Even at this moment in time, at the beginning of the 21st century, the concept of “disability” is regarded as a taboo, as something to be feared and avoided. People that are not directly affected by it pretend it does not concern them. What the vast majority of our society does not realize is that disability can potentially impact everyone. Rejecting it means erasing the years of fights of the disability community for civil rights and the struggles of its members to claim their identity. Moreover, this minority has influenced popular culture more often than people conceive. From literature to films and television, representations of disabled people have been used for generations. It is thought-provoking not only to analyze how stereotypical images have frequently contributed to spreading the misconceptions about this group but also how they have recently been employed to challenge these assumptions. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that depictions of disability have been so frequent that even a rare condition such as Osteogenesis Imperfecta is present in a niche genre like young adult romance novels.
Ancora oggi, agli inizi del ventunesimo secolo, il concetto di “disabilità” è visto come un tabù, come qualcosa di cui avere paura e da evitare. Le persone che non ne sono direttamente interessante fingono che non le riguardi. Ciò che la maggior parte della nostra società non comprende, è che la disabilità può potenzialmente concernere chiunque. Rinnegarla significa cancellare gli anni di lotte delle persone disabili per i diritti civili e gli sforzi dei singoli per affermare la propria identità. Inoltre, questa minoranza ha influenzato la cultura di massa più frequentemente di ciò che la gente realizzi. Dalla letteratura ai film e alla televisione, le rappresentazioni delle persone con disabilità sono state impiegate per generazioni. È interessante non solo analizzare come immagini stereotipate abbiano spesso contribuito alla diffusione di luoghi comuni riguardo a questo gruppo, ma anche come sono state recentemente utilizzate per capovolgere queste congetture. Oltretutto, è degno di nota che ci si sia serviti così ripetutamente di rappresentazioni della disabilità al punto che anche una condizione rara come l’Osteogenesi Imperfetta sia presente in un genere di nicchia come i romanzi romantici per giovani adulti.
Physical Disability in Literature: Osteogenesis Imperfecta Representations in Young Adult Romance Novels
DECANDIA, ANNA
2021/2022
Abstract
Even at this moment in time, at the beginning of the 21st century, the concept of “disability” is regarded as a taboo, as something to be feared and avoided. People that are not directly affected by it pretend it does not concern them. What the vast majority of our society does not realize is that disability can potentially impact everyone. Rejecting it means erasing the years of fights of the disability community for civil rights and the struggles of its members to claim their identity. Moreover, this minority has influenced popular culture more often than people conceive. From literature to films and television, representations of disabled people have been used for generations. It is thought-provoking not only to analyze how stereotypical images have frequently contributed to spreading the misconceptions about this group but also how they have recently been employed to challenge these assumptions. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that depictions of disability have been so frequent that even a rare condition such as Osteogenesis Imperfecta is present in a niche genre like young adult romance novels.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12608/35962