American Life Writing and the Medical Humanities : Writing Contagion

American Life Writing and the Medical Humanities: Writing Contagion bridges a gap in the market by linking the medical humanities with disability studies. It examines how Americans have used life writing to record epidemic disease throughout history. Starting in the late 1800s with Yellow Fever and ending with the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreaks, the author tracks how American life writing changed literature, history, and medicine. Although the illness narrative genre became more popular in the mid-20th century, Americans have been writing illness narratives throughout American history. Writing Contagion focuses on American epidemics to see how these outbreaks spurred Americans into telling their stories. Looking at book-length narratives of illness and disability, the author traces the development and lineage of illness narratives from early American nonfiction writing, to literary modernism and to contemporary memoir. Viewing illness narratives as intensely interdisciplinary, the author argues that to understand both the importance and influence of this genre within American literature, illness narratives need to be read through literary, disability studies, and medical humanities frameworks to challenge ableist assumptions and demonstrate how illness narratives are of both historical and literary importance in America. American Life Writing and Meidcal Humanities 9781839096730-TYPE23-NR2 Half Title Page Title Page Copyright Page Contents About the Author Acknowledgements Introduction: Interdisciplinary Epidemics: Illness Narratives in American Literature, Disability Studies, and the Medical Humanities The History and Past Lives of Illness Life Writing The Future of Illness Narratives American life writing and medical humanities chapter 1 Chapter 1: Yellow Fever: Early American Illness Narratives (or the Lack Thereof) Yellow Fever History: A Long-forgotten Peril Early American Life Writing: Yellow Fever and Other Illness Narratives Privileged Voices: Doctor’s Narratives Other Yellow Fever Accounts: The Unpublished Conclusion chapter 3 Chapter 3: Mid-twentieth Century Polio Memoirs: The Beginnings of an Old Genre* The Quest Narrative and Polio’s Link to Early American Life Writing The Importance of Polio Narratives My Place to Stand and Small Steps Conclusion chapter 4 Chapter 4: The Chronically Ill and Stigmatized Body: HIV and AIDS Celebrity Illness Days of Grace Interdisciplinary Connections Crip Theory and Critical Race Theory HIV, Chronic Illness, and the Disability/Illness Divide chapter 5 Chapter 5: “Fear-bola”: Constructions of Contagion Ebola: A Brief History Illness Narratives as Fact: Richard Preston and the Misinformation Crisis Disease and Disability: Modern-Day Freak Shows and Ebola conclusion Conclusion: The Future of the Fields and of Twenty-first-century Illness Narratives Social Media: A New Form of Storytelling Social Media as Illness Narratives Social Media and Epidemics Social Media Illness Narratives and the Future of the Fields Conclusion index Index American Life Writing and the Medical Humanities 部分(1)(1) chapter 1 Chapter 1: Yellow Fever: Early American Illness Narratives (or the Lack Thereof) Yellow Fever History: A Long-forgotten Peril Early American Life Writing: Yellow Fever and Other Illness Narratives Privileged Voices: Doctor’s Narratives Other Yellow Fever Accounts: The Unpublished Conclusion Chapter 2 chapter 3 Chapter 3: Mid-twentieth Century Polio Memoirs: The Beginnings of an Old Genre* The Quest Narrative and Polio’s Link to Early American Life Writing The Importance of Polio Narratives My Place to Stand and Small Steps Conclusion chapter 4 Chapter 4: The Chronically Ill and Stigmatized Body: HIV and AIDS Celebrity Illness Days of Grace Interdisciplinary Connections Crip Theory and Critical Race Theory HIV, Chronic Illness, and the Disability/Illness Divide chapter 5 Chapter 5: “Fear-bola”: Constructions of Contagion Ebola: A Brief History Illness Narratives as Fact: Richard Preston and the Misinformation Crisis Disease and Disability: Modern-Day Freak Shows and Ebola conclusion Conclusion: The Future of the Fields and of Twenty-first-century Illness Narratives Social Media: A New Form of Storytelling Social Media as Illness Narratives Social Media and Epidemics Social Media Illness Narratives and the Future of the Fields Conclusion references-2020 References Further Reading List index Index __American Life Writing and the Medical Humanities: Writing Contagion__ Although the illness narrative genre became more popular in the mid-20th century, Americans have been writing illness narratives throughout American history. __Writing Contagion__ focuses on American epidemics to see how these outbreaks spurred Americans into telling their stories. Looking at book-length narratives of illness and disability, the author traces the development and lineage of illness narratives from early American nonfiction writing, to literary modernism and to contemporary memoir. Viewing illness narratives as intensely interdisciplinary, the author argues that to understand both the importance and influence of this genre within American literature, illness narratives need to be read through literary, disability studies, and medical humanities frameworks to challenge ableist assumptions and demonstrate how illness narratives are of both historical and literary importance in America.