Diseases of the imagination

Ferenc Kölcsey: A’ karpáti kincstár

Abstract

Ferenc Kölcsey discussed the problem of enthusiasm (Schwärmerei) in at least three of his writings. One is a text about aesthetic principles, known from its later title as Nemzeti hagyományok, the other is a tract of a unique generic blend, examining the relationship between political history and theories of religion, known today as Töredékek a vallásról. The third text is a case study of sorts, where the phenomenon is clearly represented as a disease on the level of the individual, in a narrativized setting. This paper focuses on the latter, and tries to identify the contemporary (social, socio-cultural etc) causes which, according to the short story, may lead the individual into a version of enthusiasm that is regarded as a (physical and psychological) disease; how could the contemporary reader be supported in the preservation of their psychological health; and what moral advantages and disadvantages could such a patient gain in the context of the whole society as explored by the short story?