’I’m glad now I lost my legs for a while’: Disability in American Girls’ Literature
Title and/or Affiliation
Ashley Reese, University of South Florida
Presenter Bio
Ashley N. Reese is Assistant Director in the teaching center at the University of South Florida. Her recent research includes, The Rise of American Girls' Literature (Cambridge UP, 2021) and articles in Barnboken, Children’s Literature Association Quarterly, and Girlhood Studies. Her research focuses on gender in turn-of-the-century girls' literature.
Session
Panel: Representing Disability and Neurodiversity
Location
Zoom
Start Date
29-6-2024 1:15 PM
End Date
29-6-2024 2:30 PM
Abstract
Disability representation in American children’s literature has roots in sentimentality. By positioning these characters as tropes or plot devices, rather than rounded, developed characters, the representation of being disabled is arguably devalued. In nineteenth- and early twentieth-century American girls’ literature in particular, some heroines experience a temporary disability only to later recover when they or those around them “learn a lesson” often related to socially constructed idealized womanhood. The sentimentality of these novels ties into the type of influence the girls’ literature heroines are able to enact: occurring only when they are confined to their beds, presumed not to recover. For this reason, I have labeled this temporary period the “bed-stage,” because the bed becomes a literal stage for them to heard from. This influence is closely tied to the angelic qualities assigned to women, heightened when they are close to death, giving the character a spiritual authority as they prepare to join the spirit realm. The constructed nature of disability becomes even more apparent in sentimental fiction, wherein disability serves a metaphorical purpose, often in benefit to others. This presentation will examine examples of the bed stage through the lens of disability studies and sentimentality, and trace its influence to today.
’I’m glad now I lost my legs for a while’: Disability in American Girls’ Literature
Zoom
Disability representation in American children’s literature has roots in sentimentality. By positioning these characters as tropes or plot devices, rather than rounded, developed characters, the representation of being disabled is arguably devalued. In nineteenth- and early twentieth-century American girls’ literature in particular, some heroines experience a temporary disability only to later recover when they or those around them “learn a lesson” often related to socially constructed idealized womanhood. The sentimentality of these novels ties into the type of influence the girls’ literature heroines are able to enact: occurring only when they are confined to their beds, presumed not to recover. For this reason, I have labeled this temporary period the “bed-stage,” because the bed becomes a literal stage for them to heard from. This influence is closely tied to the angelic qualities assigned to women, heightened when they are close to death, giving the character a spiritual authority as they prepare to join the spirit realm. The constructed nature of disability becomes even more apparent in sentimental fiction, wherein disability serves a metaphorical purpose, often in benefit to others. This presentation will examine examples of the bed stage through the lens of disability studies and sentimentality, and trace its influence to today.