Sunday, March 20, 2011

Ten of the best cases of blindness in literature

At the Guardian, John Mullan named ten of the best cases of blindness in literature.

One title on the list:
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Jim Hawkins sees a strangely threatening figure approach the Admiral Benbow inn. "He was plainly blind, for he tapped before him with a stick and wore a great green shade over his eyes and nose". It is Blind Pew, bringing a message to Billy Bones that will make him die of an apoplexy. No one will forget the tap-tap of Pew's stick.
Read about the other entries on the list.

Treasure Island also appears on Mullan's list of ten of the best pirates in fiction, and among Philip Pullman's six best books and Eoin Colfer's six favorite books.

--Marshal Zeringue