Images of Disability in 19th Century British Children's Literature

ABSTRACT

The authors report on their investigation of some types of nineteenth century British children's periodical literature as a source of information regarding the social perception of disability of that time. A survey of the material in the Osborne Collection of early children's literature in the Toronto Public library suggests that the prevailing conception of disability of the time was of a fixed, divinely ordained state of being, viewed as having a global influence on the life of the disabled person. The disabled person was regarded as set apart from the rest of society by his or her disability.