Gimnazija Priština

Laplje Selo

Maturski rad iz engleskog jezika

OBSESSION AND MADNESS THROUGH THE LENS OF

LITERATURE

Mentor: Učenik:

Nevena Trajković, prof. Dušan Dimić IV/2

Laplje Selo, jun. 2022. godine

INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................2
1. Carmilla – Obsession makes its mark..................................................................................3
1.1 The Story behind the story............................................................................................4
1.2 The Tale of Carmilla.......................................................................................................5
1.3 Carmilla’s aftermath......................................................................................................9
2. The Yellow Wallpaper – Madness and Obsession meet....................................................11
2.1 The wall before the Wallpaper....................................................................................11
3. Death in Venice – As Madness and Obsession unite.........................................................17
3.2 Venice, the capital of maddening obsession...............................................................20
3.3 Obsession and madness united...................................................................................23
CONCLUSION.........................................................................................................................25
LITERATURA...........................................................................................................................25

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 INTRODUCTION
Through the ages, humans have always clung to that which is peculiar in
some way. From the time they first stood up straight, through the dawn of
civilization and into modernity, that which is beyond comprehension has possessed
the minds, bodies and souls of many. Whether it be the cosmos above, the earth
beneath or the mind within, the many mysteries of this world have led to humankind
on a never-ending quest to find that which is hidden and to uncover the secrets of
the universe. Some chose to express their dreams of the beyond through painting,
woodcarving, sculpting – trying to alter and bend nature in any way they saw fit into
what they believed that which lies where human perception cannot reach. Some
practiced philosophy and walked amongst their peers, all sharing their own ideas
about the world they inhabited. Others yet were inspired to conquer the lands that
surrounded them, in the hopes that some other civilization had found the key to all
the mysteries in creation. And finally, a select few chose to reach for the stars by
expressing themselves through words etched into stone, carefully transferred to
papyrus and finally written on the paper and preserved for all of time. It was through
literature that man was first able to express all those thoughts that had been hidden
away from the outside world and which were itching to be free of the prison the mind
had locked them away in. It comes as no surprise that some of the first stories that
were written down in hopes of being saved from that which affects all life, were
those that dealt with the subject of the human condition and attempts to escape it.
When examining those scripts from bygone days, a pattern emerges – the futility of
the search for the answer to the question of life. The attempts of these proverbial
heroes – be they humans, animals, monstrous creations, or the gods above, to achieve
something outside the norm often resulted in failure. The intense disappointment
over not measuring up to the expectations they held for themselves manifested thusly
- in an intense obsession to find whatever it is they were looking for, and (if such an
obsession persisted beyond reasonability) madness, which overtook the mind and left
these heroes shells of their former selves. How has the portrayal of these two
emotions changed throughout the ages? Is it possible that, through one's own
madness and obsession, one can reach that which is hidden?

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 1. Carmilla – Obsession makes its mark

1.1 The Story behind the story

Carmilla was written by one Sheridan Le Fanu in 1871 , the leading authority
on all things creepy and crawly that took place in the 19th century. His works
inspired many a thrill and were particularly well known for his meticulous writing
style, which lent itself well to the horror genre. Though he was also a proficient
author of historical fiction, all his works carry an air of spiritualism and mystery.
From tales of imposing churches with walls of cobble to stories of cosy tea rooms in
the mansions of the Victorian elite - to Le Fanu, anything could become the setting
of his next nightmare come to life.

Le Fanu was born in Dublin, on the 28th of August 1814. His childhood,
much of which was spent on the estates of his uncle Richard Brinsley Sheridan,
himself a famous playwright, helped shape his perception of the world. Much of the
architecture seen in his later work was inspired by the towering structures that

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followed his every move on the walks he took through Dublin on his way to the
Phoenix Park which itself later served as the basis for many nightmarish creations.
Though his early years were marked by a surprising lack of formal education – his
father, a stern Protestant only allowed a private tutor and was not of the opinion that
public school would do young Sheridan any good, he managed to take the little he
had learned and apply it accordingly, staying up night and day to study the scripts he
found in his father's library. His insatiable curiosity expressed itself through various
poems written around this time, none of which he showed to his ever so sceptical
father. However, Le Fanu was growing up – and fast. Soon, he embarked on his own
personal journey of self-discovery.

Sheridan's journey took many a tumultuous turn. His campaign against the
indifference of the British government to the plight of the Irish populace landed him
in hot water one too many a time. However, he took it all in stride and released some
of his finest works during this time, including Uncle Silas (1864), The Rose and the
Key (1871) and his seminal work In a Glass Darkly (1872) - a collection of five short
stories, all told through the framing device of them being the writings of late Doctor
Hessellius. Perhaps the most famous of these tales is one of a young vampiress –
Carmilla, and the price she had to pay for her endless quest of vying for eternal life.
Though no clear source of the tale exists before Le Fanus version, some elements of
the story are taken from historical accounts of vampires and the traits they possess.
One interesting aspect to consider is the influence the tales of Elizabeth Bathory had
on the story – many elements appear to be directly taken out of the many stories of
her life that circulated at the time. Whatever the real source may be – whether it's an
earlier story that's been lost to time or one that came naturally out of Fanus twisted
mind, one thing is certain. The tale of cold fangs on mortal flesh has inspired many
and marked the beginning of the age of obsession.

