The physician and in particular the psychiatric resident is regularly confronted by the humanistic dimension of psychiatry. Impressions from classical literature can be seen as a special inspiration and an enriching factor for acquiring understanding. The literary classics represent the earliest "documentation" of the psychology and psychopathology of humankind. The unconscious, irrational and enigmatical aspect of human existence and its aberrations is a shared interest in literature, psychology and medicine. Fictional literature conveys contributions of relevance to the history of psychiatry, on mental institutions, doctors' attitudes, ethical dilemmas as well as descriptions and thoughts about mental states. The borderland between normality and insanity is often a subject of particular interest. Literary classics represent a "transcending psychology" in contrast to other prevailing scientific categories and delineations. The language of the author generally implies a challenging, non-theoretical alternative, springing from the individual and his or her unique destiny. The language is usually non-moralising, frequently with a surprising and wondering use of lucid images and allegories. Classical world literature is predominantly referred to: Goethe, Kleist and Turgenev as portrayers of personality disorders; Dostoyevsky, Shakespeare and Nerval on psychoses, and the Old Testament and Snorri Sturlasson on affective disorders.