Hi guys! I am currently writing a dissertation on autism in literature and wondered if anyone had read any adult books with concealed autistic representation or autistic masking? Thanks so much in advance!
Hi guys! I am currently writing a dissertation on autism in literature and wondered if anyone had read any adult books with concealed autistic representation or autistic masking? Thanks so much in advance!
Mina from Dracula certainly isn't portrayed as mad, but she does come across as autistic to me- she seems to have special interests relating to trains and technology, she's very loyal, and she apparently only has one friend. I might be projecting quite a bit because I love that novel and she's one of my favourite characters, but in my opinion there's enough textual evidence to back up a reading of Mina as an autistic woman.
You are very welcome!
Thank you so much for your help
Hi
The autistic author called Holly Smale has written a series of books called ‘Geek Girl’ which she now thinks reflects her experiences as a late identified masked autistic woman.
I hope this helps you with your dissertation! Good luck!
Not a woman, but Silas Marner in the book of the same name, by George Eliot, strikes me as somewhat. autistic. Perhaps the woman the main character in Charlotte Bronte's 'The Professor' marries seems a little autistic. More modern novels, the main character in the Japanese novel 'Convenience Store Woman', who, if memory serves, takes on a male lodger to deflect all the social pressures to get a boyfriend, which is some heavy lifting masking-wise. Of course Lisbeth Salander in Stieg Larsson's books.
Thank you for your reply. Yes, I mean ‘characters showing unacknowledged autistic traits.’
In terms of adult, I specifically mean adult classic texts (i.e. not children’s books). I am particularly looking for female characters who are portrayed as being ‘mad’ but are likely autistic.