On Being Ill

About this book

Virginia Woolf observes that though illness is part of every human beings experience it has rarely been the focus of literature - like the more acceptable subjects of war and love. We cannot quote Shakespeare to describe a headache. We must Woolf says invent language to describe pain. Illness enhances our perceptions and she observes it reduces self-consciousness it is "the great confessional." Throughout On Being Ill Woolf discusses the taboos associated with illness and she explores how illness transforms experience and changes our relationship to the world around us.