The Lady of the Camellias or: die prettier! (Die Kameliendame oder: Stirb schöner!)

"Nothing is more punitive than lending significance to an illness – since this significance is inevitably moral in nature." – Susan Sontag

Alexandre Dumas' novel "Die Kameliendame" ("The Lady of the Camellias") is a classic example for the romantization of illness as metaphor. Marguerite, a seamstress and coveted courtesan, suffers from tuberculosis. Her suffering is metaphorically connected with her relationship: When the couple is united, the illness seems less severe. After their separation, however, her health declines and she dies – but not of a broken heart. These narratives are still virulent today: the glorification of a life with chronic illness. Malin Lamparter makes a mockery of these romantic notions – somewhere between show and information, reality check and grotesque. What does it mean to rely on medical care? And how do you deal with being seen as an element of non-functioning?