La proyección de la locura en El hombre perdido, de Ramón Gómez de la Serna. Conexiones con el Quijote (revelaciones inéditas)

Abstract

In this essay we will study the topic of madness in El hombre perdido, and how it manifests itself from several different viewpoints in the novel, published at the time of the complete development and consolidation of existentialism. Madness is an obsessive and integral part of the psychology of the protagonist and of numerous characters, whose manifestation often appears in the form of «projection», in Freud’s terms. We will also establish clear connections with el Quijote, the work of fiction that Gómez de la Serna himself had in mind when he wrote El hombre perdido, in order to study conclusive parallelisms in regard to the presence of madness and other aspects between the two texts, while applying the corresponding critical theory. Lastly, we will transcribe the comments that allude to the madness in the unpublished manuscripts of Gómez de la Serna that can be found in Hillman Library at the University of Pittsburgh, that provide evidence of the interest, defense and concern that the author shows with this topic.