Madness as Contagion and the Failure of Psychoanalysis: A Psychoanalytical Study of Patrick McGrath's "Asylum" and "Trauma" and Janet Frame's "Faces in the Water"

Abstract

The worlds of Patrick McGrath and Janet Frame are full of paradoxes and ambiguities. Starting from the historical notions of trauma and insanity, through this dissertation, we will see how the two authors, namely McGrath and Frame, approach trauma and the various psychological practices concerning it. Moreover, we will get to see to what extent the two authors overlap as well as depart from each other. Reading McGrath, we encounter the stories of psychiatrists on the verge of madness; where the point between madness and sanity is no longer defined in traditional terms. It is interesting to notice how bare the line between insanity and soundness is as the two oftentimes intertwine and even overlap in his plots. When it comes to McGrath, one should forget about the arbitrary relationship between a psychiatrist and a patient as every relationship of the type starts turning over a new leaf. To understand McGrath and his worlds better, this essay will state some biographical points concerning Patrick McGrath's early life indicating his association with the mentally ill specifically at a very young age. Likewise, through biographical hints concerning Janet Frame, we will witness how she, being unjustly misdiagnosed with schizophrenia, approaches psychoanalysis in even more of a subjective way compared to McGrath. Consequently, throughout this thesis there will be various guidelines providing evidence on McGrath's objectivity and contrastingly, Frame's subjectivity. By referring to the pioneering writers of trauma theory as well as various ideologies concerning the notion of trauma and psychotherapy, in general, and trauma narratives, in particular, this work will also provide new ways of looking at a trauma story, a trauma narrative in which understanding the plotline cannot but be associated with suspense and cynicism. Following that, this dissertation will shed some light on how and to what extent McGrath and Frame depart from the traditional ideas concerning trauma, talking therapy, death, defense mechanisms, severe psychological states, instabilities, family dynamics, traumatic neurosis, memory, survival, guilt, etc. Furthermore, the role the narrative point of view plays in the advancement of the plots will also be discussed. In order to discuss the trauma narratives more profoundly, this work will also attempt to familiarize the reader with the multiple definitions of the whole concept of insanity. However, we may come upon some rare instances in McGrath's and Frame's writing in which the traditional mindsets concerning psychoanalytic treatments are respected. Analyzing Trauma, this essay will provide new ways of approaching the field of psychoanalysis reinforcing the idea that psychoanalytic practices can, in fact, increase the trauma rather than depleting it. Furthermore, analyzing Asylum, this paper will suggest new ways of looking at the mentally ill where the illness of mind and madness are no longer defined by rank or profession but by family dynamics as well as by a characters' early life. By the same token, throughout this essay, we will come to a point where the madness and instabilities of mind become more of a contagion than a straightforward issue. Finally, we will also notice the various narrative techniques and strategies adopted by Patrick McGrath and Janet Frame aimed at challenging the various psychoanalytic institutes and the common notions concerning psychoanalysis and its numerous practices. Consequently, the dysfunctional psychoanalytic units will be a reminder of the universal nature of trauma depicting a world in which the thin line between madness and sanity is no longer defined by the choice of profession or social status but, more than anything, by a person's unique individual experiences in life.