Deaf American Prose, 1830–1930

Following Volume 1, 1980–2010, this anthology contains a selection of fiction and nonfiction written during a pivotal era in the education and lives of deaf people living in America. Editors Nelson and Harmon (both, English, Gallaudet Univ.) have scoured the literature of a period of 100 years in search of works published by deaf American authors in order to showcase how individual lives intersected with deaf history or reflected the typical deaf experience. The texts—mostly excerpts from larger pieces—include autobiographies, travelogs, romances, short stories, editorials, etc. Their loose chronological arrangement will help the reader understand how topics of political, societal, and educational conversation among the nonhearing changed throughout this period, which starts just after the birth of deaf education in the United States (1817) and runs through the era (beginning in 1908) when heated debates in both deaf and mainstream society surrounding the merits of oralism (lipreading) vs. signing were in full swing.