Physical disability in British romantic literature / Essaka Joshua.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Joshua, Essaka, author.

Series:

Cambridge studies in romanticism ; 130.

Cambridge studies in romanticism ; 130

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

People with disabilities in literature.

Romanticism.

Abnormalities, Human, in literature.

English literature--18th century--History and criticism.

English literature.

English literature--19th century--History and criticism.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (x, 302 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2020.

Summary:

The modern concept of disability did not exist in the Romantic period. This study addresses the anachronistic use of 'disability' in scholarship of the Romantic era, providing a disability studies theorized account that explores the relationship between ideas of function and aesthetics. Unpacking the politics of ability, the book reveals the centrality of capacity and weakness concepts to the egalitarian politics of the 1790s, and the importance of desert theory to debates about sentiment and the charitable relief of impaired soldiers. Clarifying the aesthetics of deformity as distinct from discussions of ability, Joshua uncovers a controversy over the use of deformity in picturesque aesthetics, offers accounts of deformity that anticipate recent disability studies theory, and discusses deformity and monstrosity as a blended category in Frankenstein. Setting aside the modern concept of disability, Joshua cogently argues for the historical and critical value of period-specific terms.

Contents:

Politics of Ability. William Godwin and Capacity

Invigorating Women: Female Weakness in the Work of Invigorating Women: Female Weakness in the Work of Mary Wollstonecraft

Wordsworth's "The Discharged Soldier" and the Question of Desert

Aesthetics of Deformity. Picturesque Aesthetics: Theorizing Deformity in the Romantic Era

Relational Deformity in Frances Burney's Camilla

Monstrous Sights: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Conclusion.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 12 Nov 2020).

ISBN:

1-108-87203-4

1-108-86524-0

1-108-87212-3