A Neurodiverse Perspective of the Eighteenth Century

Abstract

From a disability studies perspective, the article seeks to contextualize the attainment of cultural and social capital within the Enlightenment. This work situates itself as part of the disability studies scholarship on cognitive impairment and neurological differences in the eighteenth century that has emerged in the last two decades as well as within the growing field of academic studies of autism and the humanities. Building on this recent work, the article analyzes Charlotte Lennox’s representation of Arabella’s atypical sociability in The Female Quixote (1752) alongside the court case of Hugh Blair of Borgue (1708–1760s), who was deemed an “idiot” within the discourse of the eighteenth century. In doing so, the article examines the emerging rhetoric of what we now term neurotypical privilege and its intersection with gender and social position. The conclusion is that while Hugh’s and Arabella’s perceived shortage of cultural capital affects their “value” on the market, their unconventional social skills can be interpreted as subversive.