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Monomania In Edgar Allen Poe's 'Berenice'

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Monomania. The name with which Egaeus assigns his constant afflictions of a trance-like state while he fixates on singular objects for random periods of time throughout his day. Edgar Allen Poe’s “Berenice” is about the main character, Egaeus, who comes from a noble family, is antisocial, and suffers from a disease called monomania. He spends his days in the mansion’s library reading all day and night; while his cousin, Berenice, spends her days outdoors and roaming the halls of the mansion in addition to its gardens. The inanimate objects that surround Egaeus make it easy for his monomania to latch onto and send him into a trance for prolonged periods of time before eventually coming to an end. Since Berenice is not an inanimate object, like …show more content…

Him being sickly and unsociable naturally leads to observations of all that differs from himself. Her disposition and actions were the complete antithesis to Egaeus: “-I ill of health, and buried in gloom --she agile, graceful, and overflowing with energy; hers the ramble on the hill-side --mine the studies of the cloister” (Poe 1). It is this clear contrast between the two that captures and holds his attention of her. It soon develops into the focal point of his obsession about her. Consequently, her rambunctiousness means she hardly remained still enough for his monomania to fulfill the required length of time needed to relieve the obsessive sensation. As a result, despite being cousins who grew up together, Egaeus does not see her as a human being since he raises her status to that of a deity. He states, “[S]ylph amid the shrubberies of Arnheim! –Oh! Naiad among its fountains!” (Poe 2). Berenice’s beauty was constantly being observed by Egaeus and further enhanced because of his monomania that was attempting to study what made her so radiant. Therefore, Egaeus’ obsession with Berenice’s beauty grew in intensity alongside his monomania and resulted in the violent desire to obtain what remained left, her

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