Barnaby Ridge, 'idiocy' and paternalism : assisting the 'poor idiot'

By: McDonagh, Patrick.
Series: Disability & Society 21 (5) 2006: 411-423.Publisher: 2006Content type: text Media type: unmediated Carrier type: volume Subject(s): FICTION | HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES | HISTORY | INSTITUTIONALISATION | LANGUAGE OF DISABILITYSummary: Notes that histories of the idea of 'intellectual disability' and its genealogically related concepts such as 'idiocy' rarely consider cultural representations as historical evidence. Argues that Charles Dickens' novel Barnaby Rudge, with its 'idiot' protagonist, uses the image to engage with Chartism and debates over paternalism in the early Victorian period; there is a clear connection between the association of Barnaby with the mob, debates in the 1830s and 1840s over state participation in traditional paternalist structures and the development of 'idiot' asylums in the late 1840s and 1850s.
Tags from this library: No tags from this library for this title. Log in to add tags.
Star ratings
    Average rating: 0.0 (0 votes)
Holdings
Item type Current library Call number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Article Research IHC Library Article (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Available (Article available on request) 21461
Total holds: 0

Notes that histories of the idea of 'intellectual disability' and its genealogically related concepts such as 'idiocy' rarely consider cultural representations as historical evidence. Argues that Charles Dickens' novel Barnaby Rudge, with its 'idiot' protagonist, uses the image to engage with Chartism and debates over paternalism in the early Victorian period; there is a clear connection between the association of Barnaby with the mob, debates in the 1830s and 1840s over state participation in traditional paternalist structures and the development of 'idiot' asylums in the late 1840s and 1850s.

There are no comments on this title.

to post a comment.

Powered by Koha