(Re)produkcja histerii. Rola twórczości scenicznej w popularyzacji histerii na przełomie XIX i XX wieku
(Re)production of hysteria. The meaning of theatrical production for the popularization of hysteria in the late 19th and early 20th century

Summary/Abstract: In the late 19th and early 20th century hysteria was one of the most common and widely discussed neuropsychiatric disorders. The phenomenon of “hysterization” can be also perceived from perspective of the social impact theory. The epidemic of hysteria was driven by physicians who described in detail its symptoms and the course of disorder, as well as by artists and writers who implemented “hysterical” threads in their work. This paper attempts to establish to what extent the theatre of the Young Poland period was influenced by this medical discourse. It is based on the first-ever detailed systematic review of 90 dramas randomly selected from the list of all plays staged between 1890 and 1913 in two major theaters from Krakow and Warsaw. The number of hysterical symptoms and characters described in the texts written during the epidemic of hysteria is significantly higher compared to earlier works. The degree of “hysterization” has clearly increased in the periods when those novel medical theories gained popularity. It may seems that the theatres as a medium have also contributed to better recognition of hysteria in general population. In the final paragraph the author speculates about potential causes of such large involvement of hysteria in staged dramas, referring to the concept of “embodied transparency”.

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