In this course, we'll examine a range of literary narratives about health, illness, the body, and their scientific/medical interventions. Throughout the quarter, we will consider what Susan Sontag terms the “punitive and sentimental fantasies concocted” about illness, both in historical and contemporary contexts. We'll first examine selected critical accounts of illness, including "On Being Ill" by Virginia Woolf and Sontag's "Illness as Metaphor." Then, we'll turn to fictional accounts of health and illness, including works by George Eliot, Oscar Wilde, Thomas Mann, Woolf, Michael Cunningham, and Ian McEwan. In addition to a heavy reading load, this course requires regular class participation, writing in and out of class, reading quizzes, and exams. 8:30am is not for everyone; please consider the early hour and the participation requirements before enrolling.

Readings (subject to change):

1. George Eliot's The Lifted Veil (1859)
2. Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891)
3. Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice (1912)
4. Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway (1925)
5. selections from Susan Sontag's Illness as Metaphor and AIDS and its Metaphors (1977, 1988)
6. Michael Cunningham's The Hours (1998)
7. Ian McEwan’s Saturday (2005)