Madness And Power: A Foucauldian Interpretation Of Septimus

As a celebrated British female writer and one of the forerunners of modern fiction in the 20th century, Virginia Woolf receives a high reputation and her position in the history of British literature is unique. Her brilliant works have been attracting more and more attentions from the world of criticism. Mrs. Dalloway, an important representative work of modernism, has been read extensively in the literary history and great achievements have been brought about through the analyses of the different critic groups. Generally speaking, most critics have emphasized the newness of Woolf's arts in Mrs. Dalloway like stream of consciousness or profoundness of themes like life and death, war, social criticism, feminism, etc; while few critics have attached enough importance to the theme of "sanity and insanity" which to Woolf herself is essential.This thesis is a tentative endeavor to analyze the theme of "sanity and insanity" in the novel from the perspective of Foucault's theories about madness and power. Firstly, as Foucault says, madness is the product of social civilization. Septimus'madness is, in nature, a kind of social discourse of the definition of a rational society. Septimus is good at reading, arithmetic and reasoning. The truth he sticks to is all about love and freedom. Secondly, the cause of madness is closely related to the mechanism of power. This thesis focuses on the relationship of madness and power and analyzes the causes of madness through the interactions of power and discourse, power and truth, power and discipline and power and resistance. The dominance of rational discourse determines the Septimus's aphasia. Since truth arises from power, the truth pursued by Septimus, who is in a situation of aphasia and marginalization, is bound to be treated as nonsense. Rational discourse has a set of discipline mechanism to maintain its authority. Doctor Holmes and Bradshaw attempt to shut Septimus into an asylum. Finally, Septimus kills himself to maintain his freedom and independence, which completes the resistance against disciplinary power.The conclusion part emphasizes that Septimus'madness is not caused by personal reasons but the complex social power mechanism. His "madness" is not pathological illness but a kind of knowledge produced by complex power mechanism. Septimus's challenge to the dominant rational social power shows that power relationship is a dynamic ever-changing system. At the same time, it arouses people's rethinking of madness and more attention and sympathy.