Challenging representations of dementia in contemporary western fiction

Capstick, A; Chatwin, JR; Ludwin, K

Abstract

Fiction film is one of the most influential vehicles for the popularization of
dementia. It is likely to have a particular influence on the way dementia is
constructed by society at large, not least due to its consumption in the guise
of entertainment. In this paper, we will argue that such popularization is
rarely innocent or unproblematic. Representations of people with dementia
in film tend to draw heavily on familiar tropes such as global memory loss,
violence and aggression, extreme dependency on heroic carers, catastrophic
prognosis, and early death. Audiences may therefore uncritically absorb
discourses which reinforce negative stereotypes and perpetuate the biomedical
orthodoxy that everything a person with dementia says or does is ‘a
symptom of the disease.’

Citation

Capstick, A., Chatwin, J., & Ludwin, K. (2015). Challenging representations of dementia in contemporary western fiction. In A. Swinnen, & M. Schweda (Eds.), Popularising Dementia : Public Expressions and Representations of Forgetfulness (229-253). London: [transcript] Independent Academic Publishing. https://doi.org/10.14361/9783839427101

• Publication Date: Nov 18, 2015
• Deposit Date: Jun 28, 2018
• Pages: 229-253
• Book Title: Popularising Dementia : Public Expressions and Representations of Forgetfulness
• ISBN: 9783837627107
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.14361/9783839427101
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.14361/9783839427101
• Related Public URLs: https://www.degruyter.com/viewbooktoc/product/430332; https://www.transcript-verlag.de/en/
• Additional Information: Additional Information : Published online by De Gruyter