Surveying the history of criticism about literature and the body, this introduction also charts trends and examines new theoretical developments in literary criticism and provides an entry point into the medical humanities, studies of affect, ageing, ecocriticism, and digital humanities. The book offers an intersectional approach to understanding identity and bodily experience and draws on a range of forms of writing from different geographical areas and disciplines, including poetry, novels, blogs, memoirs, political activism and scientific case studies. Exploring the fundamental importance of the body in the histories of feminism, gender, sexuality, disability, race and postcolonial studies, this book proves that contemporary literature provides a rich cultural history of hopes, fears, and fantasies about the body across the ages and, moreover, that criticism offers a valuable way of interpreting how certain bodies are marginalised, celebrated, exploited, spoken about or spoken for in contemporary culture. Chapters incorporate a strong activist element, arguing that the intersecting politics, ethics and aesthetics of bodily representation are important for all of us in the era of the #MeToo, Black Lives Matter and Transgender Rights movements, where bodies are photographed, tracked, manipulated and scrutinised as never before.

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.

Literature and Disability introduces readers to the field of disability studies and the ways in which a focus on issues of impairment and the representation of disability can provide new approaches to reading and writing about literary texts. Disability plays a central role in much of the most celebrated literature, yet it is only in recent years that literary criticism has begun to consider the aesthetic, ethical and literary challenges that this poses. The author explores: key debates and issues in disability studies today different forms of impairment, with the aim of showing the diversity and ambiguity of the term "disability" the intersection between literary critical approaches to disability and feminist, post-colonial, and autobiographical writing genre and representations of disability in relation to literary forms including novels, short stories, poems, plays and life writing This volume provides students and academics with an accessible overview of literary critical approaches to disability representation.

Literature and Disability introduces readers to the field of disability studies and the ways in which a focus on issues of impairment and the representation of disability can provide new approaches to reading and writing about literary texts. Disability plays a central role in much of the most celebrated literature, yet it is only in recent years that literary criticism has begun to consider the aesthetic, ethical and literary challenges that this poses. The author explores: key debates and issues in disability studies today different forms of impairment, with the aim of showing the diversity and ambiguity of the term "disability" the intersection between literary critical approaches to disability and feminist, post-colonial, and autobiographical writing genre and representations of disability in relation to literary forms including novels, short stories, poems, plays and life writing This volume provides students and academics with an accessible overview of literary critical approaches to disability representation.

Surveying the history of criticism about literature and the body, this introduction also charts trends and examines new theoretical developments in literary criticism and provides an entry point into the medical humanities, studies of affect, ageing, ecocriticism, and digital humanities. The book offers an intersectional approach to understanding identity and bodily experience and draws on a range of forms of writing from different geographical areas and disciplines, including poetry, novels, blogs, memoirs, political activism and scientific case studies. Exploring the fundamental importance of the body in the histories of feminism, gender, sexuality, disability, race and postcolonial studies, this book proves that contemporary literature provides a rich cultural history of hopes, fears, and fantasies about the body across the ages and, moreover, that criticism offers a valuable way of interpreting how certain bodies are marginalised, celebrated, exploited, spoken about or spoken for in contemporary culture. Chapters incorporate a strong activist element, arguing that the intersecting politics, ethics and aesthetics of bodily representation are important for all of us in the era of the #MeToo, Black Lives Matter and Transgender Rights movements, where bodies are photographed, tracked, manipulated and scrutinised as never before.

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!