The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison is a post-apocalyptic novel following an unnamed midwife traversing the U.S. after the entire world's population has nearly been wiped out by a virus, with the survival ratio being skewed towards men over women and children.
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| Book cover (1) |
Not only is the new world dangerous for women because of the threat of sexual violence, but also because pregnancies and births are no longer medically safe for them due to the virus strain, with stillbirths and maternal mortality rates slowly killing off the women and children that are left (1). One review written by blogger meltotheany (Melanie) captures the horrors that the women must face and the empowering characteristics of the midwife protagonist:
"It’s scary to be a woman in today’s world, but it’s downright terrifying
to try to survive as a woman in this book’s world. This main protagonist
is one of the strongest and most empowering woman I’ve ever had the
privilege to read about, and I don’t even get to learn her name" (2).
Discussion of Gender
In order to survive, the protagonist, the unnamed midwife, is forced to dress as a man, yet is still determined to save the women that are left by assisting them through their pregnancies and births (1). A class discussion surrounding this book could include the ways in which gender is newly performed in a world dominated by men, how masculinity is performed by the female protagonist, and how the female protagonist's identity as a "man" clashes with her role as a midwife. The anonymity of the protagonist can also be a point of discussion, as women's names have been historically erased, and the significance of the midwife's role in the book ensures the survival of every woman she encounters and the rebirth of the world's population. Another point of discussion could include real-world discussions about the importance of women's access to reproductive rights, the struggles of motherhood, and the dangers of pregnancy.
Discussion of Dystopia
To discuss aspects of dystopia in the novel, the class discussion could include how gender hierarchies may persist and are reinforced by the dominant sex (the men), since men use sexual violence and death to control and restrict the women. The class discussion may also revolve around how the author is commenting on current world social issues such as reproductive rights and how they're being stripped away, and also comment on the lack of education or medical research on women's bodies. The midwife also resists the damage inflicted on the population by the virus by assisting in women's pregnancies, so if she manages to save the children or mothers from death, she could potentially help with repopulating a new and better world, contributing to the book's theme of hope as resistance.
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| Meg Elison, author (3) |
Works Cited
(1) Elison, Meg. The Book of the Unnamed Midwife. Sybaritic Press, 2014.
(3) Meg Elison. Uncanny Magazine. https://www.uncannymagazine.com/authors/meg-elison/
I have never heard of this book, but just from reading this I am extremely interested in looking at this book because it seems very good. I like all the points you make on how this book would be good for the class, especially the point you make about women's names being historically erased, I think that would be a super good discussion to have.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time I have ever heard of this novel, and it looks very compelling. I think you raise an important point, about how the story connects directly to the real-world issue of women's reproductive rights. This book would be great for an in-class discussion, and could complement other things we read, like Vox, really well. Because both of the novels center around the oppression of women in a male-dominated world. This is definitely something I will have to add to my reading list, nice work!
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