Men Writing Eating Disorders: Autobiographical Writing and Illness Experience in English and German Narratives

I read this fascinating study in a single sitting. Heike Bartel''s Men Writing Eating Disorders probes a little-known but devastating issue with superlative care: illuminating the link between autobiographical writing in English and German, and attempts by men to chart their experiences of eating disorders; but also showing the vital role that literature can play in uncovering this largely taboo illness. This text brings to our attention a striking modern literary corpus and shows what a powerful tool literary research can be in the growing field of Medical Humanities. This important book challenges typical perspectives on eating disorders. It reveals the traps and opportunities in literature and language to represent or misrepresent those who suffer this distressing condition—men as well as women. Men Writing Eating Disorders unlocks an important door to a more inclusive gender perception. As an area often neglected and under-recognised, this book provides an in-depth look at male eating disorders in a way that blends psychology, arts and the voice of those who have lived with an eating disorder. A truly unique gem that captures a part of the eating disorder experience that is missing from many accounts already out there. This important book brings a transdisciplinary gaze to understanding eating disorders in men. The exploration of these experiences through the lens of 21 personal narratives illuminates the cultural, social and clinical implications of this neglected area. The gendered construction of eating disorders, the process of autobiographical writing and the links with illness narratives are all expertly discussed. The book advances the field of medical and health humanities, and will be of interest to literary scholars, narrative and identity researchers, and clinicians working with eating disorders. ‘Heike Bartel’s Men Writing Eating Disorders: Autobiographical Writing and Illness Experience in English and German Narratives offers an exemplary model how the humanities - I prefer the term “the human sciences”- can engage with and, indeed, teach the nomological (“law-like”) sciences and the practical pedagogy of biomedicine… [The book] will go a long way in teaching physicians, healthcare systems, and - perhaps most importantly - “individuals who are living with an eating disorder” and “also [their] brothers, fathers, friends, and lovers” that the pain and suffering that imbues their lives are real, command acknowledgment, and mandate therapies and treatment… I can think of no better achievement for the humanities than to contribute to our general well-being in the way that Men Writing Eating Disorders does with such mastery. It is a book that has the potential to enlarge our compassion, to learn from the suffering and joy of others, and to discover strategies to alleviate pain and foster a good life (the work of phronesis). It is a book that will make our world better.’ Eating disorders do not only affect women and girls; men and boys get them too but remain mostly invisible. This book gives insight into this neglected problem through a comparative and transnational analysis of autobiographical accounts written by men with experience of living with eating disorders.

• | Author: Heike Bartel
• | Publisher: Emerald Publishing Limited
• | Publication Date: Dec 04, 2020
• | Number of Pages:
• | Language:
• | Binding: Paperback / softback
• | ISBN-13: 9781839099236
• | ISBN-10: 1839099232