Fiction, Between Inner Life and Collective Memory. A Methodological Reflection. François-Xavier Lavenne, Virginie Renard, François Tollet1 Introduction In the writing of their fictional works, novelists often have to reflect on the functioning of memory, for memory lies at the heart both of inner life and of human experience in general. It is indeed in the works of writers such as Marcel Proust or Jorge Luis Borges that the best exemplifications of the subjective experience of memory are to be found. However, from a strictly mnemonic point of view, literature provides more than a means of reflecting on memory: it is also the site of the rebirth and construction of individual and collective memories, which can then serve as a foundation …show more content…
Memories were first attributed directly to a collective entity by Maurice Halbwachs in his epoch-making La Mémoire Collective (The Collective Memory).5 This sociologist claims that all memory depends, on the one hand, of the group in which one lives and, on the other, to the status one holds in that group. To remember, one therefore needs to situate oneself within a current of collective thought.6 As a result, Halbwachs concludes that there are no purely individual memories, i.e. memories that would belong only to the individual, and of which the individual would be the unique source.7 We are therefore not the authentic subjects of attribution of our memories. Several writers have attempted to reconcile these conflicting on individual memory and collective memory. For example, Paul Ricoeur argues that memory does belong to the realm of interiority, for we see ourselves as the true possessors of our own memories.8 However, memory also involves "the other" and fully bears its mark.9 From its declarative phase, memory enters the public sphere because a testimony is always presented to, and received by, an other. Moreover, Ricoeur, following in the footsteps of Halbwach, asserts that peers can assist an individual in the work of remembering.10 He therefore draws the conclusion that memory processes involve both the individual and the group. Ricoeur thus differentiates among three different poles of attribution of memory: there exists, between
Memories are important, they are a personal record of our past experiences, and could be called the history book for our life. In the poem "The Heroes You Had as a Girl", author Bronwen Wallace tells the story of a woman who meets her high school hero later in her life, reflects on her memories of him, and ultimately decides not to talk to him. The effect that this topic has on everyone is the knowledge that we can be captivated and let our memories control us, and by knowing that our memories hold that much power, it may make it more mentally efficient to make accurate, and personal decisions in a fraction of the time. The topic and overall meaning that this idea holds convey a message that resonates with the idea that memories are in fact the central hub of our decision making. People remembering memories can affect their perspective on their lives to such an extent, that they prefer to immerse their mind in their past memories rather than the current reality.
The two texts, "Excerpt from Martin Sloane: A Novel", by Michael Redhill and "Ode to a Box of Tea" by Pablo Neruda have several things in common. These things relate to how the authors of each text talk about their memories and the objects that go along with those memories.
Lest we forget” Baker’s attitude leads his mother to question, “Does history remember more than memory?” Here, rhetorical questioning indicates the way in which private memories are often abandoned in favour of public representations of historical events. The public representation of the Indigenous history is the one written from the European perspective, whilst the private memories, from the Indigenous perspective, similarly to Genia’s, are often forgotten or not validated. However, Baker soon comes to realise that these memories of his mother are just as valuable, if not more, than those of his father. He acknowledges that; “Unlike my father, she could never show her children the scars on her arm; hers were invisible, numbered in the days and years of her stolen childhood”. Through metaphysical imagery, Baker, and ultimately the audience, recognise the eloquence and value of Genia’s memories in shaping a voice and persona that, although equally valid to those of other survivors, has not been publicly recognised.
There are many examples of deep and dark memories in this novel. This can be known as gothic literature, which “...the gothic is an eruption of chaos, a haunting within the heart of realism and order, and a certain failure to bury one's
The writing self is the window through which people can view another person's life. It gives a perspective that is sometimes revolutionary to the reader. Since people remember and form memories through the act of association, the relations that are recognized when reading a
Often in the general public of readers and audiences, the terms history and memory coalesce and seem to easily flow together when considering historical consciousness of the past, and yes, there is an intertwined relationship between the two. However, there are distinct differences between these two expressions. History can be described as “a reasoned reconstruction of the past rooted in research.” It can belong to anyone and can be known by anyone, whereas memory is usually passed down and owned by a certain community or group. Memory is also used differently – it can be framed to suit a person or community’s specific ideologies, it can give value, and there can be deeper meanings such as helping one cope with the weight of past in that
German and European Historian Alon Confino analysis the influence and issues that collective memory has within its predominant field of cultural history. Confino defines the term “memory” as “the ways in which a people construct a sense of the past.” In his introduction, he lays out a brief outline of his thesis, which is not to offer alternatives to “doing” memory, rather offer a new direction in the field. This new direction is to establish a way that memory can be used to build new connections between the representation and social experiences. In doing this, the author constructs his article focusing on three points, that he feels the main issues with the methods and theory of memory. Confino’s points revolve around the connection between
In Marcel Proust's "Swanns Way," we see him, the narrator, remembering and recollecting on both the good and the bad memories of his own past experiences. In the Combray section, Proust has little sense of who he as a person. His view on the past is complex. Yet it is the past itself and the experiences one endures in one's past that shapes a person (2-4).
