Abstract
French literature is fascinated with visions of blindness. Blindness is a mysterious phenomenon. It arouses curiosity and invites discussion. It is also a multi-layered and multi-faceted collection of narratives. Writers are drawn to blindness precisely because blindness itself is a collection of stories. The stereotypes, clichés and misconceptions which constitute what most non-blind people describe as “blindness”, are a “metanarrative” which permeates literature. This study will focus primarily on depictions which question, undermine or deconstruct the prevailing myths of blindness. We will look again at – or re-view – a selection of the most interesting, surprising and moving depictions of blindness in French fiction. We will see that writing about blindness differently is no easy matter. We will let the fictional blind people we encounter tell their own stories. And we will be forced by what we hear to reconfigure our own visions of blindness.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsAuthor information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Copyright information
© 2017 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Thompson, H. (2017). Introduction. In: Reviewing Blindness in French Fiction, 1789–2013. Literary Disability Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-43511-8_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-43511-8_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-137-43510-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-43511-8
eBook Packages: Literature, Cultural and Media StudiesLiterature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)