230276 Reading Illness Texts: The Empirical and Professional Dimensions (S) (WiSe 2005/2006)

The relationship of illness and narrative is mostly discussed in terms of the writer or teller of stories, for example when Arthur W. Frank, the author of The Wounded Storyteller, speaks of illness as a 'call for stories'. Although there are concepts such as narrative medicine which explore the use of knowledge about narratives for medical training, the role of the reader particularly of literary illness texts has so far received little attention. In this seminar, we will engage with this role and more specifically its 'practical' dimensions, i.e. we will use illness texts as exemplary cases to examine how literature can be approached empirically and also to explore whether and in what way knowledge about the effects of reading is useful for any professional contexts. To this end we will first approach reading processes theoretically, especially with regard to reader response theory, literary sociology, cognitive approaches and theories of empathy. We will then identify and discuss the salient parts of the narrative representation of illness for reception with recourse to narrative theory but also centrally with regard to a selection of literary illness texts from different cultural and historical backgrounds.

All students are expected to participate in an anonymous survey of their reading processes. Students who take this class as part of their Praxisstudien are required to participate in work groups to design and conduct empirical surveys, identify and contact target audiences, and to examine the professional dimensions of their project.

Readings:

• Elizabeth Gaskell, Ruth (1853)
• J.M. Coetzee, The Age of Iron (1990)
• Colm Tóibín, Blackwater Lightship (1999)
• Selected short stories and poems (reader available in class)
• Selected theoretical material (reader available in class)

Credits:
Regular attendance, participation in class (including group work), 10-page essay (BA, PM 4).
Regular attendance, participation in class (including group work), empirical research, 15 to 20-page essay (BA, Praxisstudien / Specialisation and Research Module for Profile Britain).