https://doi.org/10.67147/literariness.v1i4.087
Health, Illness, Vulnerability and Care within Heterotopia: A Study of Select Fiction Set in Hospitals
DIVYA SUSAN KOSHY
Research Scholar
Department of English, All Saints’ College, University of Kerala
Email: div.koshy@gmail.com
Abstract: Health Humanities is a pioneering field of study in literature which sheds light on how the medical practices are depicted in works of art. The way in which care is administered, the portrayal of illness and vulnerability comes under the context of Health Humanities. The paper is an earnest attempt to analyse the different factors that comprises Health Humanities by placing it against the backdrop of heterotopia. Heterotopia is a concept brought forward by Michel Foucault which refers to a space that is at the same time existing in a given society but has a unique and somewhat inverted existence within the society. The heterotopia chosen for the current study is a hospital. The selected texts include Coma by Robin Cook and Doing Harm by Kelly Parsons. Even though a hospital is very much connected to Health Humanities, the paper tries to delve deeper into the nuances of health, care, illness and vulnerability within hospital. Illness and vulnerability of the patients can be seen as a parallel to the care and treatments provided by the doctors and health professionals. The relationship between doctors, patients and bystanders is taken into account. The paper tries to show the spatial-temporal aspects that affects the psyche of the people who are present in the heterotopia of hospital.
Keywords: Health, Care, Illness, Vulnerability, Heterotopia, Hospital
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