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Age Is Unnecessary

Age Is Unnecessary The postmodern process that acknowledges ambiguity and established bias requires the critical perspectives of Disability and Age Studies. When exploring portrayals of age in canonical literature, few characters figure as prominently as Shakespeare's King Lear. The image of the aged monarch in this renowned drama has reinforced stereotypical associations of old age, decline, and senility that reflect critical prejudice more than conclusive textual interpretation. This article argues that King Lear challenges ageist conceptions both by obfuscating boundaries of natural and social constructions of reality and by representing an unstable life trajectory that incorporates a breadth of behaviors that do not correspond to a particular age. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Aging and Identity Springer Journals

Age Is Unnecessary

Truchan-Tataryn, Maria
Journal of Aging and Identity , Volume 6 (1) – Oct 21, 2004
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11 pages

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Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright © 2001 by Human Sciences Press, Inc.
Subject
Social Sciences; Sociology, general
ISSN
1087-3732
eISSN
1573-3491
DOI
10.1023/A:1009572528350
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The postmodern process that acknowledges ambiguity and established bias requires the critical perspectives of Disability and Age Studies. When exploring portrayals of age in canonical literature, few characters figure as prominently as Shakespeare's King Lear. The image of the aged monarch in this renowned drama has reinforced stereotypical associations of old age, decline, and senility that reflect critical prejudice more than conclusive textual interpretation. This article argues that King Lear challenges ageist conceptions both by obfuscating boundaries of natural and social constructions of reality and by representing an unstable life trajectory that incorporates a breadth of behaviors that do not correspond to a particular age.

Journal

Journal of Aging and Identity – Springer Journals

Published: Oct 21, 2004

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