Hunting Captain Henley: Finding Fascism in the Reflective Voice
This paper explores how a reflective analysis of the literary structure of one’s own life writing can often lead to an exceptional intellectual discovery. The paper focuses on a particular narrative technique that developed during a journalistic investigation into the whereabouts of an English Army...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Groningen Press
2013-03-01
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| Series: | European Journal of Life Writing |
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| Online Access: | https://ejlw.eu/article/view/31404 |
| _version_ | 1819205859313451008 |
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| author | Kenneth Pratt |
| author_facet | Kenneth Pratt |
| author_sort | Kenneth Pratt |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper explores how a reflective analysis of the literary structure of one’s own life writing can often lead to an exceptional intellectual discovery. The paper focuses on a particular narrative technique that developed during a journalistic investigation into the whereabouts of an English Army Captain who had allegedly bullied my dad in the British Army. Examples are drawn from a range of literary theorists and from the author’s own prose and critical evaluation. It is argued that the occupation of one language by another can generate a form of linguistic hyper-energy and from it the birth of what is described as Scotland’s Fascist Voice. Scots dialect’s uneasy alliance with Standard English in turn highlights Caledonian Antisyzygy, a term first coined by Gregory Smith in Scottish Literature: Character and Influence to spotlight the zigzag of contradictions at the heart of Scottish writing. The overall aim of the paper is to reveal a strong interdependence between literary theory and life writing.The subtext concludes that in isolation each offers restricted forms of expression, yet when blended can exhibit an independent intelligence free from the shackles of both conventional autobiography and traditional academic enquiry. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-23T04:58:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-53f39db0f0c74926af22a228b72910bb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2211-243X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-23T04:58:24Z |
| publishDate | 2013-03-01 |
| publisher | University of Groningen Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Journal of Life Writing |
| spelling | doaj.art-53f39db0f0c74926af22a228b72910bb2022-12-21T17:59:16ZengUniversity of Groningen PressEuropean Journal of Life Writing2211-243X2013-03-012C12010.5463/ejlw.2.4831404Hunting Captain Henley: Finding Fascism in the Reflective VoiceKenneth Pratt0School of Creative and Cultural Industries, University of The West of ScotlandThis paper explores how a reflective analysis of the literary structure of one’s own life writing can often lead to an exceptional intellectual discovery. The paper focuses on a particular narrative technique that developed during a journalistic investigation into the whereabouts of an English Army Captain who had allegedly bullied my dad in the British Army. Examples are drawn from a range of literary theorists and from the author’s own prose and critical evaluation. It is argued that the occupation of one language by another can generate a form of linguistic hyper-energy and from it the birth of what is described as Scotland’s Fascist Voice. Scots dialect’s uneasy alliance with Standard English in turn highlights Caledonian Antisyzygy, a term first coined by Gregory Smith in Scottish Literature: Character and Influence to spotlight the zigzag of contradictions at the heart of Scottish writing. The overall aim of the paper is to reveal a strong interdependence between literary theory and life writing.The subtext concludes that in isolation each offers restricted forms of expression, yet when blended can exhibit an independent intelligence free from the shackles of both conventional autobiography and traditional academic enquiry.https://ejlw.eu/article/view/31404fascismjournalismsemi-fictional autobiographytrauma |
| spellingShingle | Kenneth Pratt Hunting Captain Henley: Finding Fascism in the Reflective Voice European Journal of Life Writing fascism journalism semi-fictional autobiography trauma |
| title | Hunting Captain Henley: Finding Fascism in the Reflective Voice |
| title_full | Hunting Captain Henley: Finding Fascism in the Reflective Voice |
| title_fullStr | Hunting Captain Henley: Finding Fascism in the Reflective Voice |
| title_full_unstemmed | Hunting Captain Henley: Finding Fascism in the Reflective Voice |
| title_short | Hunting Captain Henley: Finding Fascism in the Reflective Voice |
| title_sort | hunting captain henley finding fascism in the reflective voice |
| topic | fascism journalism semi-fictional autobiography trauma |
| url | https://ejlw.eu/article/view/31404 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kennethpratt huntingcaptainhenleyfindingfascisminthereflectivevoice |