Writing Chronic Illness in Short Fiction: An Exploration in Practice and Reflection
In this creative/critical article, the author draws on her recent creative writing practice research to propose that the short story is a particularly appropriate form for conveying experiences of chronic illness, and to consider what kind of change, revelation or epiphany might be possible in such...
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| Publicat a: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/jsse, |
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| Autor principal: | |
| Format: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Idioma: | Anglais |
| Publicat: |
Journal of the Short Story in English
2023
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| Accés en línia: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Sumari: | In this creative/critical article, the author draws on her recent creative writing practice research to propose that the short story is a particularly appropriate form for conveying experiences of chronic illness, and to consider what kind of change, revelation or epiphany might be possible in such stories. The state of chronic illness—characterised by perpetual uncertainty and cycles of recovery and relapse—often defies conventions of causality, progression and closure to be found in long-form illness narratives. By contrast, a series of positive characteristics resulting from its brevity mean the short story is equipped to reflect the uncertainties and absence of narrative associated with such experiences. The author pursues her argument with reference to and extracts from her short story “Chronic,” which depicts the relationship between an A. I. assistant and a chronically ill protagonist, and explores what it might mean to be “fixed.” |
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