Temporalities in Nasim Marie Jafry’s The State of Me
Nasim Marie Jafry’s The State of Me (2008) is an artistic portrayal of a young woman’s—Helen’s—experience of living with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) in late-twentieth-century Scotland. This article examines depictions of temporality in the novel, analysing how unexpected ill health impacts on Hel...
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| Pubblicato in: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/etudesecossaises, |
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| Autore principale: | |
| Natura: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Lingua: | Anglais |
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Études écossaises
2024
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| Soggetti: | |
| Accesso online: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Riassunto: | Nasim Marie Jafry’s The State of Me (2008) is an artistic portrayal of a young woman’s—Helen’s—experience of living with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) in late-twentieth-century Scotland. This article examines depictions of temporality in the novel, analysing how unexpected ill health impacts on Helen’s perceptions of her past, present, and future, and her overall life trajectory. It is argued that illness disrupts the anticipated chronology of Helen’s life, both in terms of day-to-day rhythms, and long‑term goals and expectations she had constructed pre‑illness. This causes her to become desynchronized from her past self and her peers, resulting in her feeling stuck in the present. To move forward into the future, Helen must reformulate how she views herself in relation to her illness and accept that ME will continue to influence the shape of her life and her identity. |
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