1.2 The Tale of Carmilla

This frightening tale begins, not with a blood-curdling scream, but with a light
description of the Styrian countryside through which we meet with our protagonist –
Laura, the nineteen-year-old child of an Englishmen and a former official at the
service of the Austrian crown. Through his many years of loyal service, he had

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earned himself a sizeable pension, which he used to build a schloss (castle) in the
middle of a desolate area on the outskirts of Austria. There he set his daughter up
with a governess, Madame Perrodon – a surrogate mother of sorts to Laura, whose
biological mother died in her infancy. These three make up the core inhabitants of
the schloss, and are joined by a sizeable population of various other servants, who
are of little importance to the story Laura is telling – and what a story! One of
turmoil, fright but also tenderness and a longing for freedom. Though Laura's
childhood is described as being mostly idyllic, with her servants answering her every
whim, one event stands out in her mind as being particularly upsetting. Through her
hazy recollection of the events, we learn that she had once been the subject of an
attack by an ethereal, otherworldly being at the age of six. This being, through its
deceptively warm manner, lulled her into sleep before sinking its teeth into her and
attempting to drain her blood, only to be stopped by Laura’s crying and the hurried
footsteps of her attendants. This aptly named “Early fright” is only a sign of things to
come, as Laura's past threatens to carve its way back into her life.

Making our way back into the time the story is set in, Laura’s longing for
company is seemingly addressed when an opportunity arises for one of her peers
from afar – Bertha, the ward of one General Spielsdorf is set to visit her. However,
her hopes are dashed as Bertha dies just a few days before her trip is set to take place.
In a letter the general addressed to Laura's father, he appears resolute in getting to the
bottom of his ward's untimely demise, in a fashion uncharacteristic of the kind
general they had come to know. Laura's worries about the general and the death of a
friend she never got to make are soon put aside by a strange event that takes place
just outside her home. A fancy-looking carriage quite literally crashes into her
monotonous existence, leaving its passengers – one girl of about Laura's age, who
fainted during the initial collision, a mysterious old woman, a few strange looking
footmen as well as a lady of seemingly high standing no other choice but to turn to
the owners of the schloss for help. They explain that they are on a trip of life and
death, where every moment matters and thus are in need of immediate assistance to
remain on track. With the help of Laura's father, they manage to repair their
equipment, however, one question still remains – what to do with the young woman,
the daughter of the aristocratic lady. At her request, her daughter is left in the care of
the schloss' residents, with the understanding that, in three months' time, the strange

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party shall make a return trip to pick her back up. With the departure of the
mysterious squad, the fainted girl wakes up and is seemingly shaken by the events
that took place and weeps from longing to be at her mother's side. With time,
however, she is able to gather herself and begin acclimating to her new surroundings,
with Laura ready to take care of her every whim. It is now that we learn the name of
this strange girl – Carmilla.

Carmilla and Laura form a bond through shared experiences of loneliness and
wishes for a better life. However, some differences between the two become more
and more apparent over time – though Carmilla seems withdrawn and the spitting
image of an ingénue, her sudden outbursts at the mention of topics such as religion,
piety and the lower classes make her usually calm demeanour all the more striking. It
is this duality that fascinates Laura and makes her wish to be Carmilla's confidant.
Though she is put off by the more aggressive side of Carmilla, she can’t help but be
drawn like a moth to a flame due to the immense loneliness she feels from the years

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spent living without a peer with whom she could share her internal life with. Soon
Carmilla integrates herself into every crevice of Laura's life, and begins to take on a
more active role, taking frequent walks with her while being bathed in the rich
moonlight. Laura even manages to find a picture of a long-dead noblewoman, who
resembles Carmilla in more ways than one, which she hangs in her room. Some
peculiarities keep persisting however and Laura soon finds herself exhausted and
unable to perform her usual tasks. During a meeting with a gipsy amulet maker, she
and Carmilla both purchase ones that are meant to protect from those who have risen
out of their tombs. This only seems to exacerbate the feelings of languor and
restlessness that Laura has been experiencing, and she soon starts having vivid
visions of wildcats at her footrest and apparitions at her bedside at night. Carmilla
also seems to be experiencing similar occurrences, with one exception- hers seem to
make her sleepwalk and move objects around, leaving her with no recollection of the
events.

