How do you think Sontag’s argument applies to the coronavirus? What metaphors have been used – by the media, writers, the public, politicians, friends and family, etc. – to describe the coronavirus? Do you think there is a social stigma around the coronavirus?

"Illness as Metaphor" has taken on a new significance with the current pandemic. Sontag's arguments were made in the context of the late twentieth century and in response to diseases she deemed 'individualizing' because they were not contagious. "Illness as Metaphor" can now be reinterpreted with this significant change in context.

Sontag cites from a wide range of sources in many different genres. What are the pros and cons of this approach?

The use of a wide range of sources is key to Sontag’s literary approach. However, her use of many sources within a short frame (the book is less than 100 pages) limits her...