Not silent, invisible: Literature's chance encounters with deaf heroes and heroines

Abstract

LITERATURE is both a rich resource and a blunt instrument in conveying the complexities of identity, in particular, the elusive deaf identity. The rarity of the fully realized deaf person in memoir and fiction shapes the way readers regard deaf people and throws up fresh challenges in redesigning stories of deafness free of the taint of triumphalism or complaint. Competing but authentic representations of deafness and deaf people's experiences allow readers to variously witness, immerse themselves in, and navigate their way through those experiences. Consequently, establishing universal truths about deaf lives is a risky business and an improbable goal.