Abstracts

Rationale: The relationship between epilepsy and creativity has been the subject of much speculation. For example, it has been suggested that temporal lobe epilepsy enhanced the creativity of artists such as Dostoyevsky, Lewis Caroll, Vincent Van Gogh, and Michelangelo leading to paradigm shifts in arts and literature. Objectively the effect of TLE or epilepsy surgery on creativity has been difficult to study because creativity is not well suited to study through psychological methods based on the observation of group performance over multiple trials in stereotyped circumstance. Here we examine the relationship between temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and creativity in the autobiographical and theatrical work of Canadian playwright laureate Judith Thompson. Methods: Literature review of biographic and autobiographic material on writers with epilepsy is used to contextualize our analysis of Thompson's autobiographical writing and her play about two women with epilepsy, The Perfect Pie (TPP). Results: In her autobiographical writing Thompson makes a direct link between her ictal experience and her creative process. She describes both as a descent into chaos and self-loss, one involuntary and the other voluntary. In her writing process, identity, specifically fully rendered character, emerges through this frightening descent. In part, the experience of TLE, allows the playwright to shed herself in order to embody her characters. She likens the fear of death associated with her seizures to her fear of self-loss through her sometimes harrowing creative process. TPP offers a unique dialogue woven of the voices of three women with epilepsy - the playwright, and her two characters - Marie and Patsy. Marie begins as a young girl from the wrong side of the tracks with post-traumatic epilepsy. Her epilepsy remits as she sheds her small town roots to become an actress. Yet she must reclaim her past and her epilepsy to become whole. Patsy begins as a relatively privileged girl in a cruel and close-minded small town. She contracts epilepsy through her encounter with Marie. In her case, her epilepsy signifies the empathy and humanity that distinguishes her from the others around her who victimize Marie. Thus, a re-interpretation of the stereotype of epilepsy as stain or contagion lies at the play's core. Epilepsy is not exoticized. Seizures occur on stage and the social consequences are explored. At the same time epilepsy is also a symbol of personal transformation through an expansion of empathy and consciousness. For the characters, as for the playwright, integrity arises from the descent. Conclusions: The Perfect Pie is a landmark portrayal of epilepsy in modern theatre. Thompson's portrayal of epilepsy in tandem with her reflections upon her own epilepsy are rich in metaphor yet provide concrete insight into the subjective, social, and creative aspects of epilepsy. In the absence of validated paradigms for assessment of creativity in patients with TLE, the study of autobiographic and creative work of artists with epilepsy is a valuable source of insight for physicians.