Summary

Early modern neurodiversity studies is an emerging field that considers the literature and culture of the Renaissance (c. 1500–1700) through the lens of neurodiversity: the fact that human minds naturally vary in their cognitive, emotional, and sensory functioning. Emerging from the context of early modern disability studies, this scholarship primarily interrogates forms of early modern neurodivergence, or less common neurological styles that diverge from what the culture typically assumes to be the norm. Research in this field addresses literary neurodiversity in a variety of ways, such as identifying fictional and historical individuals who may be viewed in terms of neurodivergence, considering literary elements such as genre and style in terms of neurodivergence, and examining how early modern literature is engaged by modern students, scholars, and other audiences who identify as neurodivergent. The analysis of neurodiversity and neurodivergence is one of the most exciting new areas of inquiry in early modern studies, and it promises to radically reshape how we think about Renaissance literature and culture.