A RESEARCH ON THE SIGNIFICANCE OF PANDEMIC LITERATURE

Based on Mark Harrison's "Disease and The Modern World: 1500 To the Present Day"
INTRODUCTION
Several authors and writers are now on the expedition to discover the growing interest in so-
called pandemic literature-and more generally pandemic fiction, which we are witnessing
drastically since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.This research paper sheds
light on the rebirth and significance of the so-called "Pandemic Literature and its Studies" which
includes several elements based on Mark Harrison's illustrations of various epidemics and
calamities in his book "Disease and the Modern World: 1500 to the Present Day".

The Covid-19 pandemic paved way for the rebirth of the Pandemic Literature, which is now in
the limelight with so many writers delving deep to introspect its influence upon readers. When
people come across an epidemic, disaster or a social issue like war, the Literature of that
contemporary age reflects all those transformations that had occurred. It was the Black Death
bubonic Plague (lasted from 1346-1353) that hit the world first. To know more about the
influence of epidemics and pandemics in literature, we need to undergo a thorough introspection
of the subject, of which the paper handles a major representation of the same. There are many of
books like A Journal of the Plague Year (1664) by Daniel Defoe. The Last Man (1826) and The
Scarlet Plague (1912) both by Mary Shelley where we get the references of Plague. Among
Indian writers the celebrated Malayalam author and the Sahitya Academic Awardee, U.R.
Ananthamurthy's Samskara contains references of plague as a pandemic, a disease that caused
stringent orthodox values.

THE GREAT PLAGUE OF LONDON AND SPANISH FLU

To cite the first in literature, The Great Plague of London lasting from 1665 to 1666 was the last
major epidemic of the bubonic plague to occur in England. It happened within the centuries-long
Second Pandemic, a period of intermittent bubonic Plague epidemic that originated in Central
Asia in 1331, the first year of Black Death that also paved way for diseases like pneumonic
plague and septicemic plague which lasted until 1750. An epidemic that had killed almost a
quarter of London's population had an unanticipated cause of downfall of the entire nation. When
people started moving away from each other fearing contagiousness of the epidemic, the nation
witnessed a huge loss in its socio-economic and cultural growth. There were 30,000 deaths due
to the plague in 1603, 35.000 in 1625, 10,000 in 1636 and many more in the following years. But
this epidemic was on a m smaller scale than the earlier Black Death Pandemic. Secondly, the
1918 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great
Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally precarious global influenza pandemic caused by the
H1NI influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was in March 1918 in Kansas, United
States, with more cases in France, Germany and the United Kingdom in April 2 years later,
nearly a third of the global population, or an estimated 500 million people, had been infected in
four successive waves. Limited historical epidemiological data make the pandemics geographic
origin indeterminate with competing hypotheses on the initial spread. The pandemic that broke
out near the end of World War I created a false impressionof Spain as the epicenter, leading to
the "Spanish flu" misnomer.
The entire world was affected with the outbreak of an abrupt pandemic in 2020 that affected the
well-being of mankind multiple phases like unemployment, online education, ill-health, violence,
confinement and many more. Pandemic is a term that talks about various rich epidemics and this
paper highlights the significance of such a specific genre describing the impact created mal
liver of the people and the different phases of life that we had been through hitherto. This paper
also introduces people towards the versatility of Pandemic Literature that upgrades the level of
consciousness of people by considering it as a social cause through literature.
A VIEW TO THE BACKGROUND
As we all know, 2020 was a deadly year for citizens due to the precarious pandemic that hit the
world in January 2020. COVID-19 Pandemic has not completely been banished, yet, there are no
public restrictions or prohibitions at present since 2022. Therefore, we can call it an ongoing
pandemic In fact, the global pandemic had caged mankind for more than 2 years with so many
protocols due to its harmful attacks that we witnessed so closely Human history has survived
many moments of crisis and Natural Calamity. Pandemics are not something new on the history
of mankind. Whatever happens around us has a huge influence in our writings and that’s how
pandemic literature was born. Pandemic Literature was discovered with the advent of pandemics
which had influenced so many ways. Changes happening in the socio-economic, cultural and
political systems play a pivotal role in creating a new stream of study in history, art and
literature as well. When Spanish Flu occupied the nationals a century back in 1915, there was a
vital influence in 20th century feature, which is now repeated with the Cavid-19 pandemic.
People locked inside their residences had no other alternative other than than learning new
subjects through reading books and surfing the internet .Much of the time would have been spent
by people by imbibing a new passion within themselves, which was mostly to art and literature.
For example, if you are a diary writer, you would surely have the tendency to pen down all that
happenings in your life, irrespective of time. Likewise, people started exploring the diversity of
the pandemic around and started researching the same by means of online as well as offline
modes. Pandemic Literature consists of several categories listed under a follows:

 Health Blogs and Messages

 Food Styler at Quarantine
 Hobbies to practice at home
 Job Opportunities and Employment
 Online Education and Certification
 Pandemic-related News Articles
The study of epidemics helps us to undergo a thorough understanding of politics, socio-economic
structures, and personal relationships of that particular time. The intensity of the influence spans
across centuries, whose impact may be present in the upcoming researches and developments.
From the ancient times to the modern, epidemics have affected human komory in way
demographically, culturally, politically, financially, and above all, biologically. The outset of the
earliest plague epidemics raised questions about human's relations to God. Yellow fever led to
the success of the Haitian revolution. The outbreak of Cholera exposed how the industrial
revolution created conditions for contagion to spread among workers and the poor. The global
Influenza epidemic of 1918-1920 led to an outpouring of altruism and selfless service. It is the
14th century plague pandemic in Europe which has given this disease such a prominence not
only in the history of pandemics but also in the history of literature. Many scholars believe that
the disease originated among the sailors and was spread by them all over the continent. The
bibliography of that have received attention of the historians and writers goes like this- Plague,
Spanish Flu, Cholera, Influenza, Smallpox, and Covid-19.

