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Literary case study of psychosis: The Vegetarian.
Gabor S Ungvari1,2, Stanley N Caroff3,4, Levente Csihi5
1Division of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Western Australia, Crawley 6009, Western Australia, Australia.
World Journal of Psychiatry
|June 27, 2025
Summary
This literary case study analyzes psychotic symptoms in Han Kang's novel, "The Vegetarian." It explores catatonia, schizophrenic autism, and praecox-feeling, offering insights into phenomenological concepts.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Literary Analysis
- Phenomenology
Background:
- Han Kang's novel, "The Vegetarian," depicts psychotic deterioration.
- The novel offers a unique perspective on psychosis through a young woman's experiences.
- It presents detailed, realistic psychotic symptoms with historical and phenomenological relevance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the psychotic symptoms described in "The Vegetarian."
- To review medical literature on catatonia, schizophrenic autism, paragnomen, and praecox-feeling.
- To connect literary descriptions with historical phenomenological concepts.
Main Methods:
- Literary case study approach.
- Analysis of symptom descriptions in "The Vegetarian."
- Review of medical literature on specific psychotic phenomena.
Main Results:
- The novel provides a detailed portrayal of objective psychotic symptoms.
- Symptoms described align with historical concepts like catatonia and schizophrenic autism.
- The narrative illustrates phenomena such as paragnomen and praecox-feeling.
Conclusions:
- "The Vegetarian" serves as a valuable literary case study for understanding psychosis.
- The novel offers insights into forgotten phenomenological concepts related to psychiatric conditions.
- Literary analysis can illuminate complex psychological and psychiatric phenomena.
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