Mental health in English-speaking society and literature

This course combines both “civilisation” and literature and will cover the period of time from the closure of the lunatic asylums in Great Britain in the second half of the 20^th century, to the present day. Through an anthology composed of newspaper articles, political speeches and party manifestos, you will analyse some of the factors which influence mental health policies such as: advances in medical knowledge, changes in social values, political ideals, the influence of the media (including social media) and financial cost. Alongside these factual texts, you will study autobiographical and fictional representations of mental illness in order to gain an understanding of how changes in society’s attitudes towards the mentally unwell are reflected in works of literature.

Session 1 :

• Étudiants régime général : contrôle continu : commentaire de document(s) (écrit et/ou oral)
• Étudiants régime spécial : CT : oral 15 minutes (30 minutes de préparation)

Session 2 (« rattrapage ») :

Étudiants régime général et régime spécial: examen terminal : oral 15 minutes (30 minutes de préparation)

Organisation des enseignements

2h TD hebdomadaires pendant 12 semaines.

Ouvrages au programme :

A course reader comprising the texts that will be studied in class will be available on e-campus together with a full bibliography.

Bibliographie complémentaire :

• Gordon, Bryony. Mad Girl, London: Headline, 2016.
• Haig, Matt. Reasons to Stay Alive, London: Penguin, 2015.
• Jones, Kathleen. Asylums and After. London: Athlone Press, 1993.
• Kesey, Ken. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. New York: Viking Press, 1962. (other editions available)
• Plath, Sylvia. The Bell Jar. London: Heinemann,1963. (many editions available)
• Taylor, Barbara. The Last Asylum – A Memoir of Madness in Our Times. University of Chicago Press, 2015.
• Slater, Lauren. Prozac Diary. London: Blackwell, 1998.
• Vizzini, Ned. It’s Kind of a Funny Story. New York, Miramax Books, 2006.
• Wurtzel, Elizabeth. Prozac Nation. Boston: Houghton Miffin, 1994. (other editions available)