MENTAL ILLNESS, IDENTITY, AND PHILOSOPHICAL INQUIRY IN SUSANNA CLARKE’S PIRANESI

Abstract

Many modern readers, particularly those sharing reviews through blogs, social media, and personal channels, tend to interpret literature through a psychological lens. By relating characters’ experiences to their own mental health struggles, these readers create deeply personal interpretations that reflect their individual challenges. This paper explores the various interpretations of Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi (2020), focusing on how various readers have connected the novel to themes of mental illness, personal identity, and philosophical inquiry. While many have drawn parallels between the protagonist’s experiences and psychological conditions such as dissociative identity disorder (DID) and schizophrenia, others see the novel as reflective of living with chronic illness, particularly long COVID-19. The analysis considers these interpretations while emphasizing Clarke’s broader thematic concerns, such as enchantment, perception, and the philosophical conflict between knowledge and feeling. Drawing from sources like Rudolf Steiner’s Philosophy of Freedom and Owen Barfield’s theories on the evolution of consciousness, the paper argues that Piranesi transcends psychological readings, instead offering a meditation on the loss of an enchanted view of reality. Through an examination of key passages from the novel, the paper demonstrates how Clarke invites readers to contemplate deeper philosophical questions, suggesting that the labyrinthine House serves as a metaphor for the human mind and its intricate relationship with knowledge, freedom, and identity. The conclusion emphasizes that Piranesi resists singular interpretations, encouraging readers to engage with its mysteries on multiple levels.

Keywords

• interpretation
• mental illness
• philosophy of freedom
• identity
• piranesi