madness in SF

while I do see reading as a solitary pleasure, there are times when it is good to meet with like minded people. One place and time is Wiscon - a feminist SF convention held every year in Madison, Wisconsin in the USA.

one panel which caught my eye is called We're All Mad Here: Madness in Fiction

How have writers used the concept of madness? Does it denigrate, or exalt the character? Tag them as dangerous, sick, bad or holy? In touch with genius, or another world? How do cultural norms influence our definition and the expression of madness? Can it be a way of healing or renewal? A political act? Why was it a popular 19th-century plot device? Who is considered mad these days and why?

I do get tired of mental illness being a plot device or a metaphor for the 'insanity' of society. SF is no better or worse than any other genre. As far as I know. I read more SF and 'literary' fiction than any other genre.

in time, I will tell you about fiction and non-fiction which does a 'good enough' job of representing the experience of madness and of the treatment which is meant to help.

'good enough' in my opinion, that is.

many people blog about Wiscon panels so I will keep an ear open and an eye out for coverage and link to it here.