Literature and Intellectual Disability in Early Modern England: Folly, Law and Medicine, 1500-1640

Fools and clowns were popular characters in early modern drama, prose texts, and poems, often used as laughter makers or ludicrous metaphorical embodiments of human failures. Literature and Intellectual Disability in Early Modern England: Folly, Law and Medicine, 1500–1640 explores the intellectual difference of fools, their non-standard psychology or behavior, and how real people with intellectual disabilities influenced the representation and subjectivity of literary fools. It investigates the connections between these characters and Renaissance legal and medical knowledge, considering intellectual disability as a variation in the person and a difference that society and the individual construct or respond to.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 254 pages
Publication date: 31 May 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Fools and clowns were ubiquitous figures in early modern drama, prose texts, and poems, primarily serving the purpose of eliciting laughter or serving as absurd metaphorical representations of human shortcomings. In the realm of literature and intellectual disability in early modern England, Alice Equestri delves into the profound intellectual disparities of fools, exploring not only their theatrical performances but also the intricate implications of their perceived 'irrationality' in terms of non-standard psychology or behavior and how it is perceived by others. Through a contextualized examination of the meaning of folly in literature as a disability, the study seeks to unravel the complexities of how real individuals with intellectual disabilities during the Renaissance period influenced the representation and subjectivity of literary fools.

Alice Equestri addresses these critical questions by examining the extensive interconnectedness between the characters and Renaissance legal and medical knowledge, as documented in legal records, dictionaries, handbooks, and medical texts. Furthermore, by establishing a dialogue between early modern folly and the burgeoning fields of disability studies and disability theory, the study explores multiple perspectives on the historical experience of disability, including intellectual disability as a variation within individuals and as a difference that is both constructed by society and responded to by individuals.

The characterisation of early modern literary fools thus emerges as a multifaceted phenomenon, influenced by both realistic and symbolical or rhetorical representations of intellectual disability. This study sheds light on the complex interplay between literature, intellectual disability, and societal perceptions, contributing to a deeper understanding of the role of fools and clowns in early modern culture and their significance in exploring the human condition.

Weight: 485g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032054667