremodestlyatliteratureasarhetoricalandthema;cspacewherecompe;ngdiscourses,includingthediscoursesofthemad,areshowninjuxtaposi;on.

ThePatronandtheClient

• Inmylargerproject,Ianalyzefic;onalcharactersas“clients”(themad)and“patrons.”

• Thepatronfiguresprovideanoutsideperspec;veonthemadpersonthatisneitherclinicalnorfirst‐person.

• Patronsalsoshowtheeffec;venessandineffec;venessofnon‐clinicalassistanceto,supportfor,andinterac;onswiththemad.

Madnessasitsowncure?

RobertMusil,DerMannohneEigenschaGen(1930,1932)

IngeborgBachmann,DasBuchFranza(1966)

WernerKofler,IdaH.(1978)

Howcanmadnessbeitsowncure?

• Madnessisseeninthefaceofoppressivesocialcondi;onsandins;tu;onsasarebellionagainstorrefugefromthelimita;onsofsocial,poli;cal,familial,andgenderroles.

• Howeverisola;ngitmaybe,madnesssome;messeemstoinflictlesssufferingthanconformity(andtreatment)andcreateaspaceforfreedomandindividuality:ifsocietyenforcesmadness,madnessrejectsthatforce.

h.c.artmann(1921‐2000):“woseaumschdaahofdarad”

Source:ÖsterreichischeGesellschaGfürLiteratur

WOSEAUMSCHDAAHOFDARADh.c.artmann

artmann:“WhatI’ddoatSteinhof”con;nued

Musil,DerMannohneEigenschaGen(1930,1932)

Source: wikipedia

PatronsandClientsinTheManwithoutQualiYes

• Patron1:Ulrich(themanwithoutquali;es)– Client1:Clarisse,thewifeofUlrich’schildhoodfriendWalter,anaesthete.

– Client2:Moosbrugger,ani;nerantworkerwhomurdersapros;tuteduringapsycho;cbreak.

• Patron2:Clarisse– Client:Moosbrugger:“DieserMörderistmusikalisch!”;andheembodiesthe“AustrianIdea.”

Clarisse’sUtopianbeliefinanomaly

• ClarissewantstovisitMoosbruggerat(theunnamed)Steinhofbecauseheseemstorepresenthervisionfora“mad”alterna;vetosociety.

• Ulricharrangesthevisit.

• Clarissetriesandfailstointeractwiththeinmates,andnevergetstoMoosbrugger.

• “DieHölleistnichtinteressant,sieistfurchtbar.”

IngeborgBachmann:DasBuchFranza

Source: oe1.orf.at

PatronandClient

• Firstconfigura;on:– Patron:Franza’sbrotherMar;n

– Client:Franza,whohasfledhercruelpsychiatristhusbandandseeksrefugeinherhometowninsouthernAustria.Depression.

• Secondconfigura;on:– Patron:Franza,whowantstofleetoEgypttoescapethe“Whites”andforgesavisatodoso.

– Client:Mar;n,whoiscompelledbythemanicFranzatotakehertoEgypt.

Franza’sUtopianbeliefinanomaly

• IfshecanescapetoEgypt,shecanescapetheworldinwhichsheisavic;moftheoppressionofpatriarchy,psychiatry,andtheirembodimentinherhusband.

FromTheBookofFranza,“Dieägyp;scheFinsternis”:reappropria;ngthelanguageofpsychiatry

• “SiesindindieWüstegegangen.DasLichterbrachsichüberihnen,derAuswurfdesHimmels,voneinemheißen,sauberenGeruchbegleitet.DiegroßeHeilanstalt,dasgroßeunverlaßbarePurgatorium,obgleichnachallenSeitenoffen…DieAnstalthanesieaufgenommen.”(90)

• “IchbinindergroßenGummizelleausHimmel,LichtundSand.”(91)

Theendofutopia

• ButonceinEgypt,FranzadiscoverspowerstructuressimilartothoseinEurope.

• Ul;matelysheisrapedandcommitssuicide.

WernerKofler,IdaH.(1978,rpt.2000)

Source: buecher.de

PatronandClient

• Patron:Herbst,awriterwhoknowsIda,afrequentpa;entinSteinhof,andwantstomakeadocumentaryfilmexposingthepoorcondi;onsinthementalhospital.HetriestoengageIdaintheprojectandbecomesinvolvedinhercomplicatedlife.

• Client:Ida,aformerfashionmodelwhohasbeendiagnosedwithschizophrenia.

BeliefinanomalyinIdaH.

