The Absence of Madness

Altered States in James Tiptree, Jr.’s Short Fiction

Authors

  • Elizabeth Oakes

Keywords:

James Tiptree, Jr., Stylistics, Madness, Computational analysis

Abstract

Speculative fiction opens a window into the cultural resonances of madness, drug trips, and dreams. Thematic nuance may arise from the stylistic specifics involved in representing these states of consciousness. This paper presents a case study of two of James Tiptree, Jr.’s short stories, focusing on her representation of altered states. A quantitative, computational approach is combined with a qualitative, stylistically framed reading. The reading locates the absences that typify Tiptree’s portrayal of altered states in the text and relates these depictions to contemporaneous ideas about mental illness.

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Published

2018-11-01

Issue

Section

Peer-Reviewed Articles