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Reflections of the Insanity Defense in German Literature: Enlightenment to Expressionism

Miller, Renee Catherine
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1398896485

Abstract Details

2014, Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, German.
The insanity defense is a controversial practice that has developed over time in the Western world. This controversy is especially seen in the general public's attitude, which seems to lag behind legal and medical developments of the insanity defense and mental illness. The introduction gives an overview of the legal developments of the insanity defense in the Western world, providing a comparison between Germany and the U.S. In order to fully investigate the notion of criminal insanity in German literature, this thesis will take a close look at Faust by Goethe (enlightenment period, 1808), Der Sandmann by ETA Hoffmann (romanticism period, 1816), Bahnwarter Thiel by Gerhard Hauptmann (naturalism, 1888), and Die Blendung by Elias Canetti (expressionism, 1935). This thesis will demonstrate how the literary view of insanity develops from considering it almost a metaphysical issue (Goethe); to an artistic/demonic possession in the case of Hoffmann; to a force of nature (Thiel); to a Freudian (or anti-Freudian) perspective with Canetti. Gretchen, one of the main characters in Goethe's Faust, suffers from a bout of insanity at the end of the novel, killing her mother and drowning her child. In Hoffmann's Der Sandmann, Nathanael experiences a downward spiral into insanity during the course of his life. Similar experiences are witnessed in Hauptmann's Thiel and Canetti's Peter Kien in Die Blendung. However, for Thiel, the loss of his son leads him to murder his second wife and child, while Kien commits suicide at the end after setting fire to his library. Parallels can clearly be seen between literature and criminal law as the insanity defense has developed over these time periods. The thesis concludes with another brief look at current public attitudes towards the insanity defense, ending with the thought that even though our Western society has come a long way in the way of legal and medical developments since the Enlightenment, the public's view seems, at times, to have not changed along with these recent developments.
Kristie Foell, Dr. (Advisor)
Geoffrey Howes, Dr. (Committee Member)
86 p.
American History; Behavioral Psychology; Behavioral Sciences; Biology; Clinical Psychology; Cognitive Psychology; Cognitive Therapy; Counseling Psychology; Criminology; European History; European Studies; Foreign Language; Germanic Literature; International Law; Language; Law; Legal Studies; Literature; Personality; Personality Psychology; Romance Literature; Social Psychology; Social Research
Goethe; Faust; Hoffmann; Sandmann; Hauptmann; Thiel; Canetti; die Blendung; insanity defense; insanity; madness; german literature; mental illness

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Miller, R. C. (2014). Reflections of the Insanity Defense in German Literature: Enlightenment to Expressionism [Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1398896485

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Miller, Renee. Reflections of the Insanity Defense in German Literature: Enlightenment to Expressionism. 2014. Bowling Green State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1398896485.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Miller, Renee. "Reflections of the Insanity Defense in German Literature: Enlightenment to Expressionism." Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1398896485

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1398896485
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This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.