Essay
Critical Bibliography - English Literature
- Course
- Institution
A critical bibliography that achieved a grade first this year at university level. Outlines how to conduct and structure a critical bibliography.
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
luciesnotes
Reviews received
Content preview
Student ID: xxxTutor: xxx
Word Count: 867
Sick Imagination: Disability, Illness and the Critical Medical Humanities
Critical Bibliography: A Review of Literature on Dismissed Female Pain
In this bibliography, I aim to identify the ways in which a range of literature examines the
multifaceted experiences of women’s pain being dismissed and disbelieved. The works I have
chosen include fictional and non-fictional representations of dismissed female pain within the
healthcare system and wider society, tackling issues of female identity, trauma, and resilience
in the face of misunderstood mental and physical illnesses.
Works of Fiction
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. The Yellow Wallpaper. New England Magazine, 1892.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s Victorian novella follows an unnamed narrator suffering from
post-partum depression. She is instructed by her physician-husband to isolate herself and
refrain from any physical or intellectual activity, a treatment known as the ‘rest cure’.
Gilman’s employment of unsettling and obsessive language, such as the description of the
wallpaper pattern moving because “the woman behind it shakes it,” creates an image of
imprisonment that reflects the narrator’s own confined pain (Charlotte Perkins Gilman 1892).
The physician-husband, John, acts as a mouthpiece for the medical industry and society in
this period, with his dismissive attitude towards his wife suggesting anything but care.
Gilman’s narrator feels “very much like a child” because of the way John treats her, which
implies how women in pain are often infantilized and not taken seriously (Gilman 1892).
Gilman depicts how the pressure to conceal pain becomes too much to bear, the narrator’s
worsening illness showing how the 19th century rest cure was not only ineffective but
1
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller luciesnotes. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $9.73. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
65507 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 15 years now