In many parts of the world, mental illness is still highly stigmatised and viewed as a taboo subject. However, as humans, we seem always to be drawn to better understand those who deviate from the social paradigm, from what we consider rational, stable and normal. Nevertheless, one must always remember that our “social responses to madness, our interpretations of what madness is, and our notions of what is to be done about it, have varied remarkably over the centuries” (Scull, 2011).

The TV series Dickinson (2019), created by Alena Smith for AppleTV+, while exploring the life of notorious American poet Emily Dickinson, who is often remembered as an eccentric recluse who spent most of her life away from society, roaming the depths of her imagination, touches upon the theme of madness on more than one occasion. In the show, the categorisation as mad is inextricably linked with either a complete disinterest or an incapability to comprehend and adhere to traditional gender roles. Emily Dickinson (Hailee Steinfeld), who is labelled a ‘weirdo’, a ‘freak’, and a ‘lunatic’, especially when she exhibits behaviour that is in contrast with social norms, is often described as ‘crazy’ when others talk about her unwillingness to conform.

The episode “A little Madness in the Spring” reminds us especially of how definitions of mental illness can change alongside broader cultural shifts. It also underlines how labelling someone as mad (outside of a professional context) can still be very arbitrary, influenced by notions dictated by ‘proper’ society. In this episode, the Dickinson family visits a lunatic asylum for women, where Emily's father, Edward (Toby Huss), might become a trustee. The setting thus is perfect for the show’s writers to explore and denounce the ways in which madness has been used in the past to preserve women’s subjugated state. When the trip is announced, Emily’s mother (Jane Krakowski) is very sceptical, thinking her husband wants to lock her away. She tells her daughter: “It’s the oldest trick in the 19th century playbook. Tired of your wife? Marriage gone stale? She had a bit too much to drink on your birthday, put on her wedding dress and fell down the stairs? Just say she’s mad and lock her away” (Howard, 2021, 03:31-03:41). Her fears, which might not fully resonate with a contemporary audience, are soon proven to be well founded. Once the family arrives at the location, they are led on a tour by the head doctor, who tells them:

You’ll find our girls here receive state-of-the-art care. We have a very progressive understanding of mental sickness, covering all modern female illnesses, ranging from exhaustion, overeducation, menstruation, laziness, being unmarried...

Lavinia: Being unmarried is a mental illness? no, yeah, that feels right.

Head Doctor: To acute mania, chronic mania, nymphomania and melancholia. It's more commonly known as grief. (Howard, 2021, 07:33- 08:02)

It is thus immediately made clear to the viewer that mental illness has long been used as a tool to erase women’s agency, limit their autonomy and marginalise those who did not conform to the norms of traditional society. As such, every manifestation of non-conformity is labelled as madness. This is made even more apparent when the doctor, after exchanging only a few words with Emily, attempts to convince Edward to institutionalise his daughter as he is sure she is a lunatic. Edward, however, refuses more than once, stating that she is not mad but rather just a poet.

The episode continues as Emily, who in the meantime has gone to explore the asylum further, finds a group of women held in the basement. She soon realises that the ‘madness’ they have been diagnosed with is nothing more than disobedience, as one person is there for identifying as a man, and another for protesting for women’s right to vote. As the women are kept in terrible conditions, not allowed to bathe, eat regularly, read, or write, Emily decides to break them free. Once she storms the hall with the other women, Emily tells her father:

With these words, Emily thoroughly denounces the practice of institutionalisation as a means to diminish women's autonomy and agency. Throughout the show, links are drawn between the past and the present, inviting the audience to reflect on how far we have come and how much still needs to be done.

In conclusion, the episode simultaneously denounces these antiquated practices while encouraging the viewer to question their own preconceptions surrounding mental illness, not only in regard to women and how the label of madness has been used in the past but also how it continues to be used today. By showcasing and condemning these practices, it invites the audience to reevaluate who exactly we categorise as mentally ill and why, especially when making broad generalisations about groups of people, without looking at the specific individual and their experiences.

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Works Cited:

Scull, Andrew. 2011. Madness: a very short introduction. 4th printing. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Howard, Silas, Director. Dickinson. Season 3, Episode 6, “A little Madness in the Spring”. Created by Alena Smith. Aired November 25, 2021. AppleTV+.