"Disability and Gender in Wartime: Mary Darby Robinson’s The Natural Daughter, a case study"

This essay focuses on Robinson’s last novel, The Natural Daughter, published in 1799 and set in England and France during the French Revolutionary Wars. Through a close reading of selected excerpts, an in-depth examination of the text will be carried out to retrace Robinson’s stance on war and her interpretation of war repercussions on marginalised subjects, such as the poor, women and disabled people. Interestingly and ahead of her time, her novel features an intersectional perspective that considers gender, social class and disability, presenting a reality where politics and war do not equally impact all citizens. Starting from Robinson’s proto-feminist standpoint, the analysis will closely investigate three main interrelated arguments: the social inequalities generated by conflicts, the disabling and deforming powers of war, and the reconstruction of a microhistory (and a microherstory) of warfare. This latter theme will be essential to outline in Robinson’s text an innovative and inclusive narrative that enables outcasts and silenced subjects to reclaim their agency and position as protagonists of history.