Madness and writing: Bessie Head’s “A Question of Power and Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea

Abstract

The subject of madness is a popular literary concept regarded as a consequence of female marginalisation and used in achieving self-actualisation. Bessie Head’s A Question of Power and jean Rhys’ in Wide Sargasso Sea portray a fascinating nature of womanhood. These texts express an illustration of madness on women’s ability for self-expression, self-assertion and their tendency to self-destruction. However, they also highlight the constructive consequences of madness, especially its manipulation and the construction of a new image or identity leading to the emancipation of the female self.

Keywords: Madness, feminism, gender, identity, experience, culture, tradition, woman