Eventually, Laura gets sick enough that she's required to be examined by a

physician, a friend of her father's. He finds small puncture holes on her throat and
decides that the best course of action is for her to rest and switch rooms for a time.
This helps subside the frequency of her nightmares, and all seems well until a letter
from the general arrives and shakes things up once more. In it, he informs Laura's
father of his upcoming visit and, when the day arrives, takes him and Laura on a trip
to the Ruins of Karnstein – a once affluent family that ruled that part of Styria. On
the way, he recounts the story of him and his ward having visited a masquerade ball,
during which he was approached by a noblewoman who asked him of one thing and
one thing only – to take care of her daughter, Millarca for a time. The general
reluctantly accepted, and after some time Bertha began showing the same symptoms
Laura had been suffering from. She then passed away, and Millarca disappeared,
never to be seen again. The general concludes his story as he takes them to the grave
of one Countess Karnstein, who he believes to be the spirit which killed his ward.
Laura and her father are shocked at the general's insinuation, as Countess Karnstein
is the person whose picture Laura hung in her room only a few weeks before. An
even bigger shock awaits when, in an attempt to rid the world of her, the general
opens her grave to reveal a body bathed in a pool of blood – the body of Carmilla. It
is at this moment that Laura realises that her childhood fright was caused by none

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other than her faithful confidant. She is left astonished and in a state of despair, as
the general takes an axe and beheads the corpse, which lets out a scream before
finally departing the world.

The story concludes with Laura attempting to reconcile her happy memories
of Carmilla with what she learns is a form of vampire, who preyed upon various
people through the ages. She notes that though Carmilla may be dead, she still
occasionally hears her hurried step in front of her bedroom door, and reveals that the
horror she was faced with is still haunting her to this day.

1.3 Carmilla’s aftermath

And so concludes the story of Carmilla or rather, the Countess Mircalla

Karnstein, whose antics left many a victim in their wake. Though Le Fanu intended
for the story to be read as one of horror and terror, modern interpretations often
attempt to reconcile Carmilla’s more tender side with the heinous acts she ended up
committing. Either interpretation can be viewed as a valid one, as the text supports
both. One thing that both interpretations have in common is that they view obsession
as an emotion central to the story. It is clear that it’s an ever-present element in all
chapters of the story – a lighter example of it would be Laura’s fixation on finding
someone she can confide in, at the cost of ignoring anything and anyone that tells her
not to be so open about her life with the mysterious stranger who only recently
showed up on her doorstep. Another kind of obsession is the one Carmilla exhibits
towards Laura. It is this fixation that leads to her being considerably kinder to Laura
than her previous victims. Unlike her other targets, Laura is left alive the longest, and
Carmilla even chooses to feed off of other sources (the local women in the village
close to the schloss) in an effort to keep her standing for as long as possible. There
are multiple ways to read into this approach she takes to Laura specifically, but one
thing is clear regardless of which one you subscribe to – it is this feeling of obsession
that represents the driving force of the story and helps set the scene for the
happenings at its culmination. Another interesting aspect is the impact it had on the
world of vampires at large – some say that it is this story that led to Bram Stoker
eventually writing and publishing the instant cult-classic Dracula, as Carmilla was
the first story that attempted to humanise the then fully monstrous creatures of the

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night. It set down some ground rules that later stories tend to follow – though
Carmilla doesn’t burn in sunlight, she tries to avoid it as much as possible and sleeps
through large portions of the day. She’s capable of transforming into several animal-
like creatures and uses the power of flight on more than one occasion – concepts
which would later be fused into the now ever-present motif of vampires turning into
bats and flying into the night. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of all, and one that
isn’t as common in modern vampire stories, is the fact Carmilla is limited in the
ways in which she creates her fake identities by the fact her name always has to
contain the same letters that were in her original name before she became a living
dead. Shades of this remain in modern pop culture, with vampires often hiding their
real names from the humans around them and going by various pseudonyms instead.
Where Carmilla’s impact is the most evident, however, are the various stories
modelled off of it, some of which persist to this day, such as the Vampire Chronicles
by Anne Rice, which were (by the author's own admission) inspired by the work and
the way Le Fanu chose to handle the interpersonal relationships between vampires
and humans.

It is clear that Carmilla’s influence can be felt all over the world, whether it be
in literature, cinema, music or TV. Though the voracious vampire may have been
slain in the original story, her legacy appears to be truly immortal and transcends the
pages of the on which her history was first showcased. Though her name may not
spring to mind as often as Dracula's does, it remains evident that Mircalla, Countess
Karnstein lives on in the minds and souls of those who immerse themselves in her
obsessive ways.

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11
 2. The Yellow Wallpaper – Madness and Obsession meet

2.1 The wall before the Wallpaper

Charlotte Perkins Gilman represents a bit of an oddity in the world of

literature. She is known as being both a humanist who advocated for women's rights
and was an active member of many who advocated for the freedom of people from
patriarchal standards that were oh-so-present at the time, but also as a social
Darwinist and eugenicist whose fervent racism seeped through most of her work.
This duality is precisely what makes her work unique in more ways than one and
why her stories should be examined with a critical mind, rather than accepted solely
for being classics of American 19th -20th-century literature.

Perkins was born on July 3rd, 1860 in Hartford, Connecticut to parents

Frederic and Mary Perkins. Much of her early years were spent in poverty, as her
mother had been left penniless after her father left her and the children they had

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together in favour of living on his own, presumably due to the fact Mary had been
advised not to have any more children. Charlotte's early education was tumultuous –
she would spend most of it going from school to school, totalling about 7 in total
over the course of just three years. By the time she'd turned 15, Perkins had been in a
state of total disinterest regarding school subjects, as she remained a "supremely
intelligent student" who couldn't quite fess up to properly studying, leaving many of
her teachers disappointed. Her potential was not entirely squandered, however – she
visited many a library during her schooling and had an interest in ancient
civilizations and "natural philosophy" (today known as physics) which was a
favourite subject of hers. She had many role models growing up, such as Isabella
Beecher, a suffragist and an abolitionist, as well as the likes of Harriet Beecher
Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. It is no wonder that her philosophy during
her later years would turn out to be a mishmash of the many ideologies she was
presented in her youth.

