Whose uncertainty? Addressing the intersectional reader through the wound of trauma

Abstract

Abstract Few measures are more emblematic of the desire to curb uncertainty than trigger warnings issued in the literary classroom. But do they establish more certainty? A growing body of empirical research is showing that trigger warnings are “functionally inert.” Furthermore, in some studies they have been shown to increase PTSD symptoms. Against this background, this paper takes the rise in demand for trigger warnings as a window into Gen Z reader’s relationship to uncertainty and directs attention to the problem that trigger warnings aim to mitigate but are failing to alleviate – an “epidemic of trauma” in the classroom, as identified by the US National Council of State Education Association (NCSEA). Illuminating trauma as a neglected issue in narrative studies, this paper takes an intersectionally situated perspective to reappraise general propositions about the Reader in order to move towards a trauma-informed approach to teaching narrative in the classroom.