Representations of Forgetting in Life Writing and Fiction PDF
Preview Representations of Forgetting in Life Writing and Fiction
Representations of Forgetting in Life Writing and Fiction Gunnthorunn Gudmundsdottir palgrave macmillan memory studies Palgrave Macmillan Memory Studies Series Editors Andrew Hoskins University of Glasgow Glasgow , United Kingdom John Sutton Department of Cognitive Science Macquarie University Macquarie , Australia Aim of the series The nascent fi eld of Memory Studies emerges from contemporary trends that include a shift from concern with historical knowledge of events to that of memory, from ‘what we know’ to ‘how we remember it’; changes in generational memory; the rapid advance of technologies of memory; panics over declining powers of memory, which mirror our fascination with the possibilities of memory enhancement; and the development of trauma narratives in reshaping the past. These factors have contributed to an intensifi cation of public discourses on our past over the last thirty years. Technological, political, interpersonal, social and cultural shifts affect what, how and why people and societies remember and forget. This groundbreaking new series tackles questions such as: What is ‘memory’ under these conditions? What are its prospects, and also the prospects for its interdisciplinary and systematic study? What are the conceptual, theo- retical and methodological tools for its investigation and illumination? More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/14682 Gunnthorunn G udmundsdottir Representations of Forgetting in Life Writing and Fiction Gunnthorunn Gudmundsdottir University of Iceland Reykjavik, Iceland ISBN 978-1-137-59863-9 ISBN 978-1-137-59864-6 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-59864-6 Library of Congress Control Number: 2016957728 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2 017 The author(s) has/have asserted their right(s) to be identifi ed as the author(s) of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. 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, specifi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfi lms 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 specifi c 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. Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Macmillan Publishers Ltd. London The registered company address is: The Campus, 4 Crinan Street, London, N1 9XW, United Kingdom In memoriam Guðmundur Georgsson (1932–2010) and Michael Sheringham (1948–2016) A CKNOWLEDGEMENTS This study is a result of my long-standing research interest in memory and literature. It has its roots in my fi rst book, B orderlines: Autobiography and Fiction in Postmodern Life Writing (2003), where I devoted one chapter to the workings of memory in autobiography. The serious work began when I gave a paper on the subject of forgetting at a life writing confer- ence at Kings College London in 2009, and there the encouragement of Paul John Eakin provided another impetus for this book. He was also kind enough to read an early draft of the fi rst part of this project, and I thank him for his very helpful suggestions. A sabbatical spent in Barcelona in 2010 introduced me to the memory debates in Spain, and was highly instructive on the politics of forgetting and the crucial role fi ction can play in unearthing the past and giving voice to what has been silenced. I had the benefi t there of the assistance of Emma Martinell Gifre at the University of Barcelona, where I had access to the library as well as the archive on the Civil War, the Franco-era, and the transition in the Pavelló de la República. I was also able to conduct parts of the research at The British Library, and am thankful for Priscilla Sheringham for her generous hospitality, which was a great help during my stays in the UK. The National and University Library of Iceland’s effi cient interlibrary loan system provided crucial access to material in the last months of research. The scholar’s retreat at Snorrastofa, Reykholt, was an invaluable place of peace and quiet in the last stages writing. I am also grateful to Barbara Törnquist-Plewa (Lund University) for inviting me to take part in the COST-action ISTME (In Search of Transcultural Memory in Europe) 2012–2016 which has pro- vided many an inspiration, fruitful conversations, and stimulating talks on vii viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS the subject of memory. Thanks are also due to Francisco Ferrándiz who invited me to give a talk at the excellent permanent lecture series Rastros y rostros de la violencia at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) in Madrid in 2013. Some of the very early research was funded by an Iceland Research Fund postdoctoral grant, and the University of Iceland Research Fund also provided assistance. A research project I worked on with Daisy Neijmann (University of Iceland) ‘Memory and Forgetting: Ruptures, Gaps, and National Identity’ has fed into parts of this book and was funded by EDDA-Centre of Excellence, University of Iceland. I am grateful to Irma Erlingsdóttir and Valur Ingimundarson at the centre for their support of that project. Daisy Neijmann read parts of this study and I thank her for her very helpful comments and suggestions. Claire Boyle’s (University of Edinburgh) reading of an early draft of my research into online self-representation was also of great value. Many others have provided (some perhaps unknowingly) support in a variety of ways, and my thanks go to my colleagues in the programme in Comparative Literature, as well as to Patrick Crowley, Fionnuala Dillane, Svanhildur Óskarsdóttir, Úlfhildur Dagsdóttir, and Hólmfrídur Matthíasdóttir, for all the conversations (accompanied by the occasional, and vital, drink). Thanks also to my mother Örbrún Halldórsdóttir and siblings Hrafnhildur Gudmundsdóttir, Örbrún Gudmundsdóttir, and Halldór Gudmundsson for the regular (and invaluable) pats on the back. My deepest thanks go to my husband Dagur Gunnarsson and our son Flóki Dagsson for their patience, encouragement, support—and of course, for all the jokes on forgetting. As I was ever more concerned with memory in my research my father, Gudmundur Georgsson, professor of neuropathology, was losing his at an alarmingly rapid rate, eventually passing away when I was in the early stages of the project. This work is dedicated to his memory, as his aca- demic rigour and dedication, albeit in a very different discipline, as well as his warmth and unstinting support, has been on my mind throughout as a source of inspiration, not least in getting through the regular crises all research projects run into. The book is also dedicated to the memory of Michael Sheringham, professor of French, my former supervisor, mentor, and great friend, who read the early plans for this book and provided con- stant encouragement and inspiration throughout. Many of the ideas and analyses in the study refl ect an ongoing discussion with his work, especially with his inspiring thoughts on autobiography and the archive. He sadly ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ix passed away just as I was completing this study, but I hope our conver- sations live on in this book. I am forever grateful for the immeasurable impact both men had on my life and work—they will not be forgotten. Reykjavik Gunnthorunn Gudmundsdottir March 2016 C ONTENTS 1 Introduction: Writing the Forgotten 1 Part I Scenes of Forgetting in Life Writing 23 2 Forewords and Forgettings: Introductions and Preambles in Autobiography 2 5 3 Forgetting and the Writing Moment: Corrections and Family Archives 47 4 Forgetting Online: Self-representation on Social Network Sites 69 Part II The Past Recovered 8 9 5 Excavating a Troubled Past: Spanish Memory Texts 9 1 xi
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