''I Never Promised You a Rose Garden'' (1964) is a semi-autobiographical novel by
Joanne Greenberg, written under the
pen name of Hannah Green. It served as the basis for a
film in 1977 and a
play
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* Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment
* Play (theatre), a work of drama
Play may refer also to:
Computers and technology
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* Play Framework, a Java framework
* P ...
in 2004.
Inspiration
The character of Dr. Fried is based closely on Greenberg's real doctor
Frieda Fromm-Reichmann, and the hospital on
Chestnut Lodge
Chestnut Lodge (formerly known as Woodlawn Hotel) was a historic building in Rockville, Maryland, United States, well known as a psychiatric institution. It was a contributing property to the West Montgomery Avenue Historic District.
History
...
in
Rockville, Maryland. While at Chestnut Lodge, Greenberg described a fantasy world called Iria to her doctors, quoting poetry in the Irian language. However, some of Greenberg's doctors felt that this was not a true delusion but rather something Greenberg had made up on the spot to impress her psychiatrist. One doctor went so far as to state that Irian was not an actual language, but was a form of bastardized
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
. However, according to Gerald Schoenewolf, Irian was a
conlang
A constructed language (sometimes called a conlang) is a language whose phonology, grammar, and vocabulary, instead of having developed naturally, are consciously devised for some purpose, which may include being devised for a work of fiction. ...
invented by Greenberg at an early age to prevent her father from reading her poetry, and had its own writing system resembling Chinese characters. Fromm-Reichmann wrote glowing reports focusing on Greenberg's genius and creativity, which she saw as signs of Greenberg's innate health, indicating that she had every chance of recovering from her mental illness.
Similar to what occurred in the novel, Greenberg was diagnosed with
schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social wit ...
. At that time though, undifferentiated schizophrenia was often a vague diagnosis given to a patient or to medical records department for essentially non-medical reasons, which could have covered any number of
mental illnesses from
anxiety
Anxiety is an emotion which is characterized by an unpleasant state of inner turmoil and includes feelings of dread over anticipated events. Anxiety is different than fear in that the former is defined as the anticipation of a future threat wh ...
to
depression.
Two psychiatrists who examined the book's description of protagonist Deborah Blau say that she was not schizophrenic, but rather suffered from extreme depression and
somatization disorder
Somatization disorder is a mental and behavioral disorder characterized by recurring, multiple, and current, clinically significant complaints about somatic symptoms. It was recognized in the DSM-IV-TR classification system, but in the latest ve ...
.
See also
*
The Mad Woman's 18 Years
References
External links
* Biography of Frieda Fromm-Reichmann, with much information on Greenberg and her stay at Chestnut Lodge.
A 1995 lecture by Joanne Greenberg, exemplifying her personal style.Appearances in a Rosegarden
2006 interview with Greenberg (free registration required)
{{Authority control
1964 American novels
Roman à clef novels
American autobiographical novels
American novels adapted into films
English-language books
Fictional portrayals of schizophrenia
Books about mental health
Mental health in fiction
American novels adapted into plays
Works published under a pseudonym
Holt, Rinehart and Winston books