Madness, Gender, and Art
Full Tuition: $300 — Scholarship options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select.
Instructor: Hollis | Mondays | 5-weeks | November 6 - December 4 | 7:00 - 9:00 PM ET | ONLINE
“Madness is terrific I can assure you.”” –Virginia Woolf
It is easy to think of examples of women who might be considered “mad” in literature—Ophelia, Bertha Mason, Pecola Breedlove, Blanche Dubois, Ester Greenwood, the list could go on and on. It is equally as easy to think of women artists who might be labeled “mad”—Virginia Woolf, Sinead O’Connor, Sylvia Plath, Lucia Joyce; again, the list goes on. These women are often remembered for their acts that challenged cultural expectations of femininity. Jane Eyre’s Bertha Mason, for example, is the origin of the madwoman in the attic trope, haunting Jane and setting their home aflame. Even though she was imprisoned by her husband, in the novel, she is not seen as a victim but rather as a monster. And Sinead O’Connor, whose recent death has prompted discussions of her legacy, is often remembered for a single moment in 1992—an appearance on Saturday Night Live during which she tore up a photograph of the Pope and said “fight the real enemy.” This act of protest branded her as a crazy woman; and outrage from her protest has disproportionately defined her legacy.
In this course, we will explore the figure of the madwoman in art. We will look at characters who have been interpreted as mad, and artists who have been described in that way as well. We will consider how systems of oppression shape not only how we understand gender, but also how we interpret and assign madness. Over the course of five weeks, we’ll read, listen, and look together to get a better understanding of gender, resistance, and the politics of madness.
Classes are recorded to allow for students to participate asynchronously. If you want to take a class but cannot make the class time, sign up for the asynchronous audit option to follow along on your own. Recordings are password protected and will only be available for the duration of the class and two weeks after it ends.
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Night School Bar pays instructors and staff a living wage, and your tuition goes toward supporting this practice. Please pick the payment tier that corresponds to your needs, and consider our commitment to fair labor practices when doing so. We will never request or require proof of need, and do not use an income-based sliding scale; we trust you to decide what payment tier is right for you. If you would like additional support deciding or would like to learn more about the practice of using a sliding scale, we recommend this resource from Embracing Equity.
We are currently able to offer three full scholarships per class, and one full scholarship per person per term. If the scholarship tier you need is sold out or you would like to pay tuition on an installment basis, please email us directly, and we will work with you.
If at any point up to 48 hours before your first class session you realize you will be unable to take the class, please email us and we will reallocate your funds to a future class, to another student’s scholarship, or refund it. After that point, we are able to offer 50% refunds.