The myth of the mad genius: a semiotic perspective on creativity and madness

This paper investigates the longstanding cultural stereotype linking madness and creativity, endorsing an interpretive and encyclopedic semiotic approach. Through the analysis of three famous movies, the article shows how cinema has assumed and rearticulated the stereotype of the mad genius, shaping the way commonsense links together the universes of creativity and madness. After that, the paper focuses on the enunciative passages and assemblages between the domains of art, science, and psychology, thus tracing the cultural and historical roots of the figure of the mad genius. Eventually, the paper critiques the process of ontologization of this link in contemporary scientific narratives, revealing its ideological underpinnings and its dependence on cultural myths, such as the “split-brain”theory. Ultimately, this study argues for a reframing of the question, asking not whether madness causes creativity, but how creative potential might emerge within or despite psychopathological conditions.