Couser, G. Thomas "Disability, Life Narrative, and Representation." PMLA 120.2 (2005): 602-06. JSTOR.

Web. 20 Feb. 2014. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/25486192>.

Cousers article discusses the topic of disability, representation, life narrative, and how all three
interweave concerning disability. Couser begins his article by first stating that the disabled population of
the United Stated constitutes the largest of the minority groups. He also gives a brief history of
disability, how it has been oppressed for the majority of its history, with the 1980s and 1990s being the
time where human rights concerning disability have been strongest.
The author states that, as a part of literature, disability was historically depicted as evil or
villainous. Couser also points out that disabled persons have not been in control of their own
representation until recently, having historically been hyperrepresented or put on display, rather than
underrepresented. He ends the article by stating that by writing autobiographical narratives, disabled
persons control their representation to others, and gradually expose their public image to the rest of
society. Couser uses a research method of approach, as the bulk of the article is historical paraphrases,
but he does quote the sources as proof of evidence. The article is presented as a part of disability
studies.
The article discusses more of the historical aspect of disability rather than the literature. What is
discussed concerning disability narrative is portrayed through the human rights movement, and
historically, as, according to the author, narratives by disabled persons were not common until after
World War II. In spite of this, the topic is clear, as the article discusses how disability narratives have
gone from virtually non-existent to having a sizeable pool of representation in a short amount of time.
The pattern and organization of the article were easy to follow; the train of thought Couser used made
sense and his transitions were smooth. Couser cited his sources correctly in text, using MLA in text
citation correctly for a direct quote and using footnotes for paraphrases. Sources were cited effectively
as they were easy to find.
Originally, I did not agree with what Couser called hyperrepresentation of the disabled, as that
has not been my personal experience as a disabled person or of those of that minority in general.
However, upon reflection of that statement, I realized that there is truth in that and that it is indeed a
representation, albeit an unfortunate one, that has been in use throughout history. The particular
information listed of the stereotypical representation of disabled persons in literature has caused me to
search other texts either to confirm this, or to see how it has changed depending on when the text was
published so I can see the differences in representation.
As far as my assumptions of the author goes, I assume he is a non-disabled person who is in the
field of Disability Studies giving his account from the outside based on the knowledge he has learned in
writing the article. No personal experience is notable in this case; therefore, the point of view is from
the outside looking in. The fact that Couser had picked up on how disabled persons have been
represented in history and literature is a help to me, as it gives me a springboard, namely, a position
that is opposite to what I had originally intended to speak on (this is how it will help my thesis). I am
going to use this as a source in my thesis as it is from a slight opposing view and gives basic insight into
disability representation through literature. The article did have useful bibliographical material, although
it was in the format of statistics, which are helpful, but not interesting to my thesis now.