Racing Pulses: Gender, Professionalism and Health Care in Medical Romance Fiction
Agnes
Arnold-Forster
;
(2021)
Racing Pulses: Gender, Professionalism and Health Care in Medical Romance Fiction.
History Workshop Journal, 91 (1).
pp. 157-181.
ISSN 1363-3554
DOI: 10.1093/hwj/dbab011
Abstract
Following the foundation of the NHS in 1948, a new sub-genre of romantic fiction emerged: ‘Doctor–Nurse’ romances, usually involving romance between a male doctor and a female nurse, were set in NHS hospitals. Drawing on the Mills & Boon archive and the novels themselves, this article explores representations of the health service and notions of gendered healthcare professionalism in postwar Britain. I argue that rather than presenting ‘retrograde’ and ‘limited’ views of women’s lives, medical Mills & Boon novels frequently put forward nuanced versions of womanhood, professional identity, clinical labour, and the effective functioning of the welfare state.
Item Type | Article |
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Elements ID | 181860 |
Date Deposited | 09 Aug 2022 11:42 |
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8153-3217