Madness and the Loss of Identity in Nineteenth Century Fiction

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This critical study examines the concept of identity in the works of 19th century American and British authors, focusing especially on psychologically mad, vague, shifting and dualistic characterization. Authors examined include Ambrose Bierce, Henry James, Wilkie Collins, Robert Louis Stevenson, Charles Chesnutt, Lillie Devereux Blake, and Mary Elizabeth Braddon. The text discusses how each author was influenced by contemporary events, how those experiences shaped contemporary intellectual thought regarding identity, and how the resulting concern with personal identity manifested in literary characters who were either in search of or running from themselves.