The Reproductive Politics of American Literature and Film, 1959-1973

The book explores reproduction in American literature and film from the late 1950s to the early 1970s, arguing that writers and filmmakers engaged with the social horizons of pregnancy by reflecting on their own creative practices. It mobilizes the concept of contingency to address the relationships of race, disability, and reproductive freedom and offers fresh perspectives on canonical and lesser-known works.

Format: Hardback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 30 June 2021
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

In the long 1960s, the struggle for reproductive rights, including abortion, contraception, and reproduction, gained significant momentum. This book explores the representation of reproduction in American literature and film produced between the late 1950s and the early 1970s, and argues that writers and filmmakers of this period engaged with the social horizons of pregnancy by reflecting on their own creative practices. In an era characterized by a renewed emphasis on planned pregnancy and population control, authors and filmmakers were often preoccupied with the ways in which reproduction, both cultural and biological, might escape the drive to predict and plan. Tracing this preoccupation in key works of drama, film, poetry, and prose, Sophie A. Jones argues that these works mobilize the concept of contingency to address the relationships of race, disability, and reproductive freedom. Offering fresh perspectives on canonical and lesser-known works, the book makes a case for the central role of culture in forging new approaches to reproductive justice.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781474433303