AIDS in Literature

First recognized in the early 1980s, AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is an incurable disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV attacks the body's immune system and renders the affected individual highly susceptible to life-threatening infections and diseases. Although the virus can remain dormant for an indefinite period, the disease has thus far always proven fatal to those who develop its advanced symptoms. Transmitted through body fluids, AIDS has tremendously impacted, though is not exclusive to, such “high-risk groups” as intravenous drug users and homosexual men. As a literary topic, AIDS has given rise to a diverse multitude of responses, particularly from gay men, concerning the effects of the disease on infected and healthy individuals, the gay community, and...