The postgraduate students studying “Writing Unreason: Literature and Madness in the Modern Period” on the MA in Comparative Literature, and their seminar leader Dr Angelos Evangelou, Lecturer in the Department of Comparative Literature, were welcomed on Monday 10th December 2018 by the Director of the Bethlem Museum of the Mind with a brief introduction about its history and contents.

The museum, which is located within the grounds of the Bethlem Royal Hospital, was opened in 2015 by artist Grayson Perry. Its permanent and periodic exhibitions host internationally renowned collections of archives, art and historical objects related to the history of mental illness, and mental healthcare and treatment.

The students had the opportunity to reflect on the representation of mental illness in art, to see artwork made by author Anna Kavan which is studied in the module, view artwork made by patients either on or off the hospital grounds, and to engage in a debate about mental health and hospitalisation. The field trip was funded by the Department of Comparative Literature. “I really enjoyed the trip to the Bethlem Museum of the Mind,” said Rochelle Zibetti, a SECL student who attended the trip, “In addition to the exhibits, I liked hearing and sharing observations with my classmates who pointed out artworks and impressions that I wouldn’t have noticed otherwise.”

Angelos Evangelou commented, “It’s always great to see the seminar discussions continue outside the seminar room and the students to learn and be inspired by so many stimuli. With its aesthetically arresting, sensitive and historically instructive exhibits, The Bethlem Museum of the Mind offered us the opportunity to further reflect not only on the controversial topics of mental illness and mental healthcare but also on more theoretical topics such as the relationship between mental illness and creativity. A memorable day!”