Women and Madness in the Early Romantic Novel

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Focusing on the intersection of madness and gender in early Romantic literature, this work examines the novels of five women authors, including Mary Wollstonecraft and Eliza Fenwick. It highlights how these writers critiqued patriarchal structures that contributed to women's mental health struggles, such as hysteria and melancholia, often exacerbated by romantic loss. Weiss contrasts their approaches with those of more mainstream authors, showcasing the evolution of the psychologically complex female heroine. The book advocates for a renewed emphasis on women's mental health in literary criticism from this era.