Consumptive Individualism and Burdens of Care in Nineteenth-Century American Literature
Abstract
Abstract Discourses of race and ability intermingled in depictions of tuberculosis in nineteenth-century American literature. Literary depictions of the illness established racialized burdens of care while simultaneously articulating a liberal individualism that embraced, rather than eschewed, physical vulnerability and social dependency. Attending to texts that disentangle the disease from its racial and ableist logics articulates an ethics of reserving care for those living with the health consequences of white supremacy.
Fields of Study & Subjects
American Literature and Culture
Literature: history
themes
analysis
Disability Rights and Representation
Publication details
- Journal / source
- American Literature
- Volume
- 98
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 161–187
- Publication date
- 23 February 2026
- Language
- EN