Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Reading Victorian Deafness
Reading Victorian Deafness
Reading Victorian Deafness
Ebook441 pages10 hours

Reading Victorian Deafness

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars

()

Read preview

About this ebook

Reading Victorian Deafness is the first book to address the crucial role that deaf people, and their unique language of signs, played in Victorian culture. Drawing on a range of works, from fiction by Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins, to poetry by deaf poets and life writing by deaf memoirists Harriet Martineau and John Kitto, to scientific treatises by Alexander Graham Bell and Francis Galton, Reading Victorian Deafness argues that deaf people’s language use was a public, influential, and contentious issue in Victorian Britain.

The Victorians understood signed languages in multiple, and often contradictory, ways: they were objects of fascination and revulsion, were of scientific import and literary interest, and were considered both a unique mode of human communication and a vestige of a bestial heritage. Over the course of the nineteenth century, deaf people were increasingly stripped of their linguistic and cultural rights by a widespread pedagogical and cultural movement known as “oralism,” comprising mainly hearing educators, physicians, and parents.

Engaging with a group of human beings who used signs instead of speech challenged the Victorian understanding of humans as “the speaking animal” and the widespread understanding of “language” as a product of the voice. It is here that Reading Victorian Deafness offers substantial contributions to the fields of Victorian studies and disability studies. This book expands current scholarly conversations around orality, textuality, and sound while demonstrating how understandings of disability contributed to Victorian constructions of normalcy. Reading Victorian Deafness argues that deaf people were used as material test subjects for the Victorian process of understanding human language and, by extension, the definition of the human.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateApr 15, 2013
ISBN9780821444511
Reading Victorian Deafness
Author

Jennifer Esmail

Jennifer Esmail is a coordinator in the Centre for Community Partnerships at the University of Toronto. She formerly held the positions of assistant professor in the Department of English and Film Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University and postdoctoral fellow in the Department of English at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. She has published research on the representation of deafness and disability in Victorian literature and culture in ELH: English Literary History, Sign Language Studies, Victorian Poetry, and Victorian Review.

Related to Reading Victorian Deafness

Related ebooks

Literary Criticism For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for Reading Victorian Deafness