The author cites the major historiographical trends and debates, sketching them with a light
touch, and offering clear cam the impact and limitations of different approaches. A mixture of
his narrative and historiographical analysts broadens the c pidemic and its influence in the world.
Despite the title, this work is a history of medicine as well as a history of onductory chapter
Mark Harrison announces the book's major theme that infectious disease played a major role in
the of the modern world with its nation states, capitalism, new social classes, empires, and
plantation slavery. This is m throughout the book. This theme grew out of his original aim,
which was to produce a history of disease since ancient tim modern world" stood out as a
coherent whole. The ravages of smallpox and other Eurasian diseases in the New World are com
the fourth chapter along with the tropical diseases of Africa that traveled with the slave trade,
such as malaria and fever. "Disease in an Age of Commerce and Industry" treats the
controversies surrounding vaccination and quarantine nineteenth-century threat posed by cholera.
"The Individual and the State" covers the period 1870 to 1914, the c medicine, and the discovery
of the etiology and epidemiology many of the major diseases. The trasformano into tuberculosis"
is used to illustrate the change from the concept of diseases of the individual to one of social the
state was assuming increasing responsibility, both at home and in the colonies and society, with
the rise and applic modern medicine. States were also confronted with the threat to public health
that came with the massive migration of the p challenge that was met as they managed to initiate
the epidemiologic transition and mortality decline that are still with Typhus makes an appearance
in chapter 7, titled "Disease, War, and Modernity", as do the Influenza epidemic of 1918 and its
control Many subjects covered in the final chapter are hinted at in its title. "Health for All
Affluence. Poverty and since 1945. In fact, the year 1945 is something most precious for India,
which was towards the final attainment of pow dependence from colonies. The diseases
introduced here are poliomyelitis, AIDS, and the new hemorrhagic fevers such Marburg and
Ebola in Africa, and Hanta, Janin, and Machupo in South America Throughout the text Harrison
keep cure the demographic circumstances that gave rise to the illnesses, as well as on their
demographic consequences, and the debuwirl around these maters are carefully considered and
judiciously sorted out A vast amount of knowledge and ted in this massive guide, along with a
glassary appended to help readers with some of the concepts and short, this is a well-crafted and
well-written synthesis that meets the goal of accessibility, especially for medical PANDEMIC
AND LITERATURE IN 31ST CENTURY

May contenywilav focusing the threats faced by the womanhood by beleg in confinement who s
of men and end abuses from their own life partners due to the shutdown of beverage and drugs
the create rucker home Unable to tolerate the violence, women tharted enrolling themsdva t
velkendexpreally for the sake of their children. Online Education and its challenges egyfible
mode of study for all When online services were getting established in every s In their lives with
the mere support of online, in which education grabs a pivotal role" former is no michaelogy in
daily life was initially a herculean task, which gradually developed fame and confon the pulmon
Globally 1.2 million student users in 186 countries are reported to be out of the cla of the
ckdown of educational institutions

Online mode of life has therefore created a revolution in world's history. The distinctive rise of
the E-learning drastically changed the lives of students due to the inefficiency and unavailability
of requisite gadgets for hassle-free leaning w aching was undertaken remotely by means of
digitized learning online education has shown a significant increase in the m of information for
future generations School closures impacted students, teachers, and families with far-reaching
eco sce consequences These factors have been a great factor for scholars to come up with new
ideas and solutions in this s The pandemic and responses to it damaged the global economy. The
outbreak was blamed for panic lying, e pceries of esentials such as food, toilet paper, and bouled
water. Panic buying stemmed from perceived threat, pered s Year of the unknown, coping
behaviour and social psychological factors Supply shortages were due to disruption f logic
penione, shortages were worsened by supply chain duruptions from factory and part shutdowns,
and labour char

A UNESCO report estimated ten million job losses worldwide in the culture and creative
industries. Some servic dough digital platforms, such a live streaming concertsand web-based
arts festivals. Political systems were also affecd p suspensions of legislative activities, fiolations
or deaths of politicians, and rescheduled elections The number of imprisoned or detained
increased worldwide, with some related to the pandemic The pandemic disrupted food r
worldwide, hitting at a time when undernourishment was rising fan estimated 690 million people
lacked food security in 2019) access fell as a result of falling incomes, last remittances, and
disruptions to food production, culminating in the rise in They shed light on social and economic
issues, including student debt, digital learning, food insecurity, and homelennes, access to
childcare, health care, housing, internet, and disability services. The impact was more severe for
disadvantaged child

A 2021 study noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had increased interest in epidemics and
infectious disres historians and the general public Prior to the pandemic, these topics were
usually overlooked by "general" history and only attention in the History of Medicine, but now
literature has taken its place.

CONCLUSION

To conclude with, pandemic literature has taken its shape more than 500 years back according to
Mark Harrison's ob This stream of literature contains abundant information about the past,
present and future of the world's health by illustmeticulour aspect of social revolution. Therefore
one can realize that there is no deadline for this genre to exist, which all the world exists, History
teaches us what life was and how it was led, and this broad comparison consumes years for the
com man to understand the differentiation of the lifestyle we lead today and that of the past. If at
all there's no such pandemic Co 19 that is going to hit the world, history still plays a vital role in
teaching man the importance of health, hygiene and cod d being which today's world truly lacks.
The reasons may be ample, but they remain as a blackhole in our life until man chang to mindset
to set forward a healthy and harmonious society ahead!

Works Cited

Harrison Mark "Disease and The

Modern World- 1500 to The Present World" 2004.

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