The Mad Genius Thesis

The Milk of Paradise – Opium, Imagination, and 19th-Century Literature


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In this episode ofThe Mad Genius Thesis Podcast, we exploreThe Milk of Paradise by M.H. Abrams, a study of how opium addiction influenced the works of Thomas De Quincey, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, George Crabbe, and Francis Thompson. Through vivid dreamscapes and hallucinatory imagery, these writers transformed their experiences with opium into literary masterpieces.

We examine how addiction shaped their creative visions, the psychological and medical effects of opium, and the fine line between artistic inspiration and dependency. Did opium expand their genius, or did it ultimately consume them? Join us as we unravel the intoxicating connection between creativity and addiction.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify! #OpiumAndLiterature #RomanticPoets #CreativityAndAddiction #SamuelTaylorColeridge #ThomasDeQuincey #TheCreativeMind #Podcast

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The Mad Genius ThesisBy Mnemosyne Media