Interpretation of the theme of madness in the novels of Walter Scott

Abstract

The article presents a comprehensive analysis of the interpretation of the phenomenon of madness in Walter Scott’s novels. The research focuses on the historical, cultural, philosophical, and aesthetic foundations of the discourse of madness in late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century English literature, particularly within the framework of Romanticism. The evolution of the concept of madness is traced from its sacralised understanding in Antiquity and the Middle Ages to its desacralisation during the Enlightenment and its reinterpretation as a metaphor of spiritual freedom in the Romantic era. Special attention is paid to the Romantic principle of dual worlds, the interaction between rational and irrational dimensions, and mythopoetic traditions.

The novels “The Highland Widow” and “The Talisman” serve as the primary material for the analysis. In these works, madness appears as a complex psychological, social, and cultural phenomenon. The character of Elspeth is interpreted as an embodiment of monomania caused by personal tragedy, social isolation, and existential emptiness. Her mental disorder is examined through the lens of Romantic aesthetics, folklore motifs, and contemporary scientific views. In “The Talisman”, madness manifests itself in passionate recklessness, fanatical devotion, and excessive submission to emotions, which generate internal conflicts and social alienation.

The article argues that Scott combines artistic representation with elements of psychological inquiry, drawing on Scottish philosophical thought and early psychiatric ideas. Madness in his novels functions as a liminal state between norm and deviation, the sacred and the profane, and individuality and society. Scott’s works are interpreted as an aesthetic model of the subjective human world, where inner conflict becomes both a narrative driving force and a means of profound psychological exploration.