LIT4620: Literature and Philosophy of Madness

LIT4620 Literature and Philosophy of Madness
4 Advanced Liberal Arts Credits

This course engages the question of madness from a variety of angles. On the one hand, it considers the major theorists of insanity (Sigmund Freud, Michel Foucault, Gilles Deleuze); and on the other, it considers the equally crucial works of supposedly “insane” writers themselves (Antonin Artaud, Unica Zurn, Vaslav Nijinsky). In doing so, we will trouble the many definitions and assumptions surrounding the category of madness and its problematic history of oppression. Ultimately, through this remarkable exchange across literary-philosophical frontiers, we will explore an immense world of visions and symptoms, including those of mania, schizophrenia, delusion, paranoia, melancholia, and obsession.

Prerequisites: Any combination of 2 ILA (HSS, LTA, CSP, LVA, CVA)