A Taste of Madness

Course Times & Enrolment

This course is currently unavailable.

Course Summary

Does creativity require going beyond reason? What insights—and what thrills—do we gain from reading about ‘madness’, or from reading the work of writers struggling with mental illness? We will explore these questions through Romantic, ‘Confessional’, and contemporary poetry together with theoretical perspectives.

Course Details

Pre-requisites for enrolment

None.

Content of Course

This session will explore the way in which mental illness and extreme states of mind have influenced key literary texts and personalities. The poetry of the Romantics will be contrasted to that of the ‘confessionals’ and reference will be made to the writings of Plato, Freud and Winnicott.

Teaching method(s)

Lecture and guided group discussion.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this taster course, students should be able to:

Identify key literary figures whose writing has been influenced by mental illness.
Demonstrate an understanding of different poetic genres and their identifying factors.

Sources

Class Handouts

Handouts will be provided on the day.

Queries

If you have questions regarding the course or enrolment, please contact COL Reception at Paterson's Land by email COL@ed.ac.uk or by phone 0131 650 4400.

Student support

If you have a disability, learning difficulty or health condition which may affect your studies, please let us know by ticking the 'specific support needs' box on your course application form. This will allow us to make appropriate adjustments in advance and in accordance with your rights under the Equality Act 2010. For more information please visit the Student Support section of our website.