Real mental illness doesn't have anything to do with one's character, necessarily.
Ahhh yes, I was forgetting that. It's interesting because I actually really enjoy writing/reading about unhinged characters-- who walk the line of reason and madness, who do wild things, who are consumed in some way. Looking back on my own writing, I often write characters (especially Ginny and Draco, but Hermione once, too) as 'mad', though often that just gets called 'dark'. There is a definite connection between 'dark' portrayals and (literary) madness. And I lovelovelove dark portrayals. Like that ficlet where Harry was lying on the battlefield and Draco was licking up his blood-- there's a definite interplay between that sort of darkness and madness, isn't there?
I don't get offended at fictional madness... just the idea that Draco's ripe for madness because he's overly emotional, do you see what I mean? He's overly emotional, y'know, but that's not like a -sign- that he'll crack, I think. Taking it as a sign is what got my hackles up and made me go off on a silly rant. Especially silly because I love talking/reading about madness in any form-- fictional or not. I'm extremely fascinated by any kind of treatment of one's mind set loose-- perverted-- twisted-- undone, and so on.
My big stumbling block here is just that connection between emotionality and insanity, which I refuse to see as valid even in fictional terms. You'd need something else unrelated-- a trigger. The emotionality itself (one's type of character, basically) doesn't really have much do with it-- as you said. Who you -are- (overly sensitive, prone to hysterics and drama, given to anxiety or outbursts of rage or what have you) doesn't connect with your future madness, perhaps especially in fiction. So the whole construct doesn't really work that way. He -could- go mad, definitely, but it's not because his eyes glitter with passion, y'know what I mean?
This hearkens back to Freud and his claim that women are hysterical (mad) because of their womanhood (i.e., over-emotional sensitive natures), since hysterical means something like 'walking womb'. Ack that pisses me off.
But anyway. Yeah I know no one was saying Draco -is- mad, but having his character being a candidate because he's conflicted or emotional or whatever just bothers me. In terms of predicting canon, I suppose, it just doesn't seem very likely~:) I like it in fanfic, though... well, as long as we don't get someone pontificating on how he was always bound to crack 'cause he's such an emotional boy :>
The whole belief-system making one go mad is different, of course (and probably more plausible). But that wasn't what Elkin's essay was saying... I think? I should at least read it, probably ^^;
The 'real' Mad Eye Moody seems overly paranoid but since they -are- out to get him (I think), the point is moot, isn't it :>
no subject
Ahhh yes, I was forgetting that. It's interesting because I actually really enjoy writing/reading about unhinged characters-- who walk the line of reason and madness, who do wild things, who are consumed in some way. Looking back on my own writing, I often write characters (especially Ginny and Draco, but Hermione once, too) as 'mad', though often that just gets called 'dark'. There is a definite connection between 'dark' portrayals and (literary) madness. And I lovelovelove dark portrayals. Like that ficlet where Harry was lying on the battlefield and Draco was licking up his blood-- there's a definite interplay between that sort of darkness and madness, isn't there?
I don't get offended at fictional madness... just the idea that Draco's ripe for madness because he's overly emotional, do you see what I mean? He's overly emotional, y'know, but that's not like a -sign- that he'll crack, I think. Taking it as a sign is what got my hackles up and made me go off on a silly rant. Especially silly because I love talking/reading about madness in any form-- fictional or not. I'm extremely fascinated by any kind of treatment of one's mind set loose-- perverted-- twisted-- undone, and so on.
My big stumbling block here is just that connection between emotionality and insanity, which I refuse to see as valid even in fictional terms. You'd need something else unrelated-- a trigger. The emotionality itself (one's type of character, basically) doesn't really have much do with it-- as you said. Who you -are- (overly sensitive, prone to hysterics and drama, given to anxiety or outbursts of rage or what have you) doesn't connect with your future madness, perhaps especially in fiction. So the whole construct doesn't really work that way. He -could- go mad, definitely, but it's not because his eyes glitter with passion, y'know what I mean?
This hearkens back to Freud and his claim that women are hysterical (mad) because of their womanhood (i.e., over-emotional sensitive natures), since hysterical means something like 'walking womb'. Ack that pisses me off.
But anyway. Yeah I know no one was saying Draco -is- mad, but having his character being a candidate because he's conflicted or emotional or whatever just bothers me. In terms of predicting canon, I suppose, it just doesn't seem very likely~:) I like it in fanfic, though... well, as long as we don't get someone pontificating on how he was always bound to crack 'cause he's such an emotional boy :>
The whole belief-system making one go mad is different, of course (and probably more plausible). But that wasn't what Elkin's essay was saying... I think? I should at least read it, probably ^^;
The 'real' Mad Eye Moody seems overly paranoid but since they -are- out to get him (I think), the point is moot, isn't it :>