About “O Alienista”
Who's crazy? This is the central question in the novella by Machado de Assis. The story follows Dr. Simão Bacamarte, a dedicated scholar of the human mind who builds a mental hospital called the "Green House" in the small town of Itaguaí. His goal is to treat the mentally ill, but the narrative explores the idea that normality is not absolute and that what is considered sane may depend on perspective. Machado de Assis uses the doctor's experiment to examine the relativity of mental health and the limitations of scientific understanding. The novella challenges readers to question societal definitions of sanity.
Book details
- Latest edition
- 2013 · ISBN 9781603848534