Addressing the Role of Madness in Women's Literature
Recently, in a hole of research about Sylvia Plath and Virginia Woolf; I came across an article begging the question, “Why do so many women authors write about madness?” In “Killing the Angel in the House: The Autonomy of Women Writers” Elaine Showalter addresses this question, along with the different expressions of feminism in women writers throughout the centuries. Her claim is that “On the simplest level, madness offers a woman a socially acceptable excuse for expressing anger and hostility; and, conversely the expression of these “unfeminine” feelings may be construed as signs of madness” (Showalter 212). While I find this theory has a huge amount of grounds, especially in times of Woolf and Plath, I still find many books women write contain a sense of madness in them quite a bit more than men. Could this societal standard still be maintaining this idea for women?
A lot of these novels show these women as healthy in the beginning, or on the edge of their breakdown. There is either many events that happen again, again, and again; or the character already is experiencing mental distress, eventually becoming set off by an event. Could this idea come from the societal norm that women must bear so much weight when to comes to the emotional side of things? Why do we find these stories so engaging? I admit, I love reading these kinds of novels. The language is always intriguing and beautifully haunting, you find yourself waiting for the moment where the character finally breaks and loses their mind. It’s exciting and depressing, but also an amazing work of art if done well.
So, why do women write these kinds of novels so often? Why do they so often maintain that sense of madness? I feel this comes from a continued lack of understanding, huge responsibility, and doctors continuing to not listen to women. Although changes have been made to our world when it comes to the state of women’s rights, there are still countless stories day by day of doctors not listening to them about menstrual problems, mental problems, relationship violence, sexual abuse, etc. This problem worsens when it comes to women of color and larger women. The idea that a women can only endure so much, can only take on so many responsibilities until breaking still stands.
Another angle is the ideal that a woman expressing her rage is “mad” we often see how people talk about angry women, and how they are viewed as people. We don’t consider what they have been through, we only see the aftermath of all the things they have endured. I conclude that Showalter’s theory is still relevant today, and one of the only ways women are allowed to show their anger is through this point of view of madness.
Some Recent and Older books and stories to note on this topic are
The Bell Jar By Sylvia Plath
Verity By Colleen Hoover
Bunny By Mona Awad
The Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Eileen By Ottessa Moshfegh
Wuthering Heights By Emily Brontë
Works Cited
Showalter, Elanie. "Killing the Angel in the House: The Autonomy of Women Writers." The Antioch Review (1992): pp. 207-220 Vol. 50 .