Overview

The Routledge Companion to Literature and Disability brings together some of the most influential and important contemporary perspectives in this growing field. The book traces the history of the field and locates literary disability studies in the wider context of activism and theory. It introduces debates about definitions of disability and explores intersectional approaches in which disability is understood in relation to gender, race, class, sexuality, nationality and ethnicity. Divided broadly into sections according to literary genre, this is an important resource for those interested in exploring and deepening their knowledge of the field of literature and disability studies.

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9781032570082

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Reviews

"Titles in the ""Routledge Companions"" series introduce scholarly perspectives on particular subjects. The present volume surveys scholarship written at the intersection of literary studies, disability studies, and related fields. In her introduction, Hall (English, Univ. of York, UK) proposes that ""literary and theoretical writing about disability provides ... a means of examining the narratives [that] shape and [give] meaning"" to life. Hall presents the essays in five parts. Prioritizing areas ""traditionally under-researched in disability studies,"" part 1 includes essays that break new ground or reconfigure existing critical modes. For example, Siobhan Senier argues that disability among indigenous peoples ""cannot be thought apart from tribal sovereignty and land claims.” In another essay, Cameron Awkward-Rich conducts a close reading of the terms disability and transgender, bringing into focus the “uneven” relationship between them and their associated disciplines. The rest of the 30 essays are arranged by genre (novels and short stories, poetry, drama, life writing). Standouts include Rebecca Sanchez's ""Deafness and Modernism"" and Samuel Yates's ""Disability and the American Stage Musical"" (these titles evince the companion's wide-sweeping scope). Whether used as a textbook, secondary resource, or general reading, this vital companion offers myriad entry points into a dynamic, evolving field of study. J. D. Harding, Saint Leo University, USA. Choice: Highly Recommended. ""This anthology offers an introduction to the developing canon of disability literature (we are introduced to many works in the genres of fiction, poetry, drama, life writing, and graphic narratives) and a diversity of literary criticism (scholars in this collection employ critical disability studies, trans studies, gothic studies, modernism, feminism, afro-modernism, gender, race, nationality, class, ethnicity—the critical approaches are varied and demonstrate, in my opinion, how intersectional and interdisciplinary conversations of disability literature can be). Scholars reading this anthology are given an excellent overview of current conversations in the field and invitations to join in research and discussion... The Routledge Companion to Literature and Disability is an engaging companion to excellent works in disability literature, and I hope it sparks many new conversations and insights."" Liz Whiteacre, The University of Indianapolis, USA, Wordgathering"

Author Information

Alice Hall teaches in the Department of English and Related Literature at the University of York, UK. She holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge and has previously worked at the University of Nottingham and the University of Paris (III and VII). Alice is the author of Disability and Modern Fiction: Faulkner, Morrison, Coetzee and the Nobel Prize for Literature (2012) and Literature and Disability: Contemporary Critical Thought (2015).

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