What Literature Teaches in Times of Crisis: Plague Readings

The Covid pandemic affected our minds as well as bodies, providing occasion to examine old literature in a new light. This book considers authors like Joyce, Kafka, and Chekhov, showing that present crises can deepen our appreciation of past achievements. It examines a wide range of diverse, often overlooked, fiction, arguing that the psychological and social insights of classic short stories and novels have only increased in relevance in the face of collective trauma. Comparative literature is thus linked to the study of illness and society. The book addresses the concerns of general readers whilst broadening our cultural vocabulary for analyzing contemporary challenges and dangers.