| Abstract |
This dissertationdeals with the theme of madness in Pavlos Nirvanas’ work. PetrosApostolidis(1866-1937), who became widely known under the pseudonym Pavlos Nirvanas, appeared in literature in the late 19th century. Besides a writer and a journalist, he was also a doctor. As a doctor,having a very early interest in psychological issues he published the essays "Personality Disorders" (1893) and "Art and Insanity"(1905). The motif of madness is also developed in his narrative work with various depictions.
In the first chapter of this work, there is an attempt to makea retrospective presentation of the motif of madness over the years. In the next chapters,the author's theoretical viewpoints on "insanity" are discussed. Through his essays, one can see the encounter between literature and medicine as well as important conclusions concerning the views of the scientific and literarygroups of the time regardingpsychotic disorders. In the essay "Art and Insanity", Nirvanas opposes the highly popular degenerative ideas of the time, while he defends the Circle of Demotic Greek and the symbolists authors who have received harsh criticism during that period.
The second part of the paper examines the pattern of insanity through Nirvana’s narrative. On the one hand, it is concluded that the insane manpredominantly appears in literature with stereotypes and specific characteristics (both external and internal). On the other hand, the image of the insane manvariesamong different literary movements with eachauthor’s stylistic choices being guided by his ideological targets. Probably, the most important parameter of madman’s depiction in Nirvana's work is his presentation in relation to his social environment. The attitude of the social environment is characterized by contradictory emotions of awe and mercy that the notion of madness and absurd always creates.
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Η παρουσία της τρέλας στο έργο του Παύλου Νιρβάνα