Perkins continued her education in Providence, Rhode Island, where she

would eventually enrol at the local School of Design, where she would begin her
work as an illustrator of trading cards, an artist and a tutor. It was during this time
that she met Martha Luther, who was one of her closest friends at the time, and
whose marriage resulted in Perkins's resentment of any further feelings of closeness.
Despite this, she soon went against her discomfort around others and married an
artist, one Charles Walter Stetson, with whom she'd had her first and only child –
Katharine. No sooner did she give birth, was she faced with a serious case of post-
partum depression which left her feeling restless, anxious and chronically ill. Her
physician at the time simply advised the "rest cure" to her, which only exacerbated
her symptoms. After being told never to touch a pen again as long as she lives,
Charlotte decided that a change was needed in her daily routine. Reaching a mutual
agreement, she divorced her husband and set out on her own, beginning to write once
more and over time overcoming her depression through the very thing she was
advised not to do.

Perkins' writing is focused primarily on the female condition and the

constraints placed on women by the society of the time. It should be noted that her
work on women's liberation was the driving force behind most of it. Regrettably,
parts of her bibliography have been lost to the ages, such as most of her dramas and

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short publications. Much of the same messaging was present in her non-fiction – the
scope of which was rather limited, with only one preserved piece about the social
evolution of the roles of men and women, as well as their place in the modern
economy. Other notable works include the short story The Extinct Angel (1890), the
novel Benigna Machiavelli (1914), the utopian piece Herland (1915) and many more.
Her most influential work, however, remains one which garnered much controversy
at the time of release – the short story The Yellow Wallpaper (1892) which was
based primarily on her experiences with post-partum depression and the medicine of
the 19th century. Though Perkins herself represents a complex figure who had a mix
of revolutionary and reactionary ideas, some of which paint her in an extremely bad
light, it is undeniable that this particular short story had a profound effect on the
ways in which women were viewed - one showing the reality of the horror they
faced. Through this twisted tale, elements of both madness and obsession are
presented, as a disturbed young woman goes through the motions of a strict regimen
which eventually drives her insane

2.2 The Wallpaper tells its tale

The story is told through a series of diary entries of an unnamed woman living
in a rented colonial mansion during the summer months with her husband John and
his sister Jennie. Their home in the city is under renovation in preparation for their
new baby. John, a respected physician feels his wife is in need of rest to cure her
bouts of anxiety and decided an impromptu vacation would do her good. Her baby is
left in the care of Mary, a wetnurse who's been helping her out ever since they moved
to the mansion. She confides in the reader about her frustration at this arrangement,
as she feels she's unable to make any decisions for herself and is instead made to
adhere to John's strict rules around her diet, sleeping habits, and the work she's
allowed to do. She turns to writing as a respite, despite it being forbidden by her
husband and uses it to get her mind off the increasing feelings of anxiety she's been
having. She begins by describing the mansion, its interior and exterior, as well as the
countryside surrounding it – the beautiful, pastoral landscape and the vast gardens.
However, she wonders why the mansion was let so cheaply, and just the thought of
what might be wrong with the house makes her nervous. Compounding this feeling
of uneasiness is the room she and John are staying in – particularly the faded

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wallpaper that wraps around its walls. Its sickly, yellowish colouring and nonsensical
design make the would-be idyllic life in the mansion almost unbearable.

When she expresses her concerns to John, he gives her a dismissive response,
telling her to simply hold it out for the sake of him and the child they had together,
believing that her concerns are nothing more than nervousness and that the only thing
she needs is more rest. The narrator is left to stir in her discomfort, looking to the
house and the things within it for comfort. The wallpaper begins to make her even
more uneasy, reminding her of childhood memories of finding expression in the most
mundane of objects. Her trust in John is slightly renewed when, upon the visits of her
cousins on the 4th of July, she’s left feeling more exhausted than ever despite
wishing for someone to talk to for weeks before. And so, she turns to the wallpaper
once more...

As time goes on, feelings of abhorrence make way to a fascination with all the
strangeness the wallpaper presents her with. She begins observing it daily, and
witnesses a strange phenomenon – what she at first thought was a pattern without

15
any particular shape begins to take form. At first, it resembles a fungus, stretching
from one end of the room to another. Then suddenly, a new, more twisted
interpretation of it emerges, and the "outside" and "inside" patterns differentiate
themselves – the former being a cage, with long, black bars and the latter being a
woman, creeping around its perimeter, and shaking the bars along the way. She
avoids mentioning the developments to her husband, as she worries, that he wouldn't
be able to understand her plight. On several occasions, however, she catches him and
Jennie staring at the wallpaper, with Jennie remarking that it stained everything it
touched and that she had found yellow splotches on the narrator's and John's clothes.
A strange odour begins hanging over the residents of the house – a "yellow smell", at
first gentle, even pleasant at times but then turning foul, especially in rainy weather.
Thoughts of burning the house down to reach the smell begin entering the narrator's
mind, but she dismisses them at once. Along with the smell, a new mark appears on
the wallpaper - a long, winding smooch that goes along its perimeter in one straight
line, as if something had been rubbed over it again and again. A change in the pattern
of the wallpaper also occurs – the woman behind the pattern is moving faster than
ever, and the narrator believes that the many bulbous shapes on the wallpaper are
remnants of the previous captors of the wallpaper, who tried to escape, only to end
up strangled, with their heads upturned and their eyes turned a glowing white.

