Legacies of Plague in Literature, Theory and Film [Hardcover]

This book is an account of the history and continuation of plague as a potent metaphor since the disease ceased to be an epidemic threat in Western Europe, engaging?with twentieth-century critiques of fascism, anti-Semitic rhetoric, the Oedipal legacy of psychoanalysis and its reception, and film spectatorship and the zombie genre.Contents List of Illustrations Acknowledgements Introduction: 'I Ain't Dead' Writing Plague: Defoe and Camus? The Politics of Plague Theatre: Artaud, ?apek and Camus Oedipus the Pharmakos and the Psychoanalytic Plague Dreaming Plague and Plaguing Dreams: The Teachings of Psychoanalysis Plague, Jews and Fascist Anti-Semites: 'The Great Incurable Malady' Screening Plague Images / Plaguing Screen Images: von Trier's Epidemic and Hypnosis Plague, Zombies and the Hypnotic Relation: Romero and After Bibliography Index

'The impact of bubonic plague did not cease with the last major European epidemic of 1720. As Cooke's illuminating study demonstrates, Western culture is haunted by this horrifying disease which continues to infect the images of novels, plays and films. Legacies of Plague is a compelling and perceptive exploration of the grim aesthetic and political afterlife of a uniquely terrifying affliction.' - Margaret Healy, Senior Lecturer in English, University of Sussex, UK

JENNIFER COOKE is Lecturer in English in the Department of English and Drama at Loughborough University, UK.