The medical dangers of literary genius

Ruston, Sharon (2016) The medical dangers of literary genius. Literature and Medicine, 34 (2). pp. 299-319. ISSN 0278-9671

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Abstract

This essay examines three key texts, by William Buchan, Isaac D’Israeli, and Richard Robert Madden, which demonstrate the emergence of the newly conceived idea of literary genius in the Romantic period. It considers the role of a new genre, the “medical biography”, in the development of this phenomenon. While the mental precariousness of the Romantic genius has been much commented upon, this essay concentrates instead on the bodily or physical aspects of genius, which is itself figured as a disease. The study and writing involved in publication are viewed as stimulants that can be addictive, ruining the health and wellbeing of authors and even leading to their early deaths.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Literature and Medicine
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/3300/3306
Subjects:
?? medicine bodyreadingwritinggeniushealth(social science)literature and literary theory ??
ID Code:
80421
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
02 Aug 2016 10:44
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
26 Aug 2024 23:46