Reading Group – The Sentimental Look in the Asylum
When:
—
Venue:
Birkbeck Main Building, Malet Street
No booking required
Reading Group – The Sentimental Look in the Asylum: Henry Mackenzie and Sophie von La Roche at Bedlam, led by Anna Jamieson, Birkbeck, University of London
Anna Jamieson introduced two texts which describe visiting Bethlem Royal Hospital, commonly known as Bedlam, during the latter decades of the eighteenth century: Henry Mackenzie's novel The Man of Feeling (1771) and Sophie von la Roche's diary entry of her visit in 1786.
By comparing a literary and first-hand account of a visit to Bethlem, this session considered the ways in which eighteenth-century tourist practices surrounding medical sites (or as Mackenzie calls them, 'sights') were informed by preconceived behavioural ideals. Spanning a period when Bethlem had recently put an end to its infamous practice of allowing the general public to view the mad, these sources mark a crucial turning point in the display of human suffering. Situating these texts amongst a number of key contemporary themes, discourses and debates - including emerging behavioural codes and the notion of performance within certain medical spaces, and how wider concepts such as detachment, disinterestedness and consumption may have impacted a visit and subsequent response - this session framed Bethlem as an eighteenth-century ‘Dark Tourist’ destination, aligned with, but singular from, other spectacular sites along London’s tourist trail.
Contact name:
Kate Retford