The Suffering of Women Who Didn't Fit: 'Madness' in Britain, 1450–1950

by David J. Vaughan

For over 500 years, women have suffered claims of mental decay solely on account of their gender. Frigid, insane, not quite there, a witch in sheep's clothing, labels that have cast her as the fragile species and destroyer of Man.This book reveals attitudes, ideas and responses on what was to be done with 'mad women' in Britain.Journey back into the unenlightened Middle Ages to find demonic possession, turbulent humours and the wandering womb. In the Puritan Age, when the mad were called witches and scolds ducked for their nagging. The age of Austen and a sense and sensibility created from her fragile nerves. Then descend into Victorian horrors of wrongful confinement and merciless surgeons, before arriving, just half a century past, to the Viennese couch and an obligation to talk.At the heart of her suffering lay her gynaecological make-up, driving her mad every month and at every stage of her life. Terms such as menstrual madness, puerperal insanity and 'Old Maid's Insanity' poison history's pages.An inescapable truth is now that so much, if not all, was a male creation. Though not every medic was male, nor every male a fiend, misogynist thought shaped our understanding of women, set down expectations and 'corrected' the flawed.The book exposes the agonies of life for the 'second class' gender; from misdiagnosis to brutal oppression, seen as in league with the Devil or the volatile wretch. Touching no less than six centuries, it recalls how, for a woman, being labelled as mad was much less a risk, more her inevitable burden.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Feminism

295 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

Further details
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Published author (Pen & Sword, The History Press, etc), historian, blogger, book reviewer, media presenter and public speaker, David J Vaughan writes both fact and fiction including on history (often bloody), crime and insanity (spanning 500 years). A 'jobbing' feature writer across mainstream independent publications.

His latest book, The Suffering of Women Who Didn't Fit. 'Madness' in Britain, 1450-1950 was published by Pen & Sword History in November 2018.

His other titles include:
• Out of Control: Young Criminal Lunatics in Victorian Britain (Pen & Sword History, due 2019)
• Mad or Bad? Crime & Insanity in Victorian Britain (Pen & Sword History, 2017)
• The Little Book of Herefordshire (The History Press, 2016)
• Bloody British History: Salisbury (The History Press, 2014)
• The Secret Life of Celestina Sommer. A Very Victorian Murder (Amazon eBook, 2014).

All are available from leading High Street and Online retailers and direct from the publishers.

David also owns and writes his blog about Crime and Insanity in Victorian England, at criminalunacy.blogspot.co.uk, receiving in excess of 2000 hits every month.

He gives talks and lectures on various related topics of interest: such as crime, madness, local history and the archaeology of Britain.

He also reviews titles for Routledge and other, similar publishers of related journals and books.

David is a former Assistant County Archaeologist of Wiltshire, south-west England, but now lives in Herefordshire's glorious Golden Valley just outside the capital of books, Hay on Wye, home to the world-famed literary festival.

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rare synchronised study of the colourful, often horrific, account of women and madness over half a millennia. From scold to witch, virgin to whore, this book exposes how an unchanging perception of women has altered responses to gender and madness.

This book is packed full of the history of madness and how women were affected by it. The author exposes the numerous theories, put forward by men, to explain the behaviors of women that weren't considered acceptable, and the treatment or mis-treatment that ensued from those theories. It is not uncommon to see a diagnosis of madness used as a means of controlling women in society. This book is extensively researched and documented. While the information here is fascinating it's not written for the casual reader. This book is more suitable for a college text. That being said, it is well written, informative and an excellent study of the topic.

[Rosemarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from the publisher in return from an honest review.

I'm interested in the history of mental illness in Britain, and thought this book would be an interesting addition to my library. I was a bit disappointed in the writing; a lot was said but not much of it was new. The thrust of the narrative is that women were treat badly in mental health care because of the ill-informed ideas of men.

[Georgi_Lvs_Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

‘As a woman, considered more venal and volatile by nature, holding on to but all of her faculties spelt grave danger not just for the victim but for society at large.’

This book is very infuriating with what is said and thought about towards women.

To have been a women during these times…
Just thinking about it gives me the heebie-jeebies.

‘Beyond the generic, female insanity was increasingly blames on her eruptive life stages; puberty, adolescence, maidenhood, marriage and that most popular target, motherhood.’

[Elizabeth Macdougald · Rating 3 out of 5]

DESPERATE need of an outline and a decent copy editor.