Imagining Autism

Sonya Freeman Loftis is Assistant Professor of English at Morehouse College, where she specializes in Shakespeare and disability studies. Her work has appeared in Disability Studies Quarterly, Shakespeare Bulletin, SHAW: The Annual of Bernard Shaw Studies, and South Atlantic Review.

• Introduction1. The Autistic Detective: Sherlock Holmes and his Legacy2. The Autistic Savant: Pygmalion, Saint Joan, and the Neurodiversity Movement3. The Autistic Victim: Of Mice and Men and Flowers for Algernon4. The Autistic Gothic: To Kill a Mockingbird, The Glass Menagerie, and The Sound and the Fury 5. The Autistic Child Narrator: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time6. The Autistic Label: Diagnosing (and Un-Diagnosing) the Girl with the Dragon TattooAfterwordNotesIndex

Loftis's book does an excellent job of bringing together a range of literary examples and thematizing them as representations of autism. In doing so, and combining this with a very detailed analysis of the works in question, this book contributes a great deal to both disability studies and literary criticism.(Journal of Literary & Cultural Disability Studies) In examining the concerns and misconceptions that drive depictions of people with ASD, Loftis sheds light on the representations that can lead to discrimination against those who have related conditions.(Library Journal) It is to be hoped that this engrossing book will encourage discussion and further work about fictional characters portrayed as autistic, even if not labeled as such. It is a book that will be of value to everyone interested in neurodiversity and the dangers of stereotyping. Itshould also appeal to any one who wants a different perspective on a favorite character. It is highly recommended reading.(H-Disability) Very useful for those interested in disability studies, cultural studies, and literature. . . . Recommended.(Choice) An important and necessary early step in bringing the study of autism into the field of literary studies.(Disability Studies Quarterly) A groundbreaking examination of autism.(Disability & Society)