Many pieces of literature and art take place during an important event in history. The authors of the books and the artists wanted the reader or the observer to understand that the characters and the story they wrote or drew was based on their perspective of the era when their written books or painting. In this essay I will be talking about the events in literature (The Sun Also Rises, The Great Gatsby, and Night) and art (The Scream, and The Persistence of Memory). I will be showing you example indication what event which books and art came from by showing you quotes or explaining how it related to what event.
Memory is a key part of everyday life in society, without the proper ability to remember it makes daily life practically impossible. Paul Connerton’s book How Societies Remember, covers a wide variety of the functions of memory. However, I will be focusing on Connerton’s approach to social memory, connections to historical reconstructions, and how memories are sustained. There are many different classifications of memory, Connerton uses theories from cognitive, personal, and habit memory to explain the different daily use of memory. I would have liked to see more input for my class discussion, in addition I would have liked to discuss the difference between habits and rules more in depth.
A memory has different ways to function that varies from one person to another. The memory itself is defined as the faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information. Trauma is something else that can be attached to a memory and it is defined as a deeply distressing or disturbing experience. Memory plays a tremendous role in our lives as well as in our society. A memory can prevent us from making mistakes as well as it can haunt us to the point of breakdown. Are all memories worth to be reminded of? In Regeneration by Pat Barker as well as in The IMIGRANTS by W.G. Sebald we see a flow of narratives that underline traumatic memories. On this paper, we will focus our attention on Billy Prior, one of the characters in Regeneration, and Ambros Adelwarth of The Emigrants who are somehow fighting their memories.
Question mark is the symbol that runs through your head when you try to remember something that recently has gone away. Why is it that we forget that, which is the most important to us? What was it? You ponder and struggle to remember what it was. Has the memory returned yet? Perhaps not. Is having any type of memory important in our daily lives? If so, which do you remember the most of? In Kazou Ishiguro’s novel, The Buried Giant, Ishiguro deals with a couple named Axl and Beatrice, who go into an adventure where they meet other characters such as a young Saxon warrior Edwin. One theme that is constantly brought upon in the novel is the relevance of memory as a whole. Even though the meaning of family is evident between the elderly couple, Beatrice and Axl, Ishiguro generates a society and specifically for Axl, Beatrice, and Edwin where memory is lost and dreaded, thereby creating the importance of memory signifying that we should value others and what we remember by using abnormal dreams, remembering thoughts that unite each other, creating fear, and serving as motivation.
The memory is an antimuseum, an invisible art that transforms each individual. It is ever developing, much related to spaces, in fact, memory is strictly related to spaces. They are formed in context of space and time, as I will later develop. Ever since the notion of memory came to be it was closely related and developed and explained using places, spaces, buildings. The perfect metaphor for memories is the city. The memory starts from something simple and by cumulating information it develops and grows. This metaphor connects the idea of memory and Architecture on a different, deeper level that normal. There are moments in history that are better recollected form the ruins of sculptures or of buildings than from the written stories.
The purpose of this essay is to understand Marianne Hirsch’s concept of Post memory in relation to Holocaust tragedy. Furthermore, the essay is going to analyse the meaning and effects of post memory on the second-generation. This will be examined with the help of the given case study ‘’the memory thief’’. The film The Memory Thief by Gil Kofman shows different aspects of how Postmemory impacts individuals.
Our human condition is defined by mortality, contingency, and discontentment. This reality combined with the new outlooks of relationships between our lives and the objects that surround us in our world, have caused authors in the twentieth century to question traditional Western thought. In Remembrance of Things Past, Marcel Proust extends these comparisons to include one's use of memory and