Aurélia in the mirror of the history of alienism and dreams in the nineteenth century

In what medical context is Aurélia situated? An “anti-alienist” movement, known to Nerval, is developing in Europe and calls into question the “special medicine” that seeks to cure the mad by committing them. In connection with this movement, people look for new forms of magnetic management of mental disorders. As part of his quest for a "supernaturalist" medicine, Nerval was able to privilege links between dreams and fantastic phenomena advanced at the time by some alienists.