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.
Edited by:
Eftihia Mihelakis,
Lucille Toth
Imprint: University of Toronto Press
Country of Publication: Canada
Dimensions:
Height: 231mm,
Width: 155mm,
Spine: 25mm
Weight: 480g
ISBN: 9781487559427
ISBN 10: 1487559429
Pages: 248
Publication Date: 18 February 2026
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
College/higher education
,
Undergraduate
,
Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
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
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.
