Bennett, S. (2015). Representations and Manifestations of Madness in Victorian Fiction. A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of Master of Arts at The University of Walkato (NZ).
http://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz

has been cited by the following article:

• TITLE: Lady Audley’s Secret and the Portrayal of a Criminal Mind

  AUTHORS: Giuseppe Giordano

  KEYWORDS: Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Lady Audley, Psychopathy, Antisocial Personality, Crime

  JOURNAL NAME: Advances in Literary Study, Vol.9 No.3, June 4, 2021

  ABSTRACT: Lady Audley’s Secret is a novel first published in 1862 by Mary Elizabeth Braddon, a Victorian writer. It is the story of a young lady who, in her attempt to climb the social ladder, commits several crimes. Her behaviour was considered abnormal and improper in a society in which women had to be obedient and docile. The originality of this work is the representation of a woman whose behaviour was not considered as insane rather intentional and calculated but, despite this, she was confined to an asylum. Psychiatry was an emerging medical specialty during the Victorian period and the diagnosis of psychiatric conditions was not sophisticated and precise as today. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that Lady Audley was likely affected by antisocial personality disorder according to the medical assessment criteria of the present time.