Description: Writing the Survivor explores how rape novels place survivors at the heart of narratives of sexual violence rather than the perpetrators. This new genre of American fiction develops innovative narratological strategies to sensitively portray violent, disturbing subject matter and promote political activism in its readers.
Brief description: Robin E. Field is Professor of English at King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. She is co-editor of Transforming Diaspora: Communities beyond National Boundaries (Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 2011) and has authored articles and book chapters on Jhumpa Lahiri, Sandra Cisneros, Alice Walker, Lynne Sharon Schwartz, and Ayad Akhtar. Her research interests include gender, trauma, contemporary literature, and postcolonial studies. She is the Director of the Center for Excellence in Learning and teaching at King's College and the Managing Editor of the journal South Asian Review.
Review Quotes:
'In short, Field's book adds a comprehensive look at how and why the evolution of rape depictions in literature parallels American responses toward such real-life claims. Readers interested in how American literature helped shape and define rape culture, rape consciousness, and the ever-growing movement for racial and gender equity--particularly regarding one's sexuality and the need for consent--will gain much from this book.'
Jerrica Jordan, Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature