ACMRS Scholar Series - Albrecht Classen

"Madness in the Middle Ages -- Epiphany or Mental Illness? Alternative Perspectives on Insanity from a Medieval Point of View"

Presented by Albrecht Classen, Distinguished Professor of German, University of Arizona

Even though mental disability was fully recognized also in the Middle Ages as a severe medical problem, the shades of meaning of insanity varied vastly, including mystical visions, revelations, plain mental derangement, or prophecy. This talk will introduce us to some of the most fascinating aspects of premodern culture, forcing us, in many ways, to reflect on what mental illness really could have meant and what we are to make out of it today, in a world so strongly dominated by rationality. The talk will not advocate irrationality as the guiding principle, but will uncover different approaches and interpretations of often hard to understand manifestations of a different mind.