Madness and Women; Analysis of Madness of Female characters in Literature as Retaliation to Patriarchy

Abstract

Madness is closely associated with female characters and is portrayed as a woman's 'dis-ease' in 19th-century literature. Bertha Mason, 'the woman in the attic' in the pioneer feminist text, Jane Eyre demonstrates madness as an intrinsic quality of hers. In Yellow Wallpaper, the narrator attempts to metaphorically and figuratively while battling a 'nervous depression. Madness is a powerful motif often witnessed in 19thcentury literature and is used by the writers to showcase the unique yet powerful retaliation of women to the restrictive and manipulative culture and norms of the patriarchal society. The madness of women often about marriage or men is associated with the urgency to flee and be free from the restrictions of the mandominant society. This attempt of writers in literature to create a platform to facilitate feminist voices and demonstrate the restrictions of patriarchy through literature is analyzed through the image of 'mad women' who retaliates the traditional representation of traditional women in 3C novels ( Church, Cookery, Children ) This research will analyze the relation of the madness of women in literature as powerful retaliation to patriarchy through the assistance of Foucault’s Madness and Civilization.