The Female Malady? Men,Women and Madness in Nineteenth Century Britain

Abstract

This paper takes issue with Elaine Showalter's claim in The Female Malady, that in nineteenth-century Britain madness was first and foremost a female condition. This claim appears to have become part of feminist orthodoxy, yet has little empirical support. In Showalter's study, the claim is presented as having dual grounding. First, it is based on a cursory discussion of statistics on the confinement of lunatics in nineteenth-century asylums. Second, it is based on an analysis of cultural representations of female insanity. I shall argue, however, that whether we look at the statistics on insanity or at cultural representations, neither provide evidence of any marked affinity between women and madness. Regrettably Showalter's claim, which is occasioned by her focus on women rather than on gender relations, is in danger of distorting rather than clarifying our understanding of women's madness.