Tricky Writing: Women and Animals as Tricksters in Anthropogenic Fiction
Presentation
| Paper/Presentation Title | Tricky Writing: Women and Animals as Tricksters in Anthropogenic Fiction |
|---|---|
| Presentation Type | Presentation |
| Authors | East, T. |
| Conference/Event | Perception / Deception |
| Event Details | Perception / Deception Delivery In person Event Date 19 to end of 20 Oct 2019 Event Location University of Queensland Event Description In his 1981 philosophical treatise “Simulacra and the Simulation”, Jean Baudrillard argued that in modern society, signs and simulations replace reality and obscure truth. This notion seems to hold renewed relevance when considering the modern political and social landscape. Debates surrounding truth, lies, fact and fiction dominate the public sphere, in discussions of “fake news” and the popularisation of conspiracy discourse. Similarly, technological advances in digital image manipulation force us to question what is real, while social media enables the rapid transmission of false information. However, there has also been a simultaneous push towards unearthing, reinstating or redefining the idea of truth. In the wake of postmodernism, scholars have increasingly turned towards theories of affect and the body, grounding truth in the material world. Additionally, social activists have used technology and social media to bring unspoken truths into public discussion, including movements against sexual harassment and police brutality towards people of colour. These technological and social shifts of the 21st century necessitate a critical re-evaluation of how we perceive the world, and how these perceptions may be influenced by misinformation and deception. We are pleased to be hosting Dr Emma A Jane from the University of New South Wales’ School of the Arts and Media as our keynote speaker. Dr Jane’s research focuses on the ethical and social implications of emerging technologies, and covers topics such as online misogyny, cyberbullying, blockchain, cybercrime and digital mobs. In addition to this keynote presentation, we will be holding a panel discussion with academics from across a range of humanities disciplines. This Q&A panel discussion will explore the conference theme of ‘Perception/Deception: truth and lies in the 21st century’, and allow us to consider the impact that these ideas have on our society and research work. Registration for the WiP conference is now open. Registration costs $80 and covers attendance at both days of the conference (including morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea), as well as the conference dinner on 30 October. Register here now. Conference presenters from UQ’s School of Communication and Arts are eligible to be considered for the Dr John McCulloch prize. The Dr John McCulloch Memorial Prize, established in 2011, is awarded to the best paper presented by an RHD or Honours student to the annual Work-In-Progress Conference (WiP). The prize will be a $1000 voucher to be presented at the WiP conference. All students in the School of Communication and Arts, who are presenting at the conference, are eligible. To enter, please submit a 2000-word essay to the organising committee at uqwip2019@gmail.com. Entries close on Friday 4 October 2019. For further details, click the button below. Event Web Address (URL) |
| Abstract | This Creative Writing research investigation focusses on the creative practice that will lead to a written product, a novel, and an exegesis that critically reflects upon that practice. The research investigation combines multiple areas of study, including human/animal relations, ecofeminism, the trickster archetype and eco-fiction/criticism, in order to create a novel that offers an alternative representation of women and animals in anthropogenic fiction. This project therefore involves creating a unique methodology dubbed the ‘trickster methodology.’ This methodology combines elements of practice-led research with trickster qualities: slippery, subversive, disruptive, shapeshifting, creator and destroyer. The trickster’s shapeshifting abilities support the narrative needs of the creative artefact while complementing the fluid, influential and ever-changing process of novel writing. The project articulates a writing method/ology that puts into practice a reimagining of the trickster as female, animal, nature. Early exploratory drafts will experiment with a range of strategies for subverting, or making strange, the traditional hetero-patriarchal archetype of trickster narratives. This ‘zero’ draft will then be reworked using insight gained through critical reading, research and reflection. Critical analysis of creative works such as Charlotte Wood’s The Natural Way of Things (2015), Briohny Doyle’s The Island Will Sink (2016) and Jennifer Mills’ Dyschronia (2018) will reveal how a text can explore the physical and metaphysical oppression of women and animals within space while simultaneously creating space for readers to appropriate the external and internal experiences of a protagonist – an Other. By reflecting on my own creative practice as well as conducting interviews with Australian women writers to discover how they addressed the unique challenge of writing about large-scale issues, such as the Anthropocene, within the narrow scope of a narrative, I will discern a series of strategies that other writers can use when crafting feminist anthropogenic fiction and model these through the production of a novel. |
| Keywords | Creative writing, trickster figure, anthropocene |
| ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 360201. Creative writing (incl. scriptwriting) |
| Byline Affiliations | School of Humanities and Communication |
| Academic Affairs Administration |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/zyx8z/tricky-writing-women-and-animals-as-tricksters-in-anthropogenic-fiction
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