EN 4840 - Madness in Literature

The course is a seminar of comparative literature written in, or translated into English. It explores, as it tries to define the term madness in all its complexities, as it tries to answer why we find the theme of madness so fascinating. The course examines the presence of this theme in literature throughout the ages, as well as glimpses at the pervasiveness of the theme in other creative media. The focus is on Western cultures, and the approach is comparative and analytical. (4 Credits)