The narrator begins spotting the women behind the pattern out and about – in
the shaded lane, the grape arbours, the vast gardens. She admits that the woman's
creeping is of a certain comfort to her – for she also creeps, privately, always making
sure to lock the door so that her husband or his sister wouldn't suspect anything, and
always in the daytime, when it's safer. Her fancy takes a darker turn when she
becomes convinced that she could get the top pattern off the one beneath it, thus
freeing the woman for good. She takes her opportunity to do so once John is called
away on a case for the last day of their trip. Jennie asks about sleeping with her so
she's not alone, but she rejects her, vowing to free the woman. Wasting no time on
pleasantries, she begins to pull at the pattern, believing that the woman is shaking it
from the other side. By the time the sun rose on her final day there, Jennie knocked
on her door and entered, staring in amazement at the ripped apart wallpaper. The
narrator, still distrustful of her, sends her away under the pretence of resting before
the long-awaited trip back home. She gets to work once more, ripping at the

16
wallpaper with more energy than before and fastening herself to the bedstead with
the rope she hid in the room. Looking out the window just causes her more
discomfort, as her tearing of the pattern has multiplied the number of women
creeping outside tenfold. She throws the key out the window, wanting John and only
John to bear witness to her achievement once he comes back home. She ponders if
she'll have to return under the wallpaper once the sun sets, but is content with
creeping around the room, with her shoulder comfortably set in the smooch on the
wall. Once John comes home, he begins pounding at the door, asking her to get out,
even attempting to get an axe to cut the door down. It is at this time that he hears the
narrator's voice call out to him, telling him to look for the key down by stairs, under
a plantain leaf. John, in desperation, goes to check and comes back with it, finally
opening the locked door. The narrator turns back to look at him over her shoulder,
proudly proclaiming that she had gotten out at last and that they can never put her
back, causing John to faint and forcing her to creep over him, every time.

2.3 Peeling off the Wallpaper

The story of the Yellow Wallpaper is primarily one of the mistreatment of

women in the wake of the modern era. Though its format is hardly unique -
epistolary story-telling is one of the most common ways of getting a first-person
perspective on the happenings in a fictional world, the message it's trying to signal to
the reader is an extremely important one. We often hear anecdotal stories of women
being told that nothing is wrong with them, only for everyone to be lifted puzzled
when it turns out that, yes, something WAS wrong. Though the events are mostly
fictional, it was partially based on the author's own experience of being the patient,
forced to undertake months of a "cure" that did more harm than good in most cases.
The unnamed narrator of the story serves as the perfect self-insert of the author - the
writer forced to stop employing her intellectual abilities for the sake of preserving
her family life. Upon hearing all of that, some might dismiss the events that take
place as the ramblings of a madwoman whose words are not to be trusted, but
nothing could be further from the truth. As most readers will figure out on their first
or second read of the story, the wallpaper is a metaphor for the restrictive society that
existed at the time of its creation, and the narrator "escaping from the wallpaper" is
17
her letting go of inhibitions and falling out of line. On repeated readings of the story,
more details stick out to even the untrained eye - the smooch in the wall, the yellow
splotches on the clothes of the characters, the gnawed bedstead – all evidence of the
"madness" prescribed to the protagonist, there to clue us in on her descent. It
becomes obvious after some time that "the creeping woman behind the wallpaper" is
a representation of the narrator, who herself begins to obsessively creep around her
bedroom after being forced to take naps she doesn't need, likely being locked in her
room in the process. The smooch in the wall begins to form only after her creeping
has increased in frequency, which explains the appearance of the yellow stains. The
obsessive elements of the story include the narrator's fascination with the wallpaper
and its looping, winding pattern, while the madness emerges as an extension of her
obsessive tendency to stare at and try to figure the said pattern out. Throughout the
story, we are urged to sympathise with her, and see her for more than just her mental
illness. That is exactly what makes her downfall all the more tragic. Knowing the
person she was before the wallpaper took hold of her helps the reader put themselves
into her shoes and see the world the way she does – not as a free space where one can
do whatever it is they please, but rather, as a closed-off, claustrophobic prison, where
the people who love you most can do the most harm.

Perhaps the most distressing part of the story is the ending, and for good
reason. Having been fully driven mad by the isolation, the narrator completely
transforms into the women behind the wallpaper, incessantly creeping about the
room, not stopping even when her husband arrives and faints from shock. The last
line, about having to walk over him “every time” is particularly chilling, as it implies
that this twisted game of ring-around-the-rosy was allowed to go on for far longer
than we get insight into. “Dear John”, the symbol of the systems he upholds entered
the room of someone those very systems consider “tainted” and was left to rot in its
wake. His plight is a good example of how these restrictive rules can end up
backfiring, even on their most loyal followers.

