Das Bewusstsein vom Wahnsinn

Madness and literature – the connections between artistic creativity, social criticism and illnesses such as schizophrenia or depression were often discussed in the 1970s and 80s. Inspired by the anti-psychiatry movement, Martin Walser, Karin Struck, Heinar Kipphardt and Rainald Goetz, among others, explored the topic in their writing. This work questions both the exclusion and the idealisation of madness. Following Michel Foucault, a theory of the consciousness of madness is developed that makes the ideas associated with psychopathological phenomena the object of analysis and also questions the role of literature.