Abstract

Consumption became one of the most deadly diseases in the 19th century. Grossly misunderstood, it was the root cause and nature in which the illness manifested among dense populations. It traveled with ease from family member to family member, coining the phrase “consumptive” family. Authors and poets used this guaranteed death sentence as inspiration and motivation to spawn some of the great literary works that have lasted the test of time. Poems, books, and operas all found roots in the use of consumption with metaphors, symbols, and images; defining a horrific and dramatic death, reversing it into the personification of beauty and grace. This paper examines consumption as it converges on the minds and pens of 19th century authors.

The Art of Death: Consumption in the 19th Century
Consumption in the 19th century was a widely misunderstood illness that by its very nature created some of the most dramatic writings. Poets, authors, and playwrights alike all used consumption as a form of expression in their writings. They found a certain dignity within the disease that probably affected everybody in one fashion or another. Poets like Edgar Allen Poe and Henry David Thoreau were influenced by the people in their lives that were close to them who contracted the disease. Others, like John Keats and RL Stevenson, had a direct connection as they themselves dealt with the deadly, predetermined path on which they must walk. Authors Victor Hugo, Puccini, and Verdi all used consumption as a catalyst to some greater, higher meaning in their stories. It was delicately embellished in some writings, while others it was shown with deep, dark metaphors.
“Consumption was the leading cause of death in the 19th century, a scourge that affected men, women, and children of all ages, classes and geographic locations. A chronic malady characterized by a harrowing cough