Defying the stereotypical representations of blindness that associate it with a personal tragedy, with darkness and colourlessness, the literary works of blind writers like Jacques Lusseyran (1924–1971), John Martin Hull (1935–2015) and Georgina Kleege (1956–), and even some of the writings of Helen Keller (1880–1968), who has become a myth, surprise us with their colourful and varied aspects, as well as their subversive potential in many ways. In these works that resist and oppose the commonly widespread discourses and views of sighted people on blindness, the authors resort to narratological, rhetorical and lexical means, ultimately revealing that the conventional representation of infirmity is itself frail. In doing so, they do not only contribute to a change of perspective about blindness and the ways to depict it; by re-appropriating language for themselves through their discursive practice, they also give blindness a deeper meaning and artistic power. When described in its fullness, blindness frequently turns out to be a spur to the aestheticisation of reality.
Über die Autorin: Céline Roussel, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Editorial Review
Rechte: CC-BY 4.0
Empfohlene Zitierweise: Céline Roussel: “Was wäre Blindheit ohne das Wort des Blinden? Subversives Potential der Selbstdarstellung und künstlerische Kraft des Sehverlusts in der Autobiographie”, in: Kunst und Gebrechen, hg. v. Hildegard Fraueneder, Manfred Kern und Nora Grundtner, Wien: Sonderzahl 2024 (Figurationen des Übergangs 1), S. 223-249, DOI: 10.25598/transitionen-2024-i_8, <https://transition.hypotheses.org/4800>