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings

0 ratings0 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

    Book preview

    Reading Victorian Deafness - Jennifer Esmail

    +Nabook_preview_excerpt.html}ْDZ寤'P@^ $`RCPU\tw>acD_2~|%d23#cݏ{NǏ?ܞËǧqݧyׄP#0W~5}yޅC?Uow7SlG7/G>[Zw _{?VO ma>q :/aOn[P}7V}Y]CWYu͂3V{.Mij:zW^6ҹ>́~Oލ6k59fL?a:Ҋx{w^nF5Ӽw_]%uoꯗ#mܷ@pvXX>C;/}?Оs~=3~ڎ4ǠEdV7޻i h񁗭<.߄VWэg;3_0/S P[O$\}i7~:뫑ք74 xfҜG[#ܷsu$ѹV:My !qsr Wځs ϷyDDdJˤE,tfl'N9x>3A74G?nXj$1Bm&_z yK{W >v GLBoI|;>LǛGՃoon.߸Y)M mqhIMj-n{ʋ4 :zJgED~-nNo+y陽lc2CK~X&oZ64Dv4R#i/nn*t]=Cic8m~ Q,=!"hʛ>z7vN}MFM@FR[{W9ӌܒ!!Ѷꍇ&~ #4>oHJ~EH ΍8̿mկ!i7^V @?/1iGBwN]澭>ud7ojb t`%EMINDID .)on@#L̆LYQCF@1$@|h_@,&zZaTD=~} &xm 3EI<:~۞ fyZD˳89:$9  5߁Ϟ<{!Ǐ̺':!ZCOv 05jMFsn|"Ŷ`dG@YC;A=d˓wCHbe'#bk Ooip> 1&M%]N\ڹo'p=.F/~C1͎V\W5mo]K}-hncpḫ|*Fh㧚xټO~"qEژbSvb j~zƟcD0!@`n*X=kݞOħľ]H@i癵Zd0QwS`#I;M" -5C3T=؇l[OdM{WƛF[?t.]U._5 :nIi"K9җ<g l{&͈$랑>*3|fk,rB}?Dk 'VL4jq!~;I gYOKIz>ÁzoÆ))fyoxsZMqchXͰ$>}CJ[R3&B jzr@)e!mt (`JYF fHܐ>R [ ㆾnrb_>CKnڋH.I8H\Uٮ ~13:vktt/ 90yN,\ɮγ986^8 5|!HU~"Y3  wQihEТF1l.@`xODgR\/)NTfI@e;1EL$h>P/\$zFS[d?7޼2N7CPCDЇN> Ӏ(;| j &",8:z($|r#+ hM‡>k'KpX rs1"M7v9{ Bj5#ku} ^ _]:eondM5b³ͥg);:=LɓC nMB-gT$KJnOGW(n'#[$UN'_`Xm緒akb*#,p7/0+SԎba.?jʡi1lsGҟZjTC1Yr@(qhwێ)kk X$I?Wի9~Ϸz Ȗ5׈$KbF|5u l 03XC7Iس#Z0w" w6fM@~ILa9af/R'@{q.B|X awW~~% M&lj(9֩KmVba5<$Rr)z `mӰ=aq@.zSN) B-|fԝ9Ӊ,k'τ6P;i,f0\S- !OE7}'Ajspr-3#sؓĒMP;NS|" #fm+,?͓="EWO.^ %~ n$Ƕ|t$˔SYtGDoDc@Qᐊǰ[gcLgב̭)|qv ѫ$ClSZ7 Fu1m*H2H{z4zl|ϩn$I]keZC|3Z$՗)b5!M8,15J"ܶǜ 3[9niH{7-x+l"bp;lHihI{0dM &R۸AȠT*2 QLx,hڿ;|POBp8,38`NgR(0=t LL9[)&=X O`U3<%JL4cɏH˗秖 qO!?XxKSEt1M&K BǺa2d[hۅ1w-e! qst,8ʴZhh$ 5%41ζ9~AC!ـ&zr zr m-YV"\+q)f L B6PʔgfOF/=XbYB4T9&}-#~N$e΋D b%1AJ °WL'f;8yxɨWǖ'K$VŞP%̖`Q;c[ߒߨ)o++"vc$Ք9K<pT.֮kCmJ$w@u#"N%|衋i`9~Tz[#1%DamJn%7R/D IK!{ 3Xɤ\toV1(xmOk*yteHTcd)S%pgV0i93}ELZA~I!YV4K&4fZitusp>6)*6khV0c0jDU6,'Φ@4{ , G6j4YPJ_.d 0$gv4@&nd3'AA>bTCHN܁ UQRMD,#;!ĦP!akae:$߄NF,?H")^yyE* ւx0]qzOyz^?[K[/almY2^_3!hn1IBmWUsef&*E{j,z!}95(\>!C\jYE.3cj>c"::_ !(=DEHRop HR*n)[SN.kӲG;Vz&7)S7!Rr8WJxnL%aԩ~`p5 w'"͵q24brE1tYL}ZPub{NLn7[!XI>0LgErD}.(eu7ݼe̚hFOC@(6Ic#+Y1}M8M(PW W : ½ ۾05-& *n,A`,a I-rpԳ obC ~}+9c γvWŜ'I 1+vL^ lY65)~ILYVM<8u5R'ȜQJPm`reZ.~Rr`(* 8FVOI{s +Řo67p΢ɴZ(挊cq^.H ځ\ϣN&.ʬ1I 6&pbT#,]洤p٫kaA:]6 HLࠓQ*apPթHv"} cW5s iPr8o?MIF ECF 4GTKZfy&Tܐ9Egw#E$V5fn] ͅ!!gq8Kܼ9)H~Ȩ!?