Bills of Mortality

«To study plagues is to understand narratives. With ‘Bills of Mortality’, Patrick Reilly illuminates literary encounters with pestilence over a period of three centuries. Brilliantly informative, this book illustrates how plague, metaphor for the incomprehensible, is ceaselessly renewed when we tell stories about why some die and others do not.» (Philip Alcabes, Professor of Public Health, Adelphi University; Author of ‘Dread: How Fear and Fantasy Have Fueled Epidemics from the Black Death to Avian Flu’)
«How can the aesthetic representation of the unspeakable be done? How will our own present day’s plagues (physical, religious, political, etc.) be told in the future? Confronting this reality involves seeing how this was done in history and, in so doing, helps us understand the healing process. Patrick Reilly’s ‘Bills of Mortality’ is a panoramic survey and an outstanding analysis of such foremost plague narratives from ancient times to our present day, impeccably researched and written, to help us understand why and how these representations are of vital importance.» (Norbert Sclippa, Professor of French, College of Charleston, South Carolina)
«A thoroughly focused discussion of the nature of plague literature, ‘Bills of Mortality’ concentrates on pivotal texts and the significant role that the aesthetics of metaphor plays in interpreting their meaning. Patrick Reilly presents a convincing analysis that reaches beyond the fictional and into the social, cultural, and political background of each work he discusses.» (A. Nicholas Fargnoli, Dean of Humanities, Molloy College; President, The James Joyce Society)