Overview

Embodied Narratives in the Health Humanities and Literary Studies bridges the gap between literary studies and health humanities, highlighting the transformative power of storytelling and the significance of the physical act of writing. From embodied narratives to cultural and historical contexts, this collection seeks to reshape our understanding of disease and illness. Rooted in the belief that writing is a physically demanding process, the contributing authors explore the possibilities and limitations of embodied narratives through somatic experiences, challenging dominant perspectives on health, illness, and medicalization. In doing so, they address critical issues of representation, power dynamics in the medical field, and the relationship between literary form and health-care discourse. Drawing on the principles of narrative medicine through the lens of literary studies, the book emphasizes the importance of subjectivity, empathy, and introspection. Embodied Narratives in the Health Humanities and Literary Studies amplifies the voices of marginalized communities and sparks critical discussions on social justice, health equity, and patient advocacy.

Full Product Details

Author:   Eftihia Mihelakis ,  Lucille Toth
Publisher:   University of Toronto Press
Imprint:   University of Toronto Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.001kg
ISBN:  

9781487559427

ISBN 10:   1487559429
Pages:   240
Publication Date:   15 September 2025
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  College/higher education ,  Professional & Vocational ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Not yet available, will be POD  
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Embodying Narratives in the Health Humanities and Literary Studies: An Introduction Eftihia Mihelakis and Lucille Toth   Part I: Theorizing Embodied Health and Illness Narrative   1. The Cognitive Neuroscience of Literary Fiction: Bridging Biomedical Sciences and Health Humanities Fernanda Pérez-Gay Juárez and Louise Toutée   2. The “Villainous Obstinacy and Ugliness” of “a Body of Facts”: The Creation of the Character of Alexis Saint-Martin by His Surgeon, Dr. William Beaumont Maxime Raymond Bock   3. A Material Turn of “Japs” in John Okada’s No-No Boy Kim Chang-Hee   Part II: Queering Embodied Health Narratives   4. Vaccination, Pandemics, and Fear in the Now Sander L. Gilman   5. The Embodied Experience of Queer Moments: Crossing the Symptomatic Aesthetics of Joris-Karl Huysmans, Hervé Guibert, and David Wojnarowicz Benjamin Gagnon-Chainey   6. Positive Status/Positive Space: The Opportunity of Disclosure Eric Jorgensen   Part III: Exploring Practice-Based Embodied Health Narratives   7. Decolonial Feminist Acts of Health/Care in Senegalese Urban Arts Julie Van Dam   8. “We Are Not Waiting”: When Patients Become Medical Innovators Aude Bandini and Jonathan Garfinkel   9. Embodied Books: Sensing Health-Care Experiences in Artists’ Books Darian Goldin Stahl   10. The Otherness of Fat: An Intersectional Psychotherapy Story Hilary Offman   Afterword Contributors Index

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Author Information

Eftihia Mihelakis is an associate professor in the Department of Francophone Studies and Languages at Brandon University. Lucille Toth is an associate professor in the Department of French and Italian at Ohio State University at Newark.

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