This session features papers that consider memory and forgetting in Shirley Jackson’s work. Some presentations may focus on the uncertainty of memory, traumatic memory, collective vs. individual memories, memory and place, memory and identity loss or confusion, repetitive or intrusive thoughts, ritual, and literary allusions. Papers may consider works that include—but are not limited to—Hangsaman, We Have Always Lived in the Castle, The Haunting of Hill House, The Road Through the Wall, “The Summer People,” “Louisa, Please Come Home,” and “The Daemon Lover.” Essays may also invoke Jackson’s memoir writing as it reflects the narrativization of memory, and the afterlife of Jackson and her work in our cultural memory.
This session is open to proposals that consider memory and forgetting in Shirley Jackson’s work. We welcome various interpretations of and approaches to this theme; you might explore topics such as the uncertainty of memory, traumatic memory, collective vs. individual memories, memory and place, memory and identity loss or confusion, repetitive or intrusive thoughts, ritual, and literary allusions. Some texts to consider include—but are not limited to—Hangsaman, We Have Always Lived in the Castle, The Haunting of Hill House, The Road Through the Wall, “The Summer People,” “Louisa, Please Come Home,” and “The Daemon Lover.” You might also consider Jackson’s memoir writing as it reflects the narrativization of memory, and the afterlife of Jackson and her work in our cultural memory.