The Bellevue Literary Review is proud to offer a free study guide on Literature and Medicine using original works from the anthology The Best of the BLR.

The experience of illness is both universal and specific. Each of us will at some time become a patient—experience an illness or disability that may be acute or chronic, mild or life-threatening. All of us will experience sickness and death of a loved one. Some of us—doctors, nurses and other medical professionals—interact with illness from “both sides of the stethoscope.” The impact of illness on us as individuals, in our relationships to one another and in the broader socio-political context cannot be underestimated. Illness narratives, stories and poems that bring these issues to light provide a useful teaching tool.

This study guide is based on The Best of the Bellevue Literary Review, published by the Bellevue Literary Press. These readings provide a framework for considering the illness experience from a variety of perspectives. This study guide will be useful for teachers of literature, ethics, medical/nursing students, social workers, as well as for health care professionals, adult continuing education courses, and general reading groups. The study guide is free, and is available online.

We welcome feedback on the study guide. The study guide is copyrighted Department of Medicine, NYU School of Medicine © 2007

Access free BLR Study Guide (PDF Format)

Purchase the Best of the Bellevue Literary Review at 30% off cover price.