moral insanity research log

october 14 - went to library. i found it unsuspectingly dull. is that odd? i mean, not that it was dull, but that i didn't expect it to be? anyway - didn't get much done. couldn't even tell what color the walls were. just dull. so, read the chapter on physiognomy and phrenology. i got a handle on it but not so thrilling. later read chapter on "insanity & selfhood". that was much more interesting. especially when relating it to Charlotte Bronte's writing and Jane Eyre in particular. the overlapping of insanity and social expectation and physiological knowledge creates a very unique take on insanity. you can't help but look at the "insane" characters in 19th Cent. fiction a lot deeper. were they actually insane? who defined it? how much of the diagnoses was based on cultural differences? Bertha Mason is from Jamaica. The very proper British had a very biased understanding and almost complete intolerance for the native culture when they colonized the West Indies. if "moral insanity" is in large part based on the person's ability to navigate social expectations - either in behavior or in their ability to keep their behavior hidden from view of society... well, let's not get too far into that subject for now. Make copy of chapter for home use. Read writer's handbook chapter on research writing.