literature and madness
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'As Gogol sees madness, it means a failure to find one's proper place, or the compulsion to occupy a place to which one is not entitled.' (Donald Fanger). Discuss with reference to two or more texts studied on the module.
The two texts I have decided to discuss in reference to the question are "The Bell Jar", and "The Wasp Factory". I have chosen to use these two texts because I want to explore this question focusing closely on the relationship between identity and adolescence, and so therefore investigate if there is any relationship or correlation between adolescence and madness. These two novels are especially relevant as in both texts the protagonist falls under the age category of adolescent teenager, and both Esther and Frank are struggling desperately to form their own individuality and identity. "Adolescence can be a time of irrepressible joy and seemingly inconsolable sadness and loss; of gregariousness and loneliness; of altruism and self centeredness; of insatiable curiosity and boredom; of confidence and self-doubt" (Conger.1979.6) Esther Greenwood is a college girl who is desperately confused about her role in society and worried about the decisions she has to make about her future. "I saw the years of my life spaced along a road in the form of telephone poles, threaded together by wires...