Le Simplegadi

L’originalità di stile e contenuti della produzione di Nathaniel Lee è spesso interpretata principalmente alla luce della presunta malattia mentale dell’autore. Il presente contributo propone un nuovo approccio all’opera di Lee; dimostra come la tragedia Brutus(1680), che contiene una sorta di nosologia delle alterazioni del pensiero o del comportamento umano, sia un testo liminare, sulla soglia tra opera letteraria e trattato medico. L’autore si appropria del discorso scientifico a lui contemporaneo non solo per contestare le più recenti concezioni di patologia mentale, ma anche come strumento per articolare una riflessione sulla condizione del potere politico.

DOI: 10.17456/SIMPLE-156

Parole chiave
Nathaniel Lee, follia, internamento, Commedia della Restaurazione, storia della medicina.

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