{"id":{"repo_id":"utc","oai_identifier":"oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-2156"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/utc/oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-2156","repository":{"repo_id":"utc","name":"University of Tennessee - Chattanooga","base_url":"https://scholar.utc.edu/do/oai/"},"display":{"title":"\"I can give you something for that\": Exploring the medical paradigm in mental health through contemporary American literature","abstract":"In this paper, I analyze two contemporary fiction novels, My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh and My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell, through the lens of the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Moshfegh satirically critiques diagnostic psychiatry as easily exploitable, and suggests that instead of seeking asylum from pain, we should remind ourselves that happiness and pain exist in harmony; that pain is a part of life. Russell suggests the DSM-5 is imperative to understanding traumatic experiences and the mental disorders which arise from them, such as PTSD. Russell utilizes her knowledge of modern psychiatric practices in order to demonstrate that Vanessa’s perspective is self-protective delusion. Ultimately, both novels highlight the benefit of turning to outside perspectives in order to navigate the moments when mental health and mental illness blend together and the line between the two becomes obfuscated.","abstract_html":"In this paper, I analyze two contemporary fiction novels, My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh and My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell, through the lens of the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Moshfegh satirically critiques diagnostic psychiatry as easily exploitable, and suggests that instead of seeking asylum from pain, we should remind ourselves that happiness and pain exist in harmony; that pain is a part of life. Russell suggests the DSM-5 is imperative to understanding traumatic experiences and the mental disorders which arise from them, such as PTSD. Russell utilizes her knowledge of modern psychiatric practices in order to demonstrate that Vanessa’s perspective is self-protective delusion. Ultimately, both novels highlight the benefit of turning to outside perspectives in order to navigate the moments when mental health and mental illness blend together and the line between the two becomes obfuscated.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Pierson, Brooke"],"institution":"University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Stuart, Christopher","Shaheen, Aaron; Jordan, Joseph P.","College of Arts and Sciences"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":null,"date_issued":"","date_published":null,"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:47:21Z","subjects":["Mental illness in literature","Moshfegh, Ottessa--Criticism and interpretation; Russell, Kate Elizabeth--Criticism and interpretation"],"languages":["English","eng"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/977","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Stuart, Christopher","Shaheen, Aaron; Jordan, Joseph P.","College of Arts and Sciences"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Pierson, Brooke"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2024-12-01T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","Chattanooga (Tenn.)"]},{"key":"dc:relation","label":"Dc Relation","values":["Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Masters theses","Text"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Mental illness in literature","Moshfegh, Ottessa--Criticism and interpretation; Russell, Kate Elizabeth--Criticism and interpretation"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English","eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/977"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Dept. of English","M. A.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["In this paper, I analyze two contemporary fiction novels, My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh and My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell, through the lens of the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Moshfegh satirically critiques diagnostic psychiatry as easily exploitable, and suggests that instead of seeking asylum from pain, we should remind ourselves that happiness and pain exist in harmony; that pain is a part of life. Russell suggests the DSM-5 is imperative to understanding traumatic experiences and the mental disorders which arise from them, such as PTSD. Russell utilizes her knowledge of modern psychiatric practices in order to demonstrate that Vanessa’s perspective is self-protective delusion. Ultimately, both novels highlight the benefit of turning to outside perspectives in order to navigate the moments when mental health and mental illness blend together and the line between the two becomes obfuscated."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["\"I can give you something for that\": Exploring the medical paradigm in mental health through contemporary American literature"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Stuart, Christopher","Shaheen, Aaron; Jordan, Joseph P.","College of Arts and Sciences"],"dc:creator":["Pierson, Brooke"],"dc:date":["2024-12-01T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description":["Dept. of English","M. A.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts."],"dc:description.abstract":["In this paper, I analyze two contemporary fiction novels, My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh and My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell, through the lens of the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Moshfegh satirically critiques diagnostic psychiatry as easily exploitable, and suggests that instead of seeking asylum from pain, we should remind ourselves that happiness and pain exist in harmony; that pain is a part of life. Russell suggests the DSM-5 is imperative to understanding traumatic experiences and the mental disorders which arise from them, such as PTSD. Russell utilizes her knowledge of modern psychiatric practices in order to demonstrate that Vanessa’s perspective is self-protective delusion. Ultimately, both novels highlight the benefit of turning to outside perspectives in order to navigate the moments when mental health and mental illness blend together and the line between the two becomes obfuscated."],"dc:identifier":["https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/977"],"dc:language":["English","eng"],"dc:publisher":["University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","Chattanooga (Tenn.)"],"dc:relation":["Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations"],"dc:rights":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dc:subject":["Mental illness in literature","Moshfegh, Ottessa--Criticism and interpretation; Russell, Kate Elizabeth--Criticism and interpretation"],"dc:title":["\"I can give you something for that\": Exploring the medical paradigm in mental health through contemporary American literature"],"dc:type":["Masters theses","Text"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:47:21Z"}