Currently Reading: Susan Sontag - Illness as MetaphorI picked up this slim (90 pages and pocket-size
Currently Reading: Susan Sontag - Illness as MetaphorI picked up this slim (90 pages and pocket-sized) essay from a used bookstore this weekend, and it is absolutely fascinating. I’ve only just started it, but so far the rough shape it takes is a comparison between metaphorical perceptions about tuberculosis in the 19th century and perceptions of cancer in contemporary society. We can still see the TB trope in adaptations of 19th century works–the sensitive artist who coughs weakly and surreptitiously into a handkerchief on which we catch a glimpse of a smattering of blood. Even as germ theory became a mainstream belief, the idea of “disease” being linked to the psyche and the character still hadn’t completely shaken loose. Sontag contrasts this perception with the modern perception of cancer, which is often seen in a more negative light.What I can’t help thinking about is that Sontag wrote it in 1978–just 10 years later it would become more relevant than she could have imagined as the AIDS crisis exploded. The 20th century quickly proved it was no better than the 19th–AIDS is still seen as a disease that is solely the domain of gay men and drug abusers, and mainstream reactions to Charlie Sheen’s admission of his HIV positive status are a testament to that. If you’re looking for a fast but revelatory read that links the past painfully to the present, this is a text for you. -- source link
#tuberculosis#immunology#germ theory#19th century#victorian#susan sontag#currently reading