Zatvoreni prostori nacije, roda i depresije u romanu Janice Galloway The Trick is to Keep Breathing

Abstract

The eruption of discourses of devolution and independence in Scotland since the late 1970s has called for an equally passionate discussion and mapping of the Scottish novel as a vibrant representation of an emerging nation. However, when applied uniformly, this approach results in a rather homogeneous concept of Scottishness, thus clearly denying the possibility of individual literary voices. The last section of the paper discusses Galloway’s views on national identity and her own writing. Looking at her interviews and articles over a longer period, we witness a process of self-fashioning and a genuine search for her own identity in the midst of the clichés of Scottishness, the forced dichotomies of Anglo-Scottish incompatibility, condescending and oversimplifying readings of her fiction, as well as her deep commitment to exploring the lives of women. All of these are powerfully silenced by Galloway’s authentic voice as she refuses the labels of nationalism and feminism, considering them equally limiting. Looking towards the diversity of European cultural influences rather than looking forever inwards in search of an imagined national past and imagined community, she embodies a new, open and ever-changing Scottishness. Most importantly, she does not lose her way in the ethereal heights of the national question and literature. That is why she invokes both the necessity and scarcity of love in our lives, while subtly reminding us to keep breathing, and maybe even consider learning to swim.