The New Yorker: Fiction Lucinda Rosenfeld Reads Annie Ernaux
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Oct 1, 2023 Lucinda Rosenfeld, author of five novels, joins Deborah Treisman to discuss 'Returns' by Annie Ernaux. They explore the difference between auto-fiction and memoir, the mother-daughter relationship portrayed in the story, and the themes of returning and loneliness. The chapter also highlights Annie Ernaux's ability to capture ethnological details.
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Blurred Lines Between Memoir and Fiction
- The boundary between fiction and memoir is less rigid in European publishing.
- Ernaux often blurs these lines, giving her work a unique, candid tone.
Complex Themes in "Returns"
- The story "Returns" works as both fiction and a raw portrait of a complicated mother-daughter bond.
- It's also about the cruel passage of time and the loneliness of aging.
Meaning in the Title "Returns"
- The verb "retourne" (returns) implies both going back and flipping or turning over, highlighting themes of reversal and role change in the story.
- The mother-daughter power dynamic is flipped; the mother is dependent, the daughter wants to escape.