The Yellow Wallpaper is one of the rare examples of stories that portray the
patterns of behaviour the protagonist exhibits as something more than simply
reflections of the “poisoned minds” of mentally ill people. In truth, it is a testament
to the inefficiency of systems that bind, restrict and turn their backs on the people
they’re supposedly protecting. Its biting commentary and wit helped capture the

18
imaginations of thousands of people all across the world – it’s a wonder how this
marriage of madness and obsession gave birth to one of the best works of the 19th
century.

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 3. Death in Venice – As Madness and Obsession unite

3.1 Knocking on Death's door

Thomas Mann is one of the most renowned authors in all of German

literature. Known for his expressive writing style, unique take on realism and a
penchant for basing characters and happenings on real-life events, this prolific writer
has made his way through to the minds of people everywhere. What not as many
people are aware of, however, is his personal life and the secrets that lie beyond his
seemingly unbreakable façade. Repression and depression, love and loss all mix to
create a person with many secrets, and with nothing but his writing to channel them.
Does his writing still hold up in the modern day? And is his impact on the world of
literature enough to redeem the more unsavoury parts of his personal life?

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 Paul Thomas Mann was born on the 6th of June, 1875 in Lübeck as a child of
a German senator of royal blood and a Brazilian writer. This unlikely match would
serve as an inspiration for many stories to come, as Mann grew up surrounded by
both creatives and scientific types, giving him the unique opportunity to experience
the best (and worst) of both worlds. He would end up receiving an elite education by
attending the Lübeck gymnasium and later enrolling in both the Ludwig
Maximillian's University of Munich and the Technical University of Munich, with
the ultimate goal of becoming a journalist. Shortly thereafter, he became acquainted
with Katia Pringsheim, who would eventually become his wife. Mann soon found
employment, helping him settle into his new way of living. Life seemed to be
looking up for young Thomas – four of the six children he would end up having were
born, and he was starting to find success doing what he loved - that is, until the
tragedies of the two world wars struck. These would whip up a storm that would
leave him stranded in many foreign lands and lead to many new revelations.

Faced with the challenge of having to flee Germany, Mann decided to take his
family along, travelling across many European countries that would end up being his
temporary home. It is during these trips that Mann began keeping extensive diaries.
Through these, we find many stories of success and times of prosperity – such as the
time he was awarded the Nobel prize in 1929, for his novel The Buddenbrooks. His
anti-Nazi ideology also made its way to his writing – though much more
conservative in his earlier years, his politics began to take a left leaning turn after the
birth of Nazism and extreme nationalism in his home country. His pleas for the
German people to rebel against their leaders were broadcast over the BBC in 1940,
which further solidified him as a persona non grata amongst the German party
officials, who had exiled him from the country in the years prior to the broadcast.
Though he did much good and spread a message of pacifism amongst the people of
Europe, one aspect of his personal life has to be examined in order to fully examine
Mann as a person. That aspect being his homosexuality, which is discussed at length
in most of his diaries, regardless of the time period in which they were written. Many
a private letter addressed to his friends talks about this very subject as well. Though
it might be tempting to view Mann as a tragic figure, due to the customs at the time
not allowing him to disclose his real sexuality to the public, it is necessary to also

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acknowledge that there exists evidence of his paedophilia, which casts a shadow over
the many good things he’d done over his lifetime.

Besides the aforementioned Buddenbrooks, Manns oeuvre includes titles such

as The Magic Mountain - a philosophical tale based on Manns experience in a
sanatorium, Doctor Faustus, which is Manns take on the story of Doctor Faust, with a
new main character and setting (the 20th century), Joseph and his brothers which is a
retelling of many events from the Bible and is considered one of Manns greatest
works, as well as a number of short stories, novellas and more. Out of his novellas,
the one that sticks out to the eye of the modern reader is the story Death in Venice,
originally published in 1912 and based on Manns real-life experience at the Grand
Hotel De Bains on the small Italian island of Lido, which ended up as the setting of
the novella as well. There, Mann met one Wladyslaw Moes, who would serve as the
inspiration for this tale where the boundary between that which is real and that which
is imaginary is finally broken – thus, we get a story in which Greek mythology
permeates the modern world and eventually takes over it, blending the two and
birthing a fantastical setting for the events of the main story. Told throughout just a
few relatively short chapters, the story of the novella is one where madness and
obsession not only meet but become one, as a middle-aged German novelist is forced
to confront an outpouring of emotions he's never felt before.

