%0 Journal Article
%T Romanticism and drugs, questioning modernity
%A Gondard, Eric
%J Cahiers ERTA
%V 2015
%R 10.4467/23538953CE.15.004.3634
%N Numéro 7 Addictions
%P 59-70
%K Drugs, Theory of knowledge, Romanticism, Social representations, Modernity
%@ 2300-4681
%D 2015
%U https://ejournals.eu/en/journal/cahiers-erta/article/romantisme-et-drogue-la-modernite-en-question
%X We will begin with the premise that drug intake, and furthermost the representations that surround this intake, are a reflection of a given time and culture’s atmosphere. That is to say that the way in which drugs are understood in general can be a strong indicator of a certain era’s imaginary. This imaginary can, amongst other techniques, be probed through a study of literature. We are proposing to do this through a reading of 19th century occidental authors and by striving to create a synergy between literature, the intake of consciousness-altering substances and Romantic aesthetics. The ways in which drugs are treated in literature can be a useful means of grasping the atmosphere and aesthetics that each era conveys.