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The Rhetoric and Medicalization of Pregnancy and Childbirth in Horror Films
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Book Presentation:
In 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.
About the Author:
Courtney Patrick-Weber is assistant professor of rhetoric and composition at Bay Path University.
Press Reviews:
Courtney 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
While horror films have long attended to the female body, Patrick-Weber’s analysis provides a useful exploration of the ways the pregnant female body is rendered through the rhetoric of medical technology. Patrick-Weber delves into the complex relationships between gender, science, and horror and produces a series of provocative case studies. This thoughtful volume is a useful addition to conversations about contemporary horror films. -- Kendall R. Phillips, Syracuse University
See the publisher website: Lexington Books
> On a related topic:
Terrors of the Flesh (2020)
The Philosophy of Body Horror in Film
Transforming Faces for the Screen (2023)
Horror and Romance in the 1920s
by Karen Randell and Alexis Weedon
Subject: Silent Cinema
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