A Medical Sublime

AbstractInspired by a passage from Kate Chopin ’sThe Awakening, this article considers the possibility of a “medical sublime.” It works through a history of the sublime in theory and in the arts, from ancient times to the present. It articulates therapeutic dimensions of the sublime and gives contemporary examples of its medical relevance. In addition, it develops the concept of sublime-based stress-r eduction workshops and programs. These workshops bring the sublime out of the library and the museum into the lives of the healthcare community—patients, families, clinicians, staff, concerned others—in the service of better navigating human vulnerability and finitude. Opening the cannon of aest hetic theory and the arts as resources for the human condition is at the heart of health humanities. The sublime can be an invaluable tool in this task.
Source: Journal of Medical Humanities - Category: Medical Ethics Source Type: research