Representing epilepsy : myth and matter
Stirling, JeannetteAuthor
Liverpool : Liverpool University Press,
2010.
At least 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy. Representing Epilepsy, the latest volume in LUPs acclaimed Representations series, seeks to understand the epileptic body as a literary or figurative device intelligible beyond a medical framework. Jeannette Stirling argues that neurological discourse from the late-nineteenth century through to the mid-twentieth century is as much forged by the cultural conditions and representational politics of the times as it is by the science of western medicine. Along the way she explores narratives of epilepsy depicting ideas of social disorder, tainted bloodlines, sexual deviance, spiritualism and criminality in works as diverse as David Copperfield and The X Files. This path-breaking book will be required reading for cultural disability studies scholars and for anyone seeking greater understanding of this common condition. Representing Epilepsy offers a clever exploration of the cultural history of this condition, based on an effective interdisciplinary approach. It will be of particular interest to scholars and students in the field of Medical Humanities, as well as to all those involved in the care of people with epilepsy, who wish to improve their understanding of the socio-cultural repercussions of the condition. Maria Vaccarella, Kings College London
Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph
From Hippocrates to Shakespeare and Dickens : epilepsy's entry into "the circuit of culture" -- Hystericity and hauntings : the females and the feminised -- Notes from the borderlands : repressing the returned -- The colonies -- Because you're "you know. That way" -- Where to next : the ongoing story of epilepsy.
At least 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy. Representing Epilepsy, the latest volume in LUPs acclaimed Representations series, seeks to understand the epileptic body as a literary or figurative device intelligible beyond a medical framework. Jeannette Stirling argues that neurological discourse from the late-nineteenth century through to the mid-twentieth century is as much forged by the cultural conditions and representational politics of the times as it is by the science of western medicine. Along the way she explores narratives of epilepsy depicting ideas of social disorder, tainted bloodlines, sexual deviance, spiritualism and criminality in works as diverse as David Copperfield and The X Files. This path-breaking book will be required reading for cultural disability studies scholars and for anyone seeking greater understanding of this common condition. Representing Epilepsy offers a clever exploration of the cultural history of this condition, based on an effective interdisciplinary approach. It will be of particular interest to scholars and students in the field of Medical Humanities, as well as to all those involved in the care of people with epilepsy, who wish to improve their understanding of the socio-cultural repercussions of the condition. Maria Vaccarella, Kings College London
Description based on print version record.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Persons
Brain Diseases
History, Modern 1601-
Sociology
Anthropology, Cultural
Named Groups
Central Nervous System Diseases
History
Social Sciences
Anthropology
Anthropology, Education, Sociology and Social Phenomena
Humanities
Nervous System Diseases
Diseases
Epilepsy
Culture
Disabled Persons
History, 20th Century
History, 21st Century
History, 19th Century