What It Is Like: Fiction, Fear, and Narratives of Feeling in Posttraumatic Autobiographical Novels

Jensen, Meg

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-06106-7_4

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 17 publications

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“…Neither do they necessarily match the romanticised ideal of ‘heartful’ writing. As Jensen (2019: 116) notes, ‘ When posttraumatic autobiographical texts draw on the imagination of the writer as well as the facts of their lives, that self-reading sets off in a new direction ’, which takes an unpredictable course. Consequently, Georgie struggled to align her story with the rules of autoethnographic tellability.…”

Section: Positive Myth 2: the Social Rewards Of Tellabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Out of the blue and into it: Autoethnography, emotions and complicated grief

Akehurst

Scott

2021

Qualitative Research

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Autoethnography can be an appropriate method for researching complex emotional experiences. However, the highly self-reflexive processes involved in mining personal data are subject to a set of cultural feeling and display rules, which obscure and interfere with emotional engagement. To illustrate this, we present one author’s account of using autoethnography to research traumatic bereavement. We critically revisit three myths about the method: one negative (autoethnography is narcissistically self-indulgent) and two positive (autoethnographic techniques are therapeutic and autoethnographic writing is authentic). Observing some parallels between topic and method, we suggest that both are complicated and non-linear, following convoluted paths. Autoethnographic tales may defy the social rules of verbal tellability, failing to reveal personal insights or offer moral lessons. We conclude that, while we can admire the autoethnographic endeavour towards ‘heartfelt’ scholarship, this should be tempered by a cautiousness about the costs of digging deep.

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Section: Positive Myth 2: the Social Rewards Of Tellabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%