Introduction: Idiocy and Cultural Representation -- Pt. I. Idiocy in the Nineteenth Century -- 1. Romantic and Victorian Idiots -- 2. Madame Bovary -- 3. The Idiot -- Pt. II. Idiocy and Modernism -- 4. The Secret Agent -- 5. Kaspar Hauser -- 6. Of Mice and Men -- Pt. III. Idiocy After World War II -- 7. Wise Blood -- 8. Waterland -- 9. Such a Long Journey -- Conclusion: Idiocy in Contemporary Film
Summary
"Martin Halliwell provides a lively discussion of the most significant literary and cinematic uses of idiocy, arguing that scientific conceptions of the term as a classifiable medical condition are too narrow. With the explosion of interest in idiocy among American and European filmmakers in the 1990s and the growing interest in its often overlooked history, this book offers a timely reassessment of idiocy and its distinctive place at the intersection of science and culture."--BOOK JACKET
Bibliography
Filmography: pages [235]-236
Includes bibliographical references (pages [237]-256) and index
