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  • © 2019

Literature and Medicine

A Practical and Pedagogical Guide

Palgrave Macmillan
  • Illustrates important principles on professionalism, ethics, and diversity

  • Provides a foundational understanding of narrative

  • Includes 28 literary texts from canonical and contemporary authors

  • Features 16 clinical vignettes

  • Contains appendices including Discussion Questions, Questions for Daily Writing, and more

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Softcover Book USD 64.99
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Table of contents (15 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xxxviii
  2. Narrative and Medicine

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
    2. Narrative and Cognitive Science; Literature and Medicine

      • Ronald Schleifer, Jerry B. Vannatta
      Pages 3-30
  3. The Logic of Making a Diagnosis

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 31-31
    2. The Narrative Structure of Diagnosis

      • Ronald Schleifer, Jerry B. Vannatta
      Pages 33-49
  4. Professionalism

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 51-51
    2. Literature and Professionalism in Medicine

      • Ronald Schleifer, Jerry B. Vannatta
      Pages 53-65
  5. Building the Patient-Provider Relationship

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 67-67
    2. Rapport and Empathy in Medicine

      • Ronald Schleifer, Jerry B. Vannatta
      Pages 69-80
    3. Listening to Patients

      • Ronald Schleifer, Jerry B. Vannatta
      Pages 81-90
    4. The Patient

      • Ronald Schleifer, Jerry B. Vannatta
      Pages 91-108
    5. The Doctor

      • Ronald Schleifer, Jerry B. Vannatta
      Pages 109-120
  6. Everyday Ethics of Medical Practices

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 121-121
    2. Everyday Ethics of Medical Practices

      • Ronald Schleifer, Jerry B. Vannatta
      Pages 123-135
  7. Vicarious Experiences

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 137-137
    2. Culture

      • Ronald Schleifer, Jerry B. Vannatta
      Pages 139-146
    3. Sexual and Domestic Abuse

      • Ronald Schleifer, Jerry B. Vannatta
      Pages 147-158
    4. Pain

      • Ronald Schleifer, Jerry B. Vannatta
      Pages 159-169
    5. Ageing

      • Ronald Schleifer, Jerry B. Vannatta
      Pages 171-179
  8. Mistakes in Medicine

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 181-181

About this book

Literature and Medicine: A Practical and Pedagogical Guide is designed to introduce narrative medicine in medical humanities courses aimed at pre-medicine undergraduates and medical and healthcare students. With excerpts from short stories, novels, memoirs, and poems, the book guides students on the basic methods and concepts of the study of narrative. The book helps healthcare professionals to build a set of skills and knowledge central to the practice of medicine including an understanding of professionalism, building the patient-physician relationship, ethics of medical practice, the logic of diagnosis, recognizing mistakes in medical practice, and diversity of experience. In addition to analyzing and considering the literary texts, each chapter includes a vignette taken from clinical situations to help define and illustrate the chapter’s theme. Literature and Medicine illustrates the ways that engagement with the humanities in general, and literature in particular, can create better and more fulfilled physicians and caretakers. 



Authors and Affiliations

  • University of Oklahoma, Norman, USA

    Ronald Schleifer

  • Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma City, USA

    Jerry B. Vannatta

About the authors

Ronald Schleifer is George Lynn Cross Research Professor of English and Adjunct Professor in Medicine, University of Oklahoma, USA. He served as editor of Genre: Forms of Discourse and Theory and of Configurations. He has written or edited more than 20 books. His most recent books are Pain and Suffering (2014) and A Political Economy of Modernism (2018). He is the co-author of two text anthologies Contemporary Literature Criticism: Literary and Cultural Studies and A Postmodern Bible Reader (2001).

Jerry Vannatta is David Ross Boyd Professor Emeritus of Internal Medicine and of Humanities in Medicine (MD, retired), and Adjunct Professor in the Honors College, University of Oklahoma, USA. He is currently Medical Director, Physician Assistant Program and Clinical Professor of Medical Humanities, Oklahoma City University, USA. He served as Vice President of the University of Oklahoma for Health Affairs and Executive Dean of the College of Medicine.



Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 49.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 64.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access