Bibliograph

Bring out your dead, the literature and history of epidemics : with essays on the joy of reading in a distracted time, by Clay S. Jenkinson

Type

Label

Bring out your dead, the literature and history of epidemics : with essays on the joy of reading in a distracted time, by Clay S. Jenkinson

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references

Illustrations

illustrations

Index

no index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

Bring out your dead

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

1178738175

Responsibility statement

by Clay S. Jenkinson

Sub title

the literature and history of epidemics : with essays on the joy of reading in a distracted time

Summary

"The literature of pandemics is rich and revealing. The virus in question may change but human nature remains the same whether it is in response to the Black Plague of 1348 or the Covid-19 virus of 2020. The history and literature of pandemics teaches us that 1) we are not alone--our responses have been the same as all people at all times when an epidemic visits seemingly out of nowhere; 2) we will get through this--however apocalyptic this crisis seems at the moment, the day will come when we look back on this serenely as one of the defining moments of our lives; 3) we are extremely fortunate to live when we do because we understand viruses, know how they spread, and have the capacity to develop vaccines to overcome them; 4) the humanities help us cope by 'placing' our concerns in a much larger context of history and literature"--, Amazon.com

Table Of Contents

Part one: Epidemics. Thank God for the Internet in an age of disruption ; A few plagues worth knowing ; Things we can do during the pandemic ; Running the vaccine gauntlet ; Lessons of the 1793 yellow fever epidemic ; Reading Camus in a pandemic ; Jefferson and smallpox ; Jefferson and cities ; Revision and reform without righteousness and rancor ; The new federalism ; The Mandan Indians and smallpox, 1837 ; Full excerpts from Francis Chardon's Fort Clark diary ; The wars against the Mandan people ; Roosevelt and the USS Roosevelt ; The American ethos and the betrayal of expertise ; The anti-virus protest rally ; Silence equals violence ; The year we couldn't breathe -- Part two: Reading--a memoir. Introduction: a life radically misspent ; Confessions of a wayward reader ; Learning to read ; A hunk, a hunk of carnal love ; Pass me the dictionary, would you? ; Anna Karenina in Oxford ; Books, books, real books ; The purpose of reading ; Reading on the throne ; Skipping ahead ; The quest for the zone ; The zone

Target audience

adult

resource.variantTitle

Literature and history of epidemics

Classification