The Female Malady: Women, Madness, and English Culture, 1830-1980

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The Female Malady: Women, Madness, and English Culture, 1830-1980

4.09 of 5 stars 4.09 · rating details · 194 ratings · 19 reviews

In this informative, timely and often harrowing study, Elaine Showalter demonstrates how cultural ideas about 'proper' feminine behaviour have shaped the definition and treatment of female insanity for 150 years, and given mental disorder in women specifically sexual connotations. Along with vivid portraits of the men who dominated psychiatry, and descriptions of the thera...more

Paperback, 310 pages

Published September 1st 1987 by Penguin Books (first published 1985)

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Apr 26, 2013 Nancy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mental-illness, psychology, history, women, library-books, favorites, shelf-inflicted

Also reviewed at Shelf Inflicted

Elaine Showalter’s The Female Malady: Women, Madness, and English Culture, 1830-1980 is a very informative, very accessible, and very disturbing look at how “insanity” was treated from 1830 to 1980. It examines cultural expectations about how women should behave and how these male perceptions affected the diagnosis and treatment of women’s mental health problems.

I read this book from cover to cover and would have been very happy if it were a school text. One of...more

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Mar 13, 2010 El rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: cultural-studies-and-other, hear-me-roar, cuckoos

By Victorian standards, I'd be considered clinically insane. As would you. We might be sent away, at first, for a rest cure which would require we do absolutely nothing with our time - we could not write, we could not read, we could not work. That wouldn't do it for me, so eventually I'd probably be institutionalized and forced to undergo electroshock treatments of such strength that my pelvis bone would probably break, forced feedings (complete with tubes being shoved down my throat), and most...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Mel rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 20th-century-non-fiction, women-s-history, british-history, library, victorian

I've been looking for a good social history on hysteria for awhile now and I came across this book at work. It wasn't exactly what I was looking for but it was quite interesting. The author looked at the history of women and "madness" and the way they were treated by doctors and psychiatrists in the 19th and 20th century. It was an interesting women's history, some parts better than others, but I think ultimately if the author was trying to reclaim women's voices in relation to their treatment s...more I've been looking for a good social history on hysteria for awhile now and I came across this book at work. It wasn't exactly what I was looking for but it was quite interesting. The author looked at the history of women and "madness" and the way they were treated by doctors and psychiatrists in the 19th and 20th century. It was an interesting women's history, some parts better than others, but I think ultimately if the author was trying to reclaim women's voices in relation to their treatment she failed. One of the biggest problems with this book was that by only looking at women's treatment she failed to see what was gendered treatment and ideas and what was practice for everyone. Things were broken down too much into sex first and other things second. In other words whether someone was a man or woman became their most important distinguishing feature which I thought created its own gendered differences. The other problem with this book seemed to be the lack of addressing the reality of mental health issues for women. Nearly all the examples she used of women diagnosed with conditions were women who would not be classified as having those conditions today. For example Sylvia Plath being schizophrenic, instead of depressed. By doing this she made it seem like none of the women were actually mentally ill and in need of treatment. To me this came across as very false. These cases to me were the exceptions not the norm, and as such gave a distorted view of the history of mental illness. The first part of the book looked at Psychiatric Victorianism (the history of the first half of the Victorian era). She discussed the treatment of the mentally ill in asylums, and the development of them, and then the treatment of women in general. Her biggest criticism of women's treatment was that it was based on gender stereotypes of the time. Women were expected to be docile, not interested in sex, and reserved. It was a very good look at the gender stereotypes of the time, however by analysing from a 20th century perspective she didn't really fit these generalisations in context. Complaining that women's treatment in Victorian psychiatry silenced women (98) didn't really differ from the treatment of non-mad women in normal society. Comparing women's treatment in the asylums, to that within mainstream society, would have given a better understanding I think. Only at the very end of the section does she mention that women who lived in asylums often had easier and more pleasant lives than those without. One thing that was interesting, that I didn't know about while reading this section was her talking about Florence Nightingale's depression (or hysteria) and her book/memoir called Cassandra about a woman restricted by society, which sounded really interesting. The next section looked at Psychiatric Darwinism, late 19th century to early 20th century treatment of women. This part focused largely on the development of hysteria and the symptoms and treatments thereof. For me it was interesting to see how closely the symptoms of hysteria matched those of saint possession, demon possession and mediumship in other times and other cultures. Having studied these other areas it was interesting to read Showlater's interpretation of these symptoms. She saw hysteria as a sign of protest, a way to get attention, though never addressed whether these were intentional or not. She also failed to address what the women gained, why reacting this way was seen as a successful form of rebellion when it brought them nothing but grief in the form of treatments. She also failed to address the success or failure rate of treatments, such as the rest cure. She also drew heavily on women's literature to illustrate her points, while this made more sense for the earlier history I questioned its use in the later stages of the book. Particularly when she stated she was specifically focusing on English not American history, and then used examples from America, such as Charlotte Perkins and Sylvia Plath. I couldn't help but wonder why she'd not looked at actual case notes from the institute of psychiatry instead. The chapter that seemed the oddest to me was when she looked at male hysteria among soldiers from World War I. Here she tried to present that the soldiers were suffering from hysteria, and were treated in the same way as the women. To me this kind of undermined her earlier argument that treatment was based on a gendered model. For if the male patients were being treated the same way, then were not the psychiatrists attempting cures that had nothing to do with gendered stereotypes at all. She also seemed confused to the cause of the man's shell shock, stating that it was because of the failure of gender stereotypes, men were shocked because they were supposed to be "men at war" and weren't able to cope. Rather than actually suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, because world war one was a totally horrific thing to have to live through. The writing on the 20th century seemed equally odd. Here she mentioned schizophrenia, which despite being a disease that was equally split between men and women she said was seen as feminising because of the treatments such as ECT and lobotomies. (An argument that really didn't hold out). She seemed to fail to identify schizophrenia as a real illness, and I admit I felt it was all a bit strange. One of the most interesting things I did learn was that there was a female psychiatrist who was a contemporary with Freud who denounced his ideas for being totally sexist, and failing to understand women's problems had nothing to do with "penis envy". I definitely learned some fascinating things while reading this book, and despite its flaws I'd definitely recommend it. It didn't quite do what it was intending to do, but nonetheless there are some really interesting parts and some good insight, particularly into the gender divisions of Victorian society. (less)

