Poetic Existence Beneath Madness

As one of Saul Bellow's most renowned novels, Herzog evokes strong social sensation due to its subtle dissection of the antihero Herzog's mind as well as the acute analysis of contemporary culture. Critics home and abroad have studied this work in various aspects. Theories such as feminism, archetypal criticism, and existentialism have been employed in its analysis.This thesis aims to explore the spiritual journey of Herzog through Foucauldian interpretation. Drawing upon Foucault's theories of madness and the art of existence, it attempts to analyze Herzog's quest for poetic existence and the essential role madness plays in the process. The main body of the thesis is expanded through three main steps. According to Foucault's concept of madness and its relations with passion and reason, the first step primarily analyzes Herzog's madness and the causes behind it in the light of his passions and non-reason acts. Besides, the invisible asylum established by his wife and friends unveils his insanity from another aspect. The motif of this part lies in revealing Herzog's profound meditation on the value of life under the seeming madness. The second step is devoted to elaborating the concept of the art of existence and its major principles. Through illustrating the connection between madness and the art of existence, this part reveals that beneath Herzog's abnormal activities is his quest for poetic existence. It is because Herzog stepped out of the accepted order of the conformity to pursue an ideal life style that he was accused of a madman. Last but not least, the third step focuses on interpreting how the protagonist achieved poetic existence by fulfilling the principles of the art of existence, which includes his care of his self and the efforts he paid in maintaining his ethical principles, in realizing self-mastery, as well as in problematizing his personal and spiritual life.The significance of the topic not only rests in the organic combination of madness and the art of existence and their joint application, but also in the practical inspiration. In the modern society, people's minds are possessed by reason and science. A Foucauldian interpretation of Herzog can break the taken-for-granted impression of madness, inspire people to open the doors of unreason, and dare people to explore the meaning of life with fresh eyes.