3.2 Venice, the capital of maddening obsession

The story begins with a long description of the main character, one Gustav
von Aschenbach, a highly successful author in 1910s Germany. His works tell of
heroes and villains whose personalities were shaped with one goal in mind – to make
them as non-controversial to the general public as possible. It is with this strategy
that Gustav went about living life, doing only that which was considered appropriate
for a man of his stature. It is this determination to sticking to the status quo that led to
his ennoblement and slow rise in social class that took up much of his early years.
Large portions of his personal life remain a mystery however, as the reader is only
clued in on the most basic of its aspects. The only thing not left up for interpretation
is the fact he was once married to a woman who died a number of years before
events of the story take place, and that the marriage produced a single daughter,
whose name is never given. Aschenbach is about to embark on his usual trip to his
summer home when an unusual encounter shakes up his cushy existence / that being

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his bumping into a strange red-haired man, whose appearance initially disturbs him.
The feeling slowly grows into one of immense wanderlust, something so unfamiliar
to him that it leaves him a state of distress.

In attempt to rid himself of this feeling, Gustav decides to travel to a city on

the Austrian coast called Pula, which is occupied by a number of other German-
speaking tourists. His trip is cut short however, as he feels the location, he chose isn’t
one exotic enough to satisfy his urge to travel. Coming to the conclusion that only
Venice would be suitable enough, he packs his bags and embarks on a journey to the
Italian city. While approaching his hotel, located on the island of Lido, he decides to
take the ferry. During the ride to one of the many stops on his way there, he sees a
loud, boisterous man in a group of youths. He’s left disgust at the fact the man’s face
is covered in cakey make-up, put on in an effort to look younger than he really is.
This feeling is compounded by a gondolier he meets on his final stop to Lido, who
attempts to scam him out of his money but is accidentally foiled by Gustav leaving to
get his luggage in order.

He sets up at the Grand Hotel Des Bains, a quaint establishment surrounded

by a bustling community and with a beach at its doorstep. The hotel, paired with the
scenery proves to be exactly what Gustav was looking for, as he sets out to spend the
rest of his vacation there. While coming down to get breakfast, he spots an Eastern
European noble family, consisting of a matronly woman, her daughters and a French
governess. The family all appear to be waiting in anticipation for someone at the
moment Gustav picks them out of the crowd. That someone proved to be a boy of
exceptional beauty on the brink of teenagehood. The sight of him makes quite an
impression on Aschenbach, who begins drawing parallels between the boy and
various figures from Greek mythology. It is this fated meetup that kickstarts the main
portion of the story, with Gustav beginning to slowly explore the world beyond the
hotel's doors. His first stop is the beach, where he intends to begin work on his
newest novel, which is set to be released later in the year. However, fate has other
plans for him, as he instead begins observing the noble family once more, coming to
the conclusion that they are polish in origin. Most of his interest, however, lie in the
boy of the family whose name he learns of while listening in on the conversation
between the boy and his peers – Tadzio. Through continued observations of him, he
becomes even more taken in by Tadzio’s beauty, though not without taking note of

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the fact he looks sickly and will likely not survive up until adulthood. With this idea
in mind, Aschenbach spends the following days growing more and more weary of
the Venetian climate, culminating in a spur of the moment decision to head back
home, as he begins to feel sicker than he ever was. While preparing to head out of the
hotel and with his bag on the way to the ferry, he meets Tadzio once more, with who
he exchanges a wordless greeting. This encounter is all he needs to begin regretting
his decision to leave Venice - the feeling is compounded by the pleasant sights of the
Mediterranean city. With a heavy heart, he begins his descent to the plaza where his
ferry is located, when he learns that a mix up occurred, and that his bags have ended
up on Como. Seizing the opportunity at once, Gustav feigns an angry disposition as
he returns to the hotel and settles in once more, acting as though he had only done so
out of necessity. With his bags returned, he extends his stay until further notice and
fully takes to the tourist way of life, visiting the nearby landmarks.

It is during these visits that his fascination – now obsession with Tadzio
begins to take hold. During one of their encounters, Tadzio flashes a smile at him,
the sight of which makes Aschenbach fall into a flurry of emotions, resulting in him
proclaiming the depths of this newfound where he is sure Tadzio won’t be able to
hear him. This marks a turning point, as Gustav stops admiring Tadzio from afar and
becomes more proactive in his observations. This leads to him following the Polish
family around Venice, all in the hopes of taking in more of Tadzio’s beauty. It is
during these trips that he finds out that a contagion has come down upon Venice and

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has begun taking out large swaths of the population. Though initially intent on
revealing this to the matriarch of the noble family, he decides not to, for fear of
losing the ability to ever see Tadzio again. That very night, he dreams of a pagan
ritualistic worship of a strange god – overcome with a sense of delirium and ecstasy,
he begins to approach the nightmarish apparitions as his dream comes to an end.
Overcome with a sense of weariness, Aschenbach continues to follow Tadzio and his
family around, eventually even dyeing his hair and putting on make-up, all in an
effort to appear as young as possible to the object of his desire. His strange behaviour
is eventually picked up on by the boys’ guardians, who begin hiding him from view
of his strange admirer.

On one of his usual escapades, Aschenbach buys a strawberry and eats it raw,
without washing it. This, coupled with his ever-weakening body, leads to him
contracting cholera. The symptoms grow worse every day and reach their peak when
he notices the polish family is about to depart the hotel. Deciding to sit on the beach
one last time, Gustav spots Tadzio who, after an altercation with his friends, gets into
the shallows of the bay. Throwing one last glance at him, their eyes meeting,
Aschenbach is filled with a sense of bliss and comfort. His body is discovered later
that very day.

