Fever (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: John Edgar Wideman
- First Published: 1989
- Type of Plot: Historical, social realism
- Time of Work: August through November, 1793
- Setting: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Principal Characters: Richard Allen, A distant omniscient narrator, A series of lesser narrators
- Genres: Short fiction
- Subjects: African Americans, United States or Americans, Suicide, Alienation, Individuality, Brothers, Life, philosophy of, Jews and Gentiles, Basketball, Yellow fever
- Locales: Philadelphia, PA
The Story
This title story in John Edgar Wideman's second collection of short stories is a horrifying fictional account of a historical event, the 1793 yellow fever epidemic that devastated the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, killing more than four thousand people, an estimated one-tenth of the city's population. The story is told in an episodic montage of narrative voices that demand the reader's close attention, each voice revealing a distinct point of view. Knowledge of the historical event would enhance the reader's appreciation of the story but is not essential to its...
[The entire page is 1552 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
