How He Got His Scars: Exploring Madness and Mental Health in Filmic Representations of the Joker
In May of 1939, DC Comics introduced their popular Batman series, but it was a year later when the iconic villain, the Joker, entered the story. What began as a lighthearted pulp comic has since evolved, with Batman’s enemies growing darker and more sinister. In the film, the Joker is now less “clow...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Societies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/13/2/48 |
| _version_ | 1797618117288919040 |
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| author | Jeff Preston Lindsay Rath-Paillé |
| author_facet | Jeff Preston Lindsay Rath-Paillé |
| author_sort | Jeff Preston |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In May of 1939, DC Comics introduced their popular Batman series, but it was a year later when the iconic villain, the Joker, entered the story. What began as a lighthearted pulp comic has since evolved, with Batman’s enemies growing darker and more sinister. In the film, the Joker is now less “clown prince” than violent madman, determined to wreak havoc and spread his warped view of society. Through a thematic discourse analysis, this article explores how Batman films featuring the Joker routinely naturalize and reinforce sanist beliefs about mental illness and are deployed as narrative prostheses to rationalize his heinous crimes. Blending work from both disability studies and mad studies, we explore the cultural construction of madness as animated by filmic representations of the Joker and consider how these narratives inform perceptions of mental illness and subsequently rationalize the disciplining of mad people. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T08:08:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-34bcdd3eb3ed43cc8ed9a676940b62a2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4698 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T08:08:35Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Societies |
| spelling | doaj.art-34bcdd3eb3ed43cc8ed9a676940b62a22023-11-16T23:15:45ZengMDPI AGSocieties2075-46982023-02-011324810.3390/soc13020048How He Got His Scars: Exploring Madness and Mental Health in Filmic Representations of the JokerJeff Preston0Lindsay Rath-Paillé1King’s University College at Western University, London, ON N6A 2M3, CanadaKing’s University College at Western University, London, ON N6A 2M3, CanadaIn May of 1939, DC Comics introduced their popular Batman series, but it was a year later when the iconic villain, the Joker, entered the story. What began as a lighthearted pulp comic has since evolved, with Batman’s enemies growing darker and more sinister. In the film, the Joker is now less “clown prince” than violent madman, determined to wreak havoc and spread his warped view of society. Through a thematic discourse analysis, this article explores how Batman films featuring the Joker routinely naturalize and reinforce sanist beliefs about mental illness and are deployed as narrative prostheses to rationalize his heinous crimes. Blending work from both disability studies and mad studies, we explore the cultural construction of madness as animated by filmic representations of the Joker and consider how these narratives inform perceptions of mental illness and subsequently rationalize the disciplining of mad people.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/13/2/48mad studiesabjectionstigmatizationtraumaschizoanalysiscontagion |
| spellingShingle | Jeff Preston Lindsay Rath-Paillé How He Got His Scars: Exploring Madness and Mental Health in Filmic Representations of the Joker Societies mad studies abjection stigmatization trauma schizoanalysis contagion |
| title | How He Got His Scars: Exploring Madness and Mental Health in Filmic Representations of the Joker |
| title_full | How He Got His Scars: Exploring Madness and Mental Health in Filmic Representations of the Joker |
| title_fullStr | How He Got His Scars: Exploring Madness and Mental Health in Filmic Representations of the Joker |
| title_full_unstemmed | How He Got His Scars: Exploring Madness and Mental Health in Filmic Representations of the Joker |
| title_short | How He Got His Scars: Exploring Madness and Mental Health in Filmic Representations of the Joker |
| title_sort | how he got his scars exploring madness and mental health in filmic representations of the joker |
| topic | mad studies abjection stigmatization trauma schizoanalysis contagion |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/13/2/48 |
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