3.3 Obsession and madness united

The story of Death in Venice is one filled with twists and turns, all
culminating in one of the most interesting pieces of 20th century literature. The rich
prose, the descriptions of faraway lands and the very flow of events in the story are
what make up its unique essence. Unlike previous entries, it does not shy away from
showcasing all the facets of obsession and diving deep into its root cause.

The events taking place in its pages can come off as both deeply disturbing, as
well as hauntingly enchanting. The best place to start when analysing them would
definitely be the wealth of references hidden within its lines. The primary source of
which being the Greek mythos and its many gods and goddesses. Throughout the
story, we see Tadzio and his beauty compared to the likes of Apollo, Hyacinth and
Narcissus. All three of these figures are described as having a youthful appearance
which draws in many an admirer – an easy connection to make between their stories
and the plot of the book. Out of three, Apollo is one about whom most stories have
been written. The proud god of light is a common fixture in many myths, whether

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he’s helping out heroes or using his lyre to calm all those he comes across. However,
an important aspect of him is also his eternal chase for love – being immortal means
he’s often faced with his mortal lovers dying of one thing or another, leaving him to
wander aimlessly, doomed to seek love from those who can never fully reciprocate.
One such example is Hyacinth, a young Spartan prince who Apollo comes to love
and obsess over, forming a relationship much like the one Gustav wanted to have
with Tadzio. Their story ends tragically however, when Zephyr, the wind god
becomes jealous of their bond and redirects Apollos discus so that it extinguishes the
flame of life of his mortal lover, whom Apollo immortalises into the flower
Hyacinthus. Another mortal-turned-flower is Narcissus, who’s cursed to forever stare
at his own reflection after his vanity leads to the death of his admirer. After staying
in place for days, transfixed with his own beauty, he gets turned into the flower
Narcissus, bound to forever keep his hand low to the ground. The tragedy of love and
loss, and the eternal pursuit of beauty are subjects we can easily identify within the
story of the book

The similarities between these mythos and the events that transpire over the
course of one summer in Venice don’t end there however. Gustavs dream is another
example of mythical symbolism applied to a modern tale with its Dionysian
influence. That part of the story in particular sticks out as being (perhaps
uncharacteristically) frank about the nature of the obsession and madness that
overcomes Gustav. He no longer attempts to hide behind artistic platitudes. Instead,
his mind is exposed for the reader to see, as his descent into full-on madness begins.

It is no wonder that this story has served as an inspiration to many who’ve

come across it – it’s an expertly crafted tale of tragedy, the aimless pursuit of all
things beautiful and a longing for regaining that which can never be obtained once
lost – youth.

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 CONCLUSION
People have come to many different conclusions as to what the beyond has to
offer. In this search for knowledge and power, no stone has been left unturned. The
depths of the human mind have seemingly all been explored and everything there is
to see there has been meticulously organized into a logistical whole, whose parts all
add up into a perfect automaton who always functions according to predictable
patterns that have already been observed many years ago.

However, madness, obsession, conflict, trauma – they all throw a wrench into
the human perception of reality. They represent that which cannot be predicted and
that which goes beyond human understanding – a new gap in knowledge, one that
cannot be overcome as easily as all the others. One which requires a hands-on
approach and which refuses to be tamed into something we can easily perceive.

The threat which these things pose to our current view of the world is perhaps
a little overblown – after all, they’re just like any other emotion that belongs to the
human experience. However, even after taking that into account, one question
remains – how can people overcome them and transform them into something that’s
more desirable. Therein lies the problem – that is simply impossible. These raw,
powerful feelings cannot be channelled into something which the society of today
deems acceptable. Their power belongs exclusively to the world of shadows, hidden
behind hushed whispers and knowing looks.

The powers of madness and obsession are not ones to be taken lightly, as they
can easily overcome and consume whoever it is that’s trying to harness them.
However, in the right hands, they can be just as magnificent as any more common,
positive feeling. They possess a dark beauty within, which can create rich worlds
filled with that which is thought to be impossible to the naysayers. Those who choose
to stubbornly cling onto the world well within human understanding. To them, they
will always remain just forces of destruction, bound to corrupt whatever they touch.
To choose to accept them as a part of life and work on employing them as
expressions of our inner worlds is to choose to see beyond the veil which clings onto
the eyes of humanity to this day.

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28
LITERATURA

1. Le Fanu, Sheridan, Carmilla, The Dark Blue, Dublin, 1871

2. Stetson, Charlotte Perkins , The Yellow Wall-paper. A Story, The New
England Magazine, Boston, 1892
3. Lanser, Susan S, Feminist Criticism, 'The Yellow Wallpaper', and the Politics
of Color in America, 1989
4. Mann, Thomas, Der Tod in Venedig, Neue Rundschau, 1911
5. Kenneth Burke, Death in Venice and other stories, 1925
6. Robertson, Ritchie , The Cambridge Companion to Thomas Mann.
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2002

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Datum predaje: __________

Komisija:
Predsednik: __________
Ispitivač: __________
Član: __________

Komentar:

Datum odbrane: ________ Ocena: ________ (__)

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