Table Of Content

ETHICS AND AFFECTS IN THE FICTION OF ALICE MUNRO Edited by Amelia DeFalco & Lorraine York PALGRAVE STUDIES IN AFFECT THEORY AND LITERARY CRITICISM Palgrave Studies in Affect Theory and Literary Criticism Series Editors Adam Frank University of British Columbia Vancouver, BC, Canada Joel Faflak Western University London, ON, Canada The recent surge of interest in affect and emotion has productively crossed disciplinary boundaries within and between the humanities, social sciences, and sciences, but has not often addressed questions of literature and literary criticism as such. The first of its kind, Palgrave Studies in Affect Theory and Literary Criticism seeks theoretically informed scholarship that examines the foundations and practice of literary criticism in relation to affect theory. This series aims to stage contemporary debates in the field, addressing topics such as: the role of affective experience in literary composition and reception, particularly in non-Western literatures; examinations of historical and conceptual rela- tions between major and minor philosophies of emotion and literary experience; and studies of race, class, gender, sexuality, age, and disability that use affect theory as a primary critical tool. More information about this series at http://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/14653 Amelia DeFalco · Lorraine York Editors Ethics and Affects in the Fiction of Alice Munro Editors Amelia DeFalco Lorraine York University of Leeds McMaster University Leeds, UK Hamilton, ON, Canada Palgrave Studies in Affect Theory and Literary Criticism ISBN 978-3-319-90643-0 ISBN 978-3-319-90644-7 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90644-7 Library of Congress Control Number: 2018940744 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover credit: Vizerskaya/Getty This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland P E a raise for thics and ffEcts in thE f a M iction of licE unro “Shame, guilt, envy, disgust and other negative affects recur in the stories of Alice Munro, who explores insoluble moral dilemmas with deep compassion. In this groundbreaking collection, ten scholars respond with an answering compassion, paying close attention to those conflicts that relate to embodied female subjectivity. Focusing on a range of topics, from breastfeeding to murder, these essays shed new light on ancient human questions.” —Magdalene Redekop, Professor Emeritus of English, University of Toronto, Canada, and author of Mothers and Other Clowns: The Stories of Alice Munro (1992) v a cknowledgements Amelia DeFalco thanks Robert and Morris Hemmings for teaching her new lessons in ethics and affects, and for reminding her that thinking and feeling are never discrete. Additionally, she thanks Lorraine York for making the process of collecting and editing this volume so congenial, rewarding, and straight up fun! It’s been such a wonderful trip, Lorraine, that reaching the destination is a little bittersweet. Lorraine York thanks the editor of Studies in Canadian Literature, Dr. Cynthia Sugars, for granting permission to reprint “‘A Sort of Refusal:’ Alice Munro’s Reluctant Career” in this volume. The content originally appeared in the journal’s 40th anniversary issue: volume 40, number 1 (2016). She owes thanks as always to Michael Ross, for critical advice, seemingly infinite support, and devastatingly acute wit. She also thanks Amelia DeFalco for collegiality and friendship that span the Atlantic Ocean. It’s been such an honor to work with you, Amelia. The editors wish to thank the contributors for their perceptive insights into the ethical and affective complexities of Alice Munro’s stories, and for their patience in taking on the various rounds of revi- sions that encompass the creation of a volume such as this one. We also wish to thank Allie Bochicchio, Literature Editor at Palgrave Macmillan U.S. for her enthusiasm for the project and Emily Janakiram and Rachel Jacobe, Editorial Assistants, Literature, for guiding us through the publication process and answering many a question along the way. vii c ontents 1 Introduction: Risking Feeling: Alice Munro’s Fiction of “Exquisite Shame” 1 Amelia DeFalco and Lorraine York 2 Ethics and Infant Feeding in Alice Munro’s Stories 13 Sara Jamieson 3 The Shame of Affect: Sensation and Susceptibility in Alice Munro’s Fiction 35 Amelia DeFalco 4 Embodied Shame and the Resilient Ethics of Representation in Alice Munro’s “The Bear Came Over the Mountain” 57 Ana María Fraile-Marcos 5 Alice Munro’s Dramatic Fictions: Challenging (Dis) Ability by Playing with Oedipus the King and Embracing the Queer Art of Failure 79 Marlene Goldman ix x CONTENTS 6 “Chunks of Language Caught in Her Throat”: The Problem of Other(ed) Minds in Alice Munro’s Stories of Cognitive Disability 109 Heidi Tiedemann Darroch 7 Alice Munro and the Shame of Murder 127 Susan Warwick 8 Child’s Play: Ethical Uncertainty and Narrative Play in the Work of Alice Munro 153 Katherine G. Sutherland 9 Gravel and Grief: Alice Munro’s Vulnerable Landscapes 177 Claire Omhovère 10 “A Sort of Refusal”: Alice Munro’s Reluctant Career 195 Lorraine York 11 Life After Life: Survival in the (Late) Fiction of Alice Munro 219 Naomi Morgenstern Index 245 n c otes on ontributors Heidi Tiedemann Darroch has taught at several universities and col- leges and holds a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto. Her article on food imagery in Munro’s fiction and Mary Pratt’s paintings is forthcom- ing in Canadian Culinary Imaginations. She is currently working in stu- dent services at Camosun College in Victoria. Amelia DeFalco is University Academic Fellow in Medical Humanities in the School of English, University of Leeds. She is the author of Uncanny Subjects: Aging in Contemporary Narrative (Ohio State University Press, 2010), Imagining Care: Responsibility, Dependency, and Canadian Literature (University of Toronto Press, 2016), as well as essays on contemporary cultural representations of aging, disability, gender, care, and the posthuman. Her current book project, Curious Kin: Fictions of Posthuman Care, examines nonhuman care in literature, film, and television. Ana María Fraile-Marcos is Associate Professor of English at the University of Salamanca where she teaches Canadian Literature. She is a Lorna Marsden Fellow at the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies, York University (Toronto, ON), and has been visiting scholar at various US, Canadian, and European universities. Her articles have appeared in various peer-reviewed journals (Canadian Literature, Journal for Canadian Studies, MELUS, Atlantis, Open Letter, African American Review) and as chapters of influential edited volumes. Among her recent publica- tions is the edited collection Literature and the Glocal City: Reshaping xi

Description:

Ethics and Affects in the Fiction of Alice Munro explores the representation of embodied ethics and affects in Alice Munro’s writing. The collection illustrates how Munro’s short stories powerfully intersect with important theoretical trends in literary studies, including affect studies, ethical