The art of forgetting

Ball, Kathryn E

The art of forgetting

Master Thesis

2008

Abstract

'The Art of Forgetting' is a novel in progress. It can be classified as a work of psychological fiction which adopts the fonn of a circular narrative. The story is set in Northern Wisconsin, USA. Part One takes place in a mental institution and examines the psychological landscape of Kai Hawkin, the protagonist, in response to events in her life; the precise nature of these events is not elaborated upon. Part Two traces her recent history and ends where Part One begins, thus giving background as to why Kai has been committed to psychiatric care. The setting for Part Two alternates between a Native American Indian reservation and a holiday town close by. Within this piece, I have explored three modes of narration. Part One includes first person narrative (Kai's diary entries and AI's emails) and direct verbatim (the recordings of the therapy sessions). Part Two is told in the third person. I have chosen these modes in order to foster a sense of intimacy in Part One and to fonn a platfonn for objectivity in Part Two. I have pursued a number of personal interests through this novel. Firstly, I have researched and written about Borderline Personality Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Both of these conditions have been ascribed to Kai Hawkin. Secondly, I have examined the nature of the relationship between therapist and patient, both in their given roles, and as individuals free of their roles. Also pertinent when considering this type of exchange, is the notion of perspective - specifically, two different people's perspectives on the same situation. I have explored this idea through Kai Hawkin's diary entries and the emails written by her therapist, Albert Bronowitz, to his friend and ex-lover, Hannah. Part Two focuses on the love relationship which develops between Kai Hawkin and Benjamin O'Connor. In the process of following this relationship through its various stages, social questions arise, namely, issues faced by cross-racial couples and the implications of a socio-economic gap within a relationship. In addition, Kai and Ben each have layers of childhood attachment trauma. This has a significant impact on the way their relationship plays out. Parental influence also becomes important, not just within the context of Ben and Kai' s relationship, but also as a template for behaviour forged in younger years. The novel is approximately halfway to completion. Part Two will be concluded and followed by Part Three which returns to the psychiatric institution and charts Kai's progress two years into her therapy with AI. Please see the denouement at the end of the piece for details on the plot's development.

Keywords

Creative Writing

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