Shattered Subjects Trauma and Testimony in Women's Life-Writing [Paperback]

Judith Herman has noted that 'the most common post-traumatic disorders are those not of men in war but of women in civilian life.' How have women survived, both individually and collectively, in the face of unimaginable trauma? In this important new book, Suzette A. Henke finds evidence that women often use writing in order to heal the wounds of psychological trauma. The literary testimonies of Colette, Hilda Doolittle, AnaIs Nin, Janet Frame, Audre Lorde, and Sylvia Fraser provide startling evidence of post-traumatic stress disorder precipitated by rape, incest, childhood sexual abuse, grief, unwanted pregnancy, pregnancy-loss, or severe illness. Their writings are used as a means for survival and healing. Henke analyzes traumatic narrative as the focal point of a large body of autobiographical practice representing the genre of narrative recovery. Shattered Subjects suggests that the powerful medium of written autobiographical testimony may allow the resolution or reconfiguration of the most emotionally distressing experiences.Introduction PART I: COLLETE'S AUTOFICTIONS: GENRE AND ENGENDERMENT The Earthly Paradise My Apprenticeships: The Specter of Willy Break of Day Postscript PART II: H. D.: PSYCHOANALYTIC SELF-IMAGING The Gift Adult Trauma and the Madrigal Cycle: Asphodel and Bid Me to Live PART III: ANAIS NIN'S INTERIOR CITIES: INCEST, ANXIETY AND FATHER-DAUGHTER LOSS FATHER-DAUGHTER LOSS Father Loss and Incest Daughter Loss and Maternal Anxiety Narrative Recovery PART IV: JANET FRAME'S NEW ZEALAND AUTOBIOGRAPHY : A POSTCOLONIAL ODYSSEY PART V: AUDRE LORDE'S AFRICAN-AMERICAN TESTIMONY Biomythography: Zami: A New Spelling of My Name Autopathography: The Cancer Journals and A Burst of Light PART VI: SYLVIA FRASER'S MY FATHER'S HOUSE : A CANADIAN MEMOIR OF SEXUAL TRAUMA AND NARRATIVE RECOVERY Conclusion Notes Works Cited and Consulted

Recommended for academic libraries. - Library Journal

Henke's book introduces fascinating questions aló#