American Sign Language literature

American Sign Language literature (ASL literature) is one of the most important shared cultural experiences in the American deaf community. Literary genres initially developed in residential Deaf institutes, such as American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut,^[1] which is where American Sign Language developed as a language in the early 19th century.^[2] There are many genres of ASL literature, such as narratives of personal experience, poetry, cinematographic stories, folktales, translated works, original fiction and stories with handshape constraints.^[1] Authors of ASL literature use their body as the text of their work, which is visually read and comprehended by their audience viewers.^[3] In the early development of ASL literary genres, the works were generally not analyzed as written texts are, but the increased dissemination of ASL literature on video has led to greater analysis of these genres.^[4]

Many cultural communities develop their own folk traditions, and the Deaf community is no exception. Such traditions help to solidify the cultural identity of the group, and help educate each subsequent generation of the community's shared cultural values.^[5]: 88 Susan Rutherford notes that these types of shared stories are especially important to minority communities who have faced oppression from the majority culture, as the Deaf community has. Through folklore and other forms of storytelling, the Deaf community is able to both establish and affirm its cultural identity so its members are able to develop their sense of self.^[5]: 114 ASL literature often emphasizes experiences common to the Deaf community, both in regard to their Deaf identity and to their status as a minority group.^[4]