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Mayer, Jed
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Fall 2024
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2024-12
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Langlitz_Thesis.pdf
Adobe PDF, 401.15 KB
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Abstract
What does an alcoholic look like? What does an alcoholic sound like? For Victorians
these questions had seemingly clear answers. However, the reality of alcoholism often defied
expectations and revealed complexities that made most Victorians uncomfortable. Plunging into
this cultural tension, this essay explores the treatment of alcoholics in sensation literature and
science fiction. Although substance abuse disorders were only marginally understood in the
nineteenth century, this essay understands “alcoholism” to be the habitual consumption of
alcohol to excess (“Alcoholism”). Additionally, this essay understands alcohol to be inseparable
from affect, or the expression of the emotions. As such, sensation fiction—produced to elicit
emotional reactions from its readers—offers an apt medium through which to explore the
treatment of alcoholism in late Victorian literature. Specifically, this essay addresses Lady
Audley’s Secret, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and The Island of Dr. Moreau. By
tracking the portrayal of alcoholics throughout time, from 1862 to 1896, this essay explores
Victorians’ evolving understanding of the impact of alcohol—and affect—on society.
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