Diagnostic Dissection

Did characters of classic literature display symptoms described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the American Psychiatric Association's DSM?

Was Bartleby the Scrivener depressed? Did Clarissa Dalloway need lithium? Do you need aspirin?

It's not the type of analysis professors expect, or want, but today's English lit students, raised in an era of widespread psychopharmacology, routinely write as if they seem to want to medicate away the problems of classic literary characters.

Studio 360's Eric Molinsky explores the phenomenon with help from NYU professor Elayne Tobin and novelist Michael Cunningham.

Audio: PRI & WNYC's Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen, 4/24/10.