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.

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About the Author
SUZETTE A. HENKE is Thruston B. Morton Professor of Literary Studies at the University of Louisville. She is the author of James Joyce and the Politics of Desire and Joyce's Moraculous Sindbook: A Study of 'Ulysses' and the co-editor of Women in Joyce.

Reviews

"Recommended for academic libraries." - Library Journal

"Henke's book introduces fascinating questions about trauma in women's lives, and the possible drive toward creative writing involving 'self healing.'" - Biography

"Henke's arguments are consistently insightful and convincing and the glimpses she allows us into the lives of these women are always fascinating." - Canadian Literature

"...Henke has given us a richly detailed map...which readers of life-writing, feminist cultural production, and trauma studies alike will gratefully refer." - Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature

Book Information
ISBN 9780312230982
Author S. Henke
Format Paperback
Page Count 216
Imprint Palgrave Macmillan
Publisher Palgrave USA