Trauma Narratives and Herstory

Abstract

In Trauma Narratives and Herstory, Sonya Andermahr and Silvia Pellicer-Ortín bring together a collection of essays that aims to provide “a female perspective on the most traumatic events of recent history” (9). The application of trauma theory to literary texts is not new, and the contributors inevitably draw on the influential work of those such as Cathy Caruth, Anne Whitehead, and Roger Luckhurst. It is, however, in the choice of texts considered that they provide a fresh perspective on the gender-specific aspects of trauma. Unsurprisingly, many of the traumas addressed here are closely associated with women’s experiences, such as miscarriage, rape, and sexual assault, but some contributors also explore events that might at first seem non-gender specific, such as slavery, diaspora, and religious persecution. Addressing a diverse range of literary texts, the study covers the work of internationally prominent writers such as Alice Walker and Toni Morrison, alongside less widely discussed authors, including Eva Figes and Cristina García, as well as filmmakers Keisuke Kinoshita and Jang Soen-u. Taking a multidisciplinary approach, the contributors analyze a range of genres, including fictional texts, autobiography, graphic novels, and film, to explore the narrative strategies and techniques that women artists use to express and work through traumatic experiences.