Biographical memoir & mimicking memory: Blurring narrative boundaries through fragmented vignettes in life writing

Tavener-Smith, Taryn (2024) Biographical memoir & mimicking memory: Blurring narrative boundaries through fragmented vignettes in life writing. In: Fiction vs Nonfiction Conference, 7-8 February 2024, Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge. (Submitted)

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Abstract

This paper aims to demonstrate my experimentation with the boundaries of form by applying a fragmented narrative technique to mimic central aspects of the ‘story-world’ in life writing including, but not limited to: liminal identity, complex relationships observed in father-centred narratives within a South African context, and the infallibility of memory. Fragmented narrative structure is applied as a mechanism to further progress the content through the oscillation between what I have termed ‘biography vignettes’ and ‘memoir vignettes’ throughout the project. The former present fictionalised reimaginings of the subject, while the latter explore more intimate, ‘memoir-esque’ accounts accessed through memory. In this paper, I will argue for the use of fragmented narratives to mimic the infallibility of the way in which memory functions particularly when applied to life writing. Ultimately, this project demonstrates the dynamic and evolving relationship between fiction and non-fiction by intermingling the boundaries of fact and fiction through a narrative, which purposefully fragments and later reconstitutes characters’ identities within the text under construction.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Depositing User:	RED Unit Admin
Date Deposited:	05 Feb 2024 09:57
Last Modified:	05 Feb 2024 09:57
URI:	https://bnu.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/id/eprint/19031

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