Description
Book SynopsisIn The Rhetoric and Medicalization of Pregnancy and Childbirth in Horror Films, Courtney Patrick-Weber argues that the medicalization of pregnancy and childbirth traumatizes pregnant people in a number of ways, even as many people believe the shift toward medicalization has improved conditions for pregnant people. Patrick-Weber analyzes a selection of horror films, including The Void and Black Christmas, to demonstrate not only evidence of this trauma on a visceral level, but also how horror films can reflect and contribute to cultural conversations surrounding pregnancy and childbirth. While horror films are often neglected as vital sources of intellect and analysis, many of these films use their subversive viewpoints on cultural issues to offer a unique perspective that can ultimately help to shape the way society views them. Patrick-Weber reminds us that pregnancy and childbirth can be traumatic events, both physically and emotionally, as she discusses the current conversations surrounding the issue and critiques the “advancement” of medicalization. Scholars of film studies, gender studies, rhetoric, and medicine may find this book particularly useful.
Trade ReviewCourtney Patrick-Weber offers a welcome new perspective on horror films that deal with the myriad ways that pregnancy and birth are bound up within medicine, law, and politics. By focusing on the rhetorical framing of issues such as risk and choice, and their role in narratives of trauma and loss, Weber highlights how popular culture might interrogate our assumptions about bodies, power and agency. -- Erin Harrington, University of Canterbury
Table of ContentsForeword
Chapter 1: Defining Horror as a Rhetorical Genre
Chapter 2: Horror Films and the Medicalization of Pregnancy and Childbirth
Chapter 3: The Void and the Medicalized Rhetoric of Stillbirth
Chapter 4: The Rhetoric of Home Birth, Containment, and Expertise in À l'intérieur (2007) and Inside (2016)
Chapter 5: Abortion and the Rhetoric of Choice in Black Christmas (1974) and Red Christmas (2016)
Bibliography and Filmography
About the Author
