Borderlines of Madness

A six-week in-person literature course at Mary Ward Centre exploring madness and altered mental states in 19th-century fiction, taught by Sarah Wise.

This six-week Tuesday evening course examines representations of extreme mental states in 19th-century fiction, including works by Poe, Charlotte Bronte, Wilkie Collins, Gogol, Melville and Charlotte Perkins Gilman, plus Elizabeth Jenkins's Harriet. Topics include hysteria, paranoia, alcoholism, moral insanity, post-natal depression and the Victorian asylum. Teaching combines mini-lectures and seminars, with students encouraged to give short presentations; no prior knowledge is required.