'Onbeschaamde geleerden hebben zijn naaktheid betast.' Het vertoog over genealiteit, waanzin en degeneratie in België omstreeks 1900

Abstract

'Impudent scholars have fondled his naked body.' The discourse on genius, madness and degeneracy in Belgium around 1900

In the late nineteenth century two publications on the subject of 'genius' provoked a storm of controversy. The first, by Cesare Lombroso entitled 'L'uomo di genio' (1888), emphasized the various links between genius and madness. The second, by Max Nordau entitled 'Entartung' (1892), set out to prove that a large number of well-known artists of the time were in fact pseudo-geniuses and degenerates. In response to these publications a debate got under way among Belgian artists and scientists concerning the relationship between genius, madness and degeneracy. Most of those taking part in the debate opted to separate the notion of genius from the other two concepts. This way, 'the man of genius' could preserve his Übermensch' status throughout the debates. This does not mean that one uniform concept of genius prevailed. In fact, the way it was defined in practice left ample room to project the prevailing values of various subgroups in society.