Twain's Work Included in Course on Deafness in Literature

"I am filled with the wonder of her knowledge, acquired because shut out from all distractions. If I could have been deaf, dumb and blind, I also might have arrived at something."

--Twain on Helen Keller

The works of Mark Twain have been included as part of a course this summer at the University of Virginia called "Deafness in Literature and Film", according to Media-Newswire. The course takes a look at the treatment of the deaf in some major movies and major books of the 19th and 20th centuries. The course also includes works by deaf authors, some performed on film in sign language. The instructor, Christopher Krentz, is director of the University's American Sign Language program.

Later in his life, Twain became fascinated with the young Helen Keller, whom he greatly admired. While residing in Connecticut, he also lived a mile away from a school for the deaf in the town of Hartbrook.