“I’m Filled with Desire”: Eros & Illness with David B. Morris

Send us Fan MailPeople can have certain desires stemming from their illnesses, for the arts, health, companionship, serenity, and meaning among other possibilities. The scholar, writer, and teacher David B. Morris considers these desires a form of eros that should be taken into account as a part of what people go through with their illnesses and what could potentially help them. We speak with David Morris about the relationship between eros and illness, and evaluate it using examples from art, literature, and theater. We muse about possible applications.Primary Source CitationMorris D. Eros and Illness. Cambridge MA; Harvard University Press, 2017LinksRussell Teagarden’s relevant blog pieces: David Morris’ book, Eros and IllnessAnatole Broyard’s book, Intoxicated by My IllnessThe play, Farinelli and the KingMontaigne’s essays about his kidney stonesModigliani’s reclining nude series:Reclining Nude, 1917Reclining Nude (Nu Couché) 1917–1918Reclining Nude (Le Grand Nu) 1919Nude on a Blue Cushion 1917David Morris’ CVThanks to David Morris for coming on this episode and providing his thinking on the role of eros in illness.Please send us comments, recommendations, and questions to this text link, or email to: [email protected] for listening, and please subscribe to The Clinic & The Person wherever you get your podcasts. Executive producer: Anne Bentley