Medieval Communities and the Mad

The concept of madness as a challenge to communities lies at the core of legal sources. Medieval Communities and the Mad: Narratives of Crime and Mental Illness in Late Medieval France considers how communal networks, ranging from the locale to the realm, responded to people who were considered mad.

Dr. Aleksandra Pfau is a professor of History at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas. She received her PhD in 2008 from the University of Michigan, and has published several articles on crime in medieval France.

Acknowledgements, Introduction, I. Language and Narrative, II. Historiography on Madness, III. Structure of the Book, Chapter 1: Composing Communities: Languages of Madness in Remission Letters, I. Letters of Remission, II. Languages of Madness from Families and Notaries, Chapter 2: Madness as Communal Threat, I. Reconstructing a Life Narrative, II. Moments of Rupture: Crimes against the family and the community, III. Proofs of Madness, Chapter 3: Reintegrating Madness: The Mad in Their Communities, I. Reputation and Renown, II. Community Concern: Chains, Cures, Recoveries and Relapses, III. Acts of Communal Justice: Sorcerers and Remission, IV. Understanding the Mad, Conclusions, Notes, Bibliography, List of Tables