ۯ ІWP2P!mNZb[jbU0-^kxEҝfbr~a#=I.p~O(H[L6;ASƴU\W"qŠ**3Wʼn2]k~"S.EKrA^ۊ .6I 6jԋJ fK:_-g>-Wq Hy /6ƹAi"_ L# $8Xd~bR!FIlv9fz_ʒ}+\)XFb?H|P\)ptIȗ}d'/.M7f4m,d/ܰhcsFό2',uG<ѬZJ'ڵFrS=Ң5=gOd:~@*PSU##]Aw* 2ع q2n(9r=TfU*Nd:a1&pxSE,Tk;5Ι'44 T۟b'Y3v/ ^ɍ Q8v|s+55c` ؿ,2>]c +sQi5n`}If즜fV3V8 cNK4Y&'0NTY:!\Y"[{z )џ(,̉! OBvF,p }b({cA+*zdlښA 96-6oq¢Y`šm e_j]kPsc 1ryZ* DZ_afwHOb+Epf1P2IKTy5VS ^BZ+?|kؽVҬzN$pV ;hXǝԤMf <8I[pRz_tM,oڗջ)eT4$yd(uJ4Vd\kzhU?WTH=m rGXC=yT$4du۱J~M/W.t lW&bLN{^^IffBwN^<Z)R o(T[^1설o!3/whnSEns5Kzn&gZ䟸h[~y(:YhE__Z S614s1 PoXݪ(#{xΒ銔5MZ8bVPQ*]ڑ;{#Ȧ@;E1`;+V]Jh xEB,!6cFCv֯$;QŶۘ& lDb .E8-ݠ@k~GgVLQui0I5un BANf(EJHxRb1ᑴPWٓ5{51pECKgٰKdA%kS\˧Rb#!l M $>.Gj;ծJq.cOO02xbM5Ixνv?#C[}1rYsF]9pJ^e0A 2Ea_|?;ڂbf_+ jcVɍ^b>epO>~[[x|VHv"5-8-=Ee֫bTݡg.J׾"~Sv/c}֍$DφAi] A+L!0[t&I|B6aH%0 0< '{l?~ Ҳ[ _Y/Y/,#Jj-" ?>єW@ٰRQq2@DH%ML='ib p4爬6o29C8ҭtX62Yg"zD] bPB]nnfAcceXfAY\k#<Zs*5kW*We9GL0v/8Uǔ &B,h#`0\hcJBd(.!醍/adVinwB#\ oS!?Y;5ᴊ"SHFQ^u9vY5_[4z♥,eXRrU@~ C*=WiW"b(1wlJy^U\{R*&T[,9:33F+@,n>q& P2*cT"I#MQ[.=dgCe24 M*)J$@{ M3=8x<3A 7_bD6q""Y ,"PJ"CQ =)"D&s!5WaU<`C)[sTu޳S*Y$F!lnNG]$ghDEY 2A!]_-&u71'oy7z`x@vF \ϾNqZ_qXYJq5[Ȗ"^/+m0|簢Yò{Zg48W]9n|J쪨ۈZ; d뛧ʼnEA!]~&$LPR^\ \Xsڧˎ)ӛ'bsѴt( BͺEZ,@4hht(MV$gI+ilNp(H+GI)q5*+5`쯗;$m@dn2b߬l},Mu~\ēu$\)Z a"GV_nEVTJf]4CpxM.Y% L;9Lv+)vJr/XE "ehi"7(3Md7ű Ϛ@ 9<!zg0㫴#ls 7зԸYdYŔI72V'VZ[d]) VKh-dF{ezJ4 3ߐ⣓y^m4;oIx^@;; $nY\mp-u&1}{¤J,i\W_\nH[fw:kPx0]`Q'~~]ƍ5\[4lZJէ0c^~g+-(e*>&c1\7VA$ _"'οZdw yZ>RU G @ݏf˨ ~Mw'% M˲ZPp9SGgr5xvvb%[fyKDuH8o!&pųSdmJm]B){vWpsGMRYZUI F))rH(DgXM7`B&ކ\ DjQX~-VG%0e6ySEhe?QQKzWƛ&LtM m[ypOc(tɠ3e2XFe'dj50xMw!ʾlW# ֵ+U2,Wz*vPS"d`.xK ]#7۲H!2˗=Kb?.1~t;e!;"~NL|!whtdMd?2`KRiS&6-Ix'vlJRqѰx)9Ǔ{MiĢ׶>yx-i9W "֠\Uey/t ^.]-34GGԕAtMepP^zW5jW7 'mSkE!])g1QWl,h7K~;uh'D.;sz3LƊ܄b!X6hZvr@8$9?0ZgŮU_؝PI8Ds9aLlTwٞ5Ԍ/%v(LԚ4ƜT[H,[eW%=ƉNIhFQ|~4VWk V)r$?T NJ 4Eni9h:m=D]4ewyJ L.gTkmҫw<<xbwKte1Z~M k8&_$bhzC8FN,rݼ#ZmL)'\{`b{,K:yЪk}-ʬf9ʘWE@NV y+4e658_b"%6e՘M&µyNӺŠ(_~`LJ{\!~j]+ϝ({+mgNJfjz)m=T֟m|9kDde-ߒ:G/H fOduc,(.1)}vKXhͽkylqmL?rxM6>5ƭ$<źb_p."|xȮ \OTiL̍GA4$ȫ(訣ф+T luj"boŌ |͝` nJaBD0 i{lX= r]b!&B'){1@'"׃I ,$pu \\YZYMd5?VLJPhX/,q)5-{MՕLU;wű~:] rЉ2+ k1Ul(zo,y֧Q ʿ?\|ҪٲW;ڰV@ٯ @FRh{Ms }c]٩vQo[0%_ƶgА׺끉5^Wa"{F1gd5.>/{7q ooV$nW`&z~^4tHg]:g.lأ7nQxۑefRW d!>JA5jˑ5=p(l(
    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1