The Biohazard MessageEpidemics, Biological Accidents and Bioterrorism in Fiction (1969-1999)

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to analyse the propositions of sixteen biothrillers and synthesise the main ideas that make up a singular biohazard discourse. In order to carry out this study, the different novels are analysed by the kind of scenario presented, the biological agent/-s used, the typology of characters, and the setting. There has also been a thorough study of available documentation on epidemics, acts of biowarfare and bioterrorism, and biological accidents. As long as fiction is ascertained as being according to fact, such works can be taken as reasoned simulations of a biohazard event since they portray a series of common features about the people involved, the agents likely to be used, and potential locations for the event to take place. Then, it should be feasible to reach some valid extrapolations for real life that would eventually prove the social value of this kind of narrative. At the end of the study, it should not be difficult to understand the reasons for the emergence of these threats and what preventive measures can be taken in the present and future. Therefore, biothrillers will certainly be shown to be fully instructive as they can reach a larger number of people who do not usually read specialised medical journals.