Madness in Fiction : Literary Essays From Poe to Fowles

This book examines one work dealing with madness from each of five prominent authors. Including discussion of Fowles, Hamsun, Hesse, Kafka, and Poe, it delineates the specific type of madness the author associates with each text, and explores the reason for that - such as a historical moment, physical pressure (such as starvation), or the author’s or his narrator’s perspective. The project approaches the texts it explores from the perspective of a writer of fiction as well as from the perspective of a critic, and discusses them as unique manifestations of literary madness. It is of particular significance for those interested in the interplay of fiction, literary criticism, and psychology. This book examines one work from each of five prominent authors dealing with madness. Including discussion of Fowles, Hamsun, Hesse, Kafka, and Poe, it delineates the specific type of madness the author associates with each text, and explores the reason for that - such as a historical moment, physical pressure (such as starvation), or the author's or his narrator's perspective. The project approaches the texts it explores from the perspective of a writer of fiction as well as a critic, and discusses them as unique manifestations of literary madness, treating them stylistically as unique experiments. It is of particular note for readers of fiction, of literary criticism and to those interested in psychology Front Matter ....Pages i-xv The Madness of Insult in Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado (Mark Axelrod-Sokolov)....Pages 1-16 The Madness of Starvation in Hamsun’s Hunger (Mark Axelrod-Sokolov)....Pages 17-40 The Madness of Marginalization in Kafka’s The Metamorphosis (Mark Axelrod-Sokolov)....Pages 41-58 The Madness of Madness in Hesse’s The Steppenwolf (Mark Axelrod-Sokolov)....Pages 59-76 The Madness of Romantic Obsession in Fowles’ The Collector (Mark Axelrod-Sokolov)....Pages 77-91 Back Matter ....Pages 93-98 Annotation This text examines one work dealing with madness from each of five prominent authors. Including discussion of Fowles, Hamsun, Hesse, Kafka, and Poe, it delineates the specific type of madness the author associates with each text, and explores the reason for that - such as a historical moment, physical pressure (such as starvation), or the author's or his narrator's perspective