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Mental Illness And Creativity In The Selected Poetry Of Robert Lowell And Anne Sexton, Nicholas Huard

Honors Program Theses and Projects

One should never underestimate the potential of someone who suffers from mental illness, as many individuals with mental illness can create great art. Madness, after all, can be seen as a sign of genius. The goal of this thesis is to show how mental illness and creativity are connected. Despite suffering bouts of madness, poets such as Robert Lowell and Anne Sexton displayed genius through their poetry. “Skunk Hour” by Lowell and, Sexton’s “45 Mercy Street” depict madness while displaying a deep understanding of poetic form.