November 2023 BOTM nominations

[Danny]

Hello OBNR community!


I hope you are enjoying this “bookish” time of year. It is with great pleasure to invite everyone to join me in deciding November’s book of the month. When thinking about a theme, I find it impossible to ignore the quiet uneasiness of last month’s pick, The Collector . For this month, let’s build off this momentum and keep the flame burning.

Author, John Fowles, described—in great detail—a situation of extreme psychological distress; however, he never once mentioned the psychological phenomenon known as Stockholm syndrome. This occurs when individuals who are kidnapped or taken hostage form an emotional bond with their captor. Throughout history, literature has exposed the mysteries of the brain, sometimes ahead of the medical community. A good example of this is Charlotte Perkin Gillman’s short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper”, which details the struggles of a woman who suffers from postpartum psychotic delirium.

For the month of November, I need everyone to scour the library shelves for a book that exposes a psychological condition that may have been unknown or not quite understood at the time of its publication.

Again, for those not familiar with the criteria, these selections should be over 50 years old, have literary merit, and most importantly, have relevance to the theme. Please list your suggestions on the thread below. Once we have six, I will make a poll.


I am excited to see your results!


Best,
Daniel

[Sharon]

I nominate Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville. Depression before it was a diagnosis.

[Danny]

Thank you for kicking this off, Sharon!

[La Tonya]

Fields of Fire by James Webb. Publication Date is 1978. It is only 45 years old. It is highly acclaimed. I hope it meets the critera in that regard.

Fields of Fire is James Webb’s classic, searing novel of the Vietnam War, a novel of poetic power, razor-sharp observation, and agonizing human truths seen through the prism of nonstop combat. Weaving together a cast of vivid characters, Fields of Fire captures the journey of unformed men through a man-made hell — until each man finds his fate.'

[Cobwebs-Iced-Across-SpaceTime]

The Invisible Man, as much a study of psychological disorders, I think, as science fiction.

[Ian]

I read an article in the past few months about about a book published by a psychologist in the 70's that argued in ancient times people thought that when their left and right brain hemispheres were talking to each other, they were literally hearing the voices of the gods telling them what to do. I don't have an opinion on the validity of the theory, but I do find the idea interesting.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ori...

I can't remember the original article i read, but this one is similar:
https://greekreporter.com/2023/08/23/...

I'd like to nominate The Iliad by Homer, where Odysseus is probably just obeying his inner monologue. 😀

Ian

[Danny]

Hello all!

Just a quick note:

For those offering suggestions for our next read, please, if you can, include the specific disorder (if given) that the author may be describing.

For example,

Sharon wrote, "I nominate Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville. Depression before it was a diagnosis"

I only say this because our theme is not psychology in general; It has more to do with specific instances when literature hinted at a medical disorder before it became part of a much larger conversation.

This also applies to distinct forms of psychological manipulation that may have become popular after the book release. Recently, I watched the 1940 film, Gaslight, which coined the same term that psychologists use today to describe an abuser who causes a victim to question themselves and their reality.

Again, thank you all for participating!

[Jazzy]

Who could seem more autistic than Poirot? So I will suggest

Poirot Investigates (1924) - Agatha Christie