Document Type
Book Chapter
Publication Date
1999
Publication Title
The Languages of Addiction
Pages
123-132 pp.
Abstract
ALCOHOLISM IS A MAJOR PROBLEM IN MOST COUNTRIES; yet in only a few countries has it become a social issue and a topic to be discussed seriously and openly. Within universities, substantive knowledge about alcoholism appears co be confined mainly to medical and sociology departments. Certainly, alcoholism is a neglected topic in literary studies. Almost all critics and teachers of literature are blind to its impact on a surprising number of characters and their relationships- even when alcoholism is the primary cause of suffering. Unless a teacher is a recovering alcoholic or knows well someone who is, ignorance or self-censorship evidently prevents much discussion of alcoholism in the classroom. Because of the shame and secrecy so long associated with alcoholism, revealing any interest in it seems almost taboo (Gilmore 6). Silence about alcoholism allows the kind of abuse and violence that frequently accompanies alcohol addictions to continue.
Original Publication Citation
Bazin, N. T. (1999). Alcoholism in third-world literature: Buchi Emecheta, Athol Fugard, and Anita Desai. In J. Lilienfeld & J. Oxford (Eds.), The languages of addiction (pp. 123-132). St. Martin's.
Repository Citation
Bazin, Nancy Topping, "Alcoholism in Third-World Literature: Buchi Emecheta, Athol Fugard, and Anita Desai" (1999). English Faculty Publications. 137.
https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/english_fac_pubs/137
Included in
Comparative Literature Commons, Modern Literature Commons, Substance Abuse and Addiction Commons