Zombies and Other Infected: The Image of an Epidemic in Popular Literature

Abstract

Od dżumy do Eboli. Sposób przedstawienia wybranych chorób zaraźliwych w przykładowych tekstach literatury popularnej [From the plague to Ebola: The presentation of selected contagious diseases in popular literature texts] by Edyta Izabela Rudolf is a pioneering achievement in the Polish research field, opening scientific discourse on the image of an epidemic in popular literature. Published on the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic, the monograph also provides tools for the study of the newly created pandemic literature.

Taking into account the complexity of the research material, which lies on the borderline between the humanities, the social, and biological sciences, the author has quite rightly decided to include her study in the field of medical humanities. The chronological distribution of the extensive research material allowed for taking into consideration the broad historical and social context which influenced the shape of works created in subsequent eras.

Minor inaccuracies include the inappropriate use of terminology (such as the term topos) and the questionable assignment of the novel The Andromeda Strain to Chapter Three (it could easily have found its place in Chapter Four).

Despite these shortcomings, Edyta Rudolf’s work is a valuable monograph which provides tools for studying the image of contagious diseases in popular literature.