Briana Estrada 10/27/16
The insanity in Edgar Allan Poes’ “The system of Doctor Tarr and professor Fether” is filled with insanity that we’ve never seen before. The unnamed narrator takes a journey in the south of France with an acquaintance whom he just met not too long ago(which some may question what kind of relationship was it?) They stumble upon a well known asylum after being introduced to Monsieur Maillard the asylum director who later turns out to be a freak himself, the acquaintance takes off. The narrator is goes to dinner at the facility with Maillard and his friends who discuss the insane patients at the ward and the new system that abolished the soothing system. The narrator at first seems to be on edge at the dinner when he sees the dinginess of the dining room, the annoying music and then the monster looking entre ordered by Maillard. The setting of this story completes a real gothic setting that even the readers can feel. The dinner turns really left when the guests act out the patients and create chaos; we then realize who are the true lunatics at the facility and Maillard is apart of.
“The system of Doctor Tarr and professor Fether” by Edgar Allan Poe a somewhat humorous but scary story focuses on the theme of mental illness something we haven’t really discussed as a major theme in different gothic literatures we’ve read in class so far, although it probably was a major component in past texts.
I find it interesting that you note the narrator only recently meeting his “sidekick” only a little while before the story. There is a trust there, that maybe I should have picked up the narrator is not as bright as one would normally be. We later find he is oblivious to everything going on, but reading the opening of your post makes me think I should have picked up on it sooner. When I was first reading about the new strict system in lieu of the “soothing system,” I thought it was weird, but once you find out its actually the patients running the system, it makes sense as they are getting revenge for what they went through by the doctors. At least, it is implied they went through harsh torture. Oh my god, I JUST came to this conclusion that Doctor TARR and Professor FETHER is TAR and FEATHER-ing!! Like the torture… How did I miss that?
I like that you mentioned how the story focuses on mental illness rather than the uncanny themes we are used to reading in Gothic Literature. I think Edgar Allan Poe had realized that “horror” was not only present in the supernatural but also within reality. With this, he created a story that is still frightening but also relatable.