Bedlam in mind: seeing and reading historical images of madness

Cross, S ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2301-7318, 2012. Bedlam in mind: seeing and reading historical images of madness. European Journal of Cultural Studies, 15 (1), pp. 19-34.

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Abstract

In this article I explore mythical Bedlam of popular imaginings. London's Bethlem Hospital was for centuries a unique institution caring for the insane and its alter ego 'Bedlam' influenced popular stereotypes of insanity. For instance, while the type of vagrant beggar known as a 'Tom of Bedlam' was said to have disappeared from English society with the Restoration, the figure of Mad Tom retained a visual and vocal presence within popular musical culture from the seventeenth century up to the present era. Using the ballad 'Mad Tom o' Bedlam' as a case study, I illustrate how an early modern stereotype of madness has maintained continuity within a popular song tradition whilst undergoing cultural change.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	European Journal of Cultural Studies
Creators:	Cross, S.
Publisher:	Sage
Date:	2012
Volume:	15
Number:	1
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1177/1367549411424949 DOI
Rights:	Copyright 2012 by Sage Publications. All rights reserved. No portion of the contents may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Arts and Humanities
Record created by:	EPrints Services
Date Added:	09 Oct 2015 10:41
Last Modified:	17 Apr 2024 10:02
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/16709

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