MADNESS AND CREATION IN N.V. GOGOL’S SHORT STORY THE PORTRAIT

Abstract

Romantic thinkers posited that artistic genius was linked to a "divine illness," underscoring the significance of spontaneity, creativity, and irrationality. A century later, psychologists and psychiatrists have observed a high and repetitive incidence of psychotic behavior among exceptionally creative individuals. The objective of this article is to examine the interconnection between genius and madness, as exemplified by one of the pivotal concerns in Romantic aesthetics: the function of the artist and their creation in Gogol's short story, “The Portrait”. To this end, I have employed an analytical approach, integrating psychological and narratological concepts to facilitate a comprehensive structural analysis.