Cultures of Madness

The Centre for Women's Studies own Dr Francesca Lewis will be delivering an online seminar with Dr Veronica Heney as part of the 'Cultures of Madness' series at the Institute for Medical Humanities, Durham University.

Join Francesca and Veronica for a discussion of representations of madness in historical biopics of royal women. The seminar will bring together three recent films, Yorgos Lanthimos' The Favourite (2018), Marie Kreutzer's Corsage (2022), and Pablo Larrain's Spencer (2021). We'll ask how these royal women are re-imagined in light of these biopics' reappraisal of their trauma, their confining circumstances, and their mental distress.

Alongside the appeals of the excess, the melodrama, and the immersive non-realist modes of these innovative films, we might be drawn to consider a trend in which madness is positioned as that which brings modern viewers closer to privileged figures of far-off royalty. In their shared interest in the traumatic impact of normative femininity, in their play with ideas of refusal and negation, and their openness to non-clinical models of mad experience, these films might be read as rich texts in the “sad girl” sub-genre.

Following an initial provocation, the event will prioritise wide-ranging discussion between all attendees, as we explore the complexities and nuances of these thought-provoking films.

Register for this online seminar