Event description
Title "Rewriting the Corporeal Other": Examining Contemporary Portrayals of Disability.
Speaker: Heather Lacey, MRes Graduate, University of Hull.
Abstract:
When they can be found, literary portrayals of disability are often used simply as a plot device, or as a means to include a ‘tragedy narrative’ within fiction. Disability in literature tends to be stereotyped, and these stereotypes are neither flattering nor ‘authentic’ as assessed by those with disabilities themselves. As the discipline of disability studies becomes more widely-regarded and studied, more attention has been paid to the representation of people with impairments and disabilities in various forms of media. Those in the Disability Rights’ movement have called for a rewriting of the disabled character that presents disability in a true-to-life - and arguably more ‘valid’ - way.
This session will aim to showcase several literary portrayals of disability, that – though largely unacknowledged - fulfil this remit, setting a precedent for future literary depictions of the disabled experience. The characters I will be discussing have a variety of disabilities, including physical impairments, chronic pain, and mental illness. This session will also aim to uncover my own personal motivations for undertaking the research, and will draw upon my own experiences of both disability and literary study. In presenting an aspect of my research, I hope to reiterate the contemporary relevance of literary study by showcasing it alongside current sociological thinking, thus proving its potential to further both liberatory and emancipatory movements not only nationally, but globally.
Link to Heather's profiles:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-lacey-a6b44354/?trk=public-profile-join-page
Cost: Free Admission – All welcome but booking is required in order to guarantee a place and to enable us to ensure we have an adequately sized room booked for the session.
Enquiries: Jackie McAndrew - Monday to Weds - OpenCampus work days.
Email: opencampus@hull.ac.uk
Telephone: 01482 466585
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The OpenCampus Programme is the University of Hull's open access adult lifelong learning education programme. You can attend one session or all the sessions in a series. Sessions are informal and friendly and are not traditional public lectures. We do not charge for admission to sessions so we utilise the University's normal teaching spaces when they are not required for student teaching (lecture theatres and seminar rooms). We try to provide access to one of the University Cafes as part of the experience, but cannot guarantee this. We try to time sessions to meet the needs of the majority of our learners. We like to accommodate the needs of all attendees (seen and unseen needs) by having a comfort break at each session. We may offer specialist one off sessions for which we may make a charge.
We may also share other events at the University that may be of interest to our typical OpenCampus learners.