Gevallen, verheven of hysterisch? De rol van taal in de representatie van ‘gekke’ vrouwen in Nederlandse literatuur in de negentiende eeuw
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2025-06-27
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nl
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The professionalisation and institutionalisation of psychiatry in nineteenth-century Netherlands raised questions concerning human nature and the psyche. Simultaneously, several madwomen appear in Dutch fiction. Various scholars assume a link between madness and femininity. Foucault (2006) views madness as a construct created through discourse. Hence, this study poses the question: What is the role of language in the representation of madwomen in Dutch nineteenth-century literature? Via a comparative analysis of four case studies, this master thesis explores how language is employed to characterise madwomen and the discourses that shaped their representation in Dutch literature. The analysis elaborates on Foucault’s concept of discourse by applying Mikhail Bakhtin's dialogism. According to Bakhtin, literary language is polyphone. Multiple discourses are reflected in fiction, especially in novels. Therefore, this study analyses the different ‘voices’ within four selected case studies. The stories are associated with different cultural-historical periods, and each has another approach to describing reality.
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Faculteit der Letteren