In the field of cultural studies, Michel Foucault's discourse analysis is currently the most popular approach to questions concerning fiction and insanity. The literary representaton of insanity in the modern era is discussed here in light of Foucault...
In the field of cultural studies, Michel Foucault's discourse analysis is currently the most popular approach to questions concerning fiction and insanity. The literary representaton of insanity in the modern era is discussed here in light of Foucault's ideas, using the example of Moosbrugger, a character from Robert Musil's novel Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften. Moosbrugger's poetic and poetological role allows the narrator to examine, rather than just reflect, prevailing discourses within the literary text. The term 'poeticity/literaricity' and 'interdiscursivity' will therefore serve as central conceps.