• Herbst’sUtopia:touseart(wri;ngandfilm)toexposetheterriblecondi;onsinthehellofSteinhof(whichisatfirst“interes;ng”)–prac;calandar;s;can;‐psychiatryasameansthroughsocialprotesttofreedomandequalityforthe“mad.”

UsingIdaH.’sanomalousexperiencesassocialcri;cism

• “HerbsthaneeinenBeitragüberSteinhofvorgeschlagen:dieAnstaltvonaußen,alsAbfolgeschönerBilder,AblichtungeinererholsamenParklandschap,während,alsTonzudiesenBildern,derBerichtvonIdaH.,einerehemaligenInsassin,überdasDrinnenzuhörenist;dieGeografieeinesErholungsgebietesalsBild,dieGeografieeinesKrankensaalesalsTon.”(Kofler2000,p.10)

“dieKomische”

• “Übersie,über‘dieKomische’habemansichzwardieverschiedenstenGeschichtenerzählt,dieSteinhof‐undElektroschockgeschichtenunddieNackt‐im‐Stefansdom‐,Nackt‐mit‐der‐Mao‐Bibel‐im‐Stefansdom‐Geschichte(weswegensiejadaserstemal‐)aberalsEben‐auch‐irgendwie‐AusgeflippteunterAusgeflippten…

Aneccentricamongeccentrics

“…unterAnhängernfernöstlicherHeilslehrenundErnährungsfilosofen,zwischenRäucherstäbchenund;betanischenGebetsmühlenseisieeigentlichnichtweiteraufgefallen,zumindesthabeersiezuBeginnihrerBekanntschapgarnichtsokomischgefunden.”

(Kofler2000,p.25)

TheAnrac;onsandRepulsionsofIda’sAnomaly

• Tobeabletoexistwithinsociety,outsideofSteinhof,andavoidthelossofherrights.

• Herapproach:escapingSteinhof,goingoffhermeds,livingwithfriends,workingwhenshecan,butmainlydoingwhatshewantsorwhatsheiscapableof:

Ida’sAnomaly

• “‐Niemandhatjegerngehabt,daßichimBenlieg,überall,woichhinkomm,wollendieLeutenicht,daßichimBenlieg…ichverbringeigentlichamliebstenmeinenganzenTagesablaufimBen,unddaswillniemandhaben.Selten,daßichLeutegetroffenhab‐diemüssenauchsoseinwieich…

“ImBenistesamgemütlichsten”.(182)

Thelimitsofanomalyarethelimitsbetweenmadnessandsociety

• InMusil:Clarisse’sanemptstomakeMoosbruggerthesymbolofAustriafailbecauseacommunityofthemadisimpossible.

Thelimitsbetweenmadnessandsociety

• InBachmann:Franza’sanemptstotakecontrolofherownmadnessandfleehersocialcontextfailbecausethatcontextisnotescapable.Hermadnessisculminatesinhersilence.

Thelimitsbetweenmadnessandsociety

InKofler:• Ida’sanemptstoresistpsychiatrybyintegra;ngherselfintotheworldoutsideSteinhoffailbecausehermadselfcannotbeintegratedintothatworld.

• Herbst’sidealofsocialcri;cism(inwhichdiscoursestrumpprac;ces)failsbecauseitcannotturnIdaintoitsinstrument.

MartaCaminero‐Santangelo:TheMadwomanCan’tSpeak

• “Farfromembracingthespaceofmadnessofferedtoaberrantwomenbydominantdiscourses,however,thewomenwritersIexaminegenerallysharethepremisethatinsanityisthefinalsurrendertosuchdiscourses,preciselybecauseitischaracterizedbythe(dis)abilitytoproducemeaning—thatis,toproducerepresenta;onsrecognizableasmeaningfulwithinsociety.”(11)

Aclosingthought

• Caminero‐Santangelolocatesthelimitofdiscoursesasthepointbeyondwhichcommuni;esofmeaningcannotfollowandstatesthatinsanityisthefinalsurrendertosuchdiscourses.

• IwouldadjustthisforthetextsIamconsidering:Thefailureofmadutopiasisalsothesurrenderofsuchdiscoursestoinsanity.Theauthorsandpatronscannotfollowtheirclientsintotheirmadness.

Aclosingthought(2)

• Caminero‐Santangelonotesthattheauthorsshediscussescounterrepresenta;onwithrepresenta;on,andtheirmadwomenretreatintosilence.(11)

• IwouldaddthattheauthorsIdiscussnotonlycounterrepresenta;onwithrepresenta;on,theyalsocountertheirownrepresenta;onswiththesilenceofthemad,whichisportrayedbythelossofcollabora;on–evenwiththebestwillandinten;ons‐betweenthepatronandtheclient.