Chthonic writing and counter-narratives of embodied femininity in Sue Rainsford’s Follow Me to Ground (2019)
This paper focuses on Irish writer Sue Rainsford’s debut novel, Follow Me to Ground (2019), often labelled as a magic realist fairytale of maturing and self-fulfilment. The plot is centred around two outcasts, Ada and her father, who live on the borders of The Ground and are only tolerated by the po...
Tallennettuna:
| Julkaisussa: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/erea, |
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| Päätekijä: | |
| Aineistotyyppi: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Kieli: | Anglais |
| Julkaistu: |
E-rea
2025
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| Aiheet: | |
| Linkit: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Yhteenveto: | This paper focuses on Irish writer Sue Rainsford’s debut novel, Follow Me to Ground (2019), often labelled as a magic realist fairytale of maturing and self-fulfilment. The plot is centred around two outcasts, Ada and her father, who live on the borders of The Ground and are only tolerated by the population because of their healing capacities. One day, Ada starts a romantic and sexual relationship with one of her “Cures” and begins to question her place in her father’s world.In a wider context of post-Celtic Tiger anxiety of collapse and fight for women’s bodily rights in Ireland, the novel offers to challenge power dynamics on several levels. First, the reader embarks on a feminist tale of empowerment whereby the female experience is extricated from the bigotry which customarily underpins its language. Then, Follow Me to Ground operates a decentralisation from the Anthropocene which surprisingly transcends ecofeminist approaches. Finally, reading Follow Me to Ground brings to light a chthonian approach to writing itself, whereby Rainsford celebrates the plasticity of language as an empowering force. |
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