Epilepsy in literature.
Literary accounts of epilepsy deserve our attention because they form part of the cultural history of the disease and reflect responses to it by society. Epilepsy has been reviewed, mainly in the British literature, from Shakespeare to contemporary fiction, and reveals a wide range of images from the objective to the bizarre, based on observation, empathy, or manifold prejudices about the disorder. Epilepsy has been used in the plot of detective stories and as a challenge to movie actors. Some authors are factual and are well-informed, whereas others emphasize a fascination with ancient beliefs relating seizures to prophecy and divinity. In contemporary literature physicians are often represented as only marginally involved, distant, and helpless. Epilepsy is rarely viewed as a treatable disorder.
Epilepsie-Zentrum Bethel, Klinik Mara I, Bielefeld, Germany.
P
P
Wolf
D004827:Epilepsy / Q000266:history* / Q000523:psychology; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D008091:Literature