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Jul 23, 2011 Kari rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a fascinating book about the attitudes and treatment of mental illness in women. Showalter shows her extensive research and critical assessment of the shifting perception of madness and how it was interpreted by a male dominated medical establishment. It is shocking to read of some of the treatments imposed on women without psychiatrist actually listening to the women or trying to work out the underlying causes. Throughout the Victorian era hysteria was stigmatised as woman's illness. I...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Talkingtocactus rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone interested in mental health or feminism

i had to read this for a presentation i did on the history of mental illness in my BA 3rd year history class. i loved it then, and i've read it since and still love it. i often recommend books i've read for uni to people i know who are researching or just interested in particular issues, and this one i've recommended more than any other, it's informative and readable and very persuasive.

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Dec 21, 2012 Eileen Granfors rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: environment, families, medical-issues, religion, social-issues, writing-help

When I was writing my prequel to A Tale of Two Cities, I used this book, trying to understand how women of the past were judged as "mad" for expressing feelings. Thought the era (1830-1980) precedes that of "Sydney's Story," the ideas floated around as fact during the ages prior.

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Aug 16, 2011 Emma rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

By dissertation bible. Incredibly detailed, and well written. I've always been a massive fan of Showalter, and this book is possibly among the most interesting non-fiction reads I've ever had.

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Apr 17, 2013 Charlotte rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Fascinating and brilliant, it's easy to see why it is now regarded as a classic. I've been recommending it to people all week!

Anyone even slightly interested in feminism needs to read this book; both illuminating and horrifying.

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Apr 18, 2012 Lori marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: own

I want to read this book because it was used for research by the author of The Vanishing of Esme Lennox.

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Mar 31, 2009 Scott Neigh added it · review of another edition

Reviewed here.

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May 20, 2010 Beth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: for-school

Compelling explanation of madness in English culture--medical and cultural portrayals (Ophelia). Well written and interesting illustrations.

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May 07, 2010 Lauren rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Marty Blank gave this to me Christmas 1985. Marty, if you are out there, thanks!

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Jul 03, 2012 Pippa222 rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science, gender-issues

An absolutely fascinating book, which puts 'hysteria' in its true context.

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Mar 21, 2008 Treasure rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: grown-up-books

This one is a challenge to track down, but worth the effort. It was nice to read an academic book-- it's been awhile. The book discussese women and madness in British culture, and it makes me want to smack Victorian men in the head... and then show them my Master's degree diploma... and then show them my bra... and then smack them on the other side of their head.
Fascinating, emboldening.... can we send Paris Hilton to this era? That would make me very happy.

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Mar 31, 2012 Veleda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: england, feminist, history, mental-illness-psychology, nonfiction

This is a fascinating book. Insightful and thorough, it's also very readible. Reading this has expanded not only my knowledge of the historical treatment of mental illness, but also my own understanding of what it means to be female and mad.

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May 06, 2013 Kathryn Page rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: feminist, madness

Excellent history of how women have been viewed mad over the last 150 years. Informative and upsetting with sharp critiques of the various male psychiatrists whose theories controlled the world of mental illness.

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Jan 28, 2008 Monica rated it 5 of 5 stars

For anyone intersted in Hysteria/ female "madness" as a social construction, this is a must read.

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Feb 22, 2008 Krysia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: nineteenth-century-studies

Another essential secondary source to understanding gender in Victorian England.

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About Elaine Showalter

Elaine Showalter (born 21 January 1941) is an American literary critic, feminist, and writer on cultural and social issues. She is one of the founders of feminist literary criticism in United States academia, developing the concept and practice of gynocritics.

She is well known and respected in both academic and popular cultural fields. She has written and edited numerous books and articles focusse...more

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Books by Elaine Showalter

A Jury of Her Peers: American Women Writers from Anne Bradstreet to Annie Proulx

A Literature Of Their Own: British Women Novelists From Brontë To Lessing

Daughters of Decadence: Women Writers of the Fin-de-Siècle

Hystories: Hysterical Epidemics and Modern Media

Sexual Anarchy: Gender and Culture at the Fin de Siecle

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