Abstract
COVID-19 has reshaped our outlook on the future, especially in terms of healthcare and pandemic management. This paper delves into the impact of doctor narratives, patient stories, and fiction novels on the NHS’s response to the successive waves of COVID-19. It examines the differences in approach between Wave 1 and Wave 2, emphasizing the importance of integrating critical medical humanities. The discussion explores the evolving roles of medicine, medical professionals, and patients-turned-professionals. Emphasizing the significance of patient narratives, the paper asserts that stories facilitate a nuanced understanding of historical and situational contexts, bridging literary criticism, medicine, science, and English. It scrutinizes COVID-19 from an epistemological standpoint and breaks down patient experiences. Variations in responses, particularly among patients in care homes, are highlighted. The paper showcases and analyzes COVID-19 responses, unveiling the experiences of doctors and caregivers across the UK. It questions how health professionals managed the pandemic, suggesting a need for literary critics’ perspectives. The methodology involves Rita Charon’s narrative writing techniques, Mike Bury’s approach to uncover underlying themes, and Cole’s method to contextualize patient narratives. The recorded patient accounts offer direct insights into their experiences.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2024 Special Focus—Traveling Concepts: The Transfer and Translation of Ideas in the Humanities
KEYWORDS
Covid, Poetry, Patients, Fiction, Life-writing
