DOCSLIB.ORG

Toadman and Other Encounters

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Toadman and Other Encounters Toadman and Other Encounters A dissertation submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of English & Comparative Literature of the College of Arts and Sciences by Peter Grimes M.F.A. University of Florida August 2011 Committee Chair: Michael Griffith, M.F.A. i Abstract Toadman and Other Encounters is a collection of short fiction exploring the boundaries of human experience, at times experienced by the reader through narrative boundaries. Questions about what makes us human are framed and echoed by questions about what constitutes a story. In one essay and nineteen stories, Toadman and Other Encounters describes and portrays encounters between humans and each other, humans and animals, humans and texts, meanwhile underscoring these encounters with the encounter between narrative and non-narrative modes, distinct moods and tones, conflicting voices and points of view. ii iii Acknowledgements ―Toadman‖ (Winner: AWP Intro Journals Prize) appeared in Hayden’s Ferry Review. ―The Progress of Tongues‖ will appear in Packingtown Review. ―Town and Gown‖ appeared in Gulf Stream. ―A Bad Man, Speaking Poorly‖ appeared in Lake Effect. ―Victoria‖ (Second Prize: Spring 2010 Narrative Story Contest) appeared in Narrative. ―Head Game‖ (Finalist: Mississippi Review Prize) appeared in Mississippi Review. ―Le Mot Faux‖ appeared in Mid-American Review. ―Transplant‖ appeared in Harpur Palate. ―El Sudor de la Rubia‖ appeared in Jelly Bucket. ―The Backbone of Peoria‖ appeared as ―A Taste of Home‖ in Reed Magazine. ―A Literary Approach to the Third Problem‖ appeared in Copper Nickel. ―Rockville Is Not Like This‖ appeared in Brand. iv CONTENTS What‘s the Story? A Writer Learns to Read ...................................................................................... 1 Toadman ....................................................................................................................................... 37 The Progress of Tongues ............................................................................................................... 60 Town and Gown ............................................................................................................................ 68 A Triangle Theory ......................................................................................................................... 72 A Bad Man, Speaking Poorly ...................................................................................................... 114 Night Patrol ................................................................................................................................. 117 Victoria ....................................................................................................................................... 136 The Witches of Haddonfield ........................................................................................................ 152 Head Game ................................................................................................................................. 179 Trash ........................................................................................................................................... 184 Le Mot Faux................................................................................................................................ 209 Transplant ................................................................................................................................... 222 Two Fences ................................................................................................................................. 229 El Sudor de La Rubia .................................................................................................................. 240 Lord of the Castle ........................................................................................................................ 249 The Backbone of Peoria .............................................................................................................. 268 A Literary Approach to the Third Problem ................................................................................... 273 The Storyteller............................................................................................................................. 275 Rockville Is Not Like This .......................................................................................................... 289 v WHAT‘S THE STORY? A WRITER LEARNS TO READ Introduction Of utmost importance to writers of short fiction is, not surprisingly, an understanding of what a short story is. Many great short story writers have done just fine following an intuitive understanding of the form to decide when they have read or written a complete story, but it can‘t hurt a writer‘s appreciation or practice of the genre to struggle with achieving a definition of the genre. In this essay I first give a brief overview of the debates surrounding short story definition; next, after considering Wolfgang Iser‘s theory of reading, I observe and comment on my own reading of two identical texts, one presented as a short story and the other presented as the third chapter of a novel-in-stories; last, I draw conclusions about what my reading experiment contributes to discussions of Iser‘s theory of reading and of short story definition, as well as about its usefulness to short story writers. The Essence is in the Story: Text-based Definitions For as long as critics and practitioners of the short story have endeavored to define that literary form, they have done so by comparing its textual features to that of the novel. Edgar Allan Poe, in ―The Philosophy of Composition‖ (1846), explains that short literary works like poems, by virtue of being readable ―in a single sitting,‖ must be treated as forms distinct from works not so readable (69). Only by satisfying this necessary condition of one-sitting readability, can a work also achieve a unified effect, which Poe regards as crucial to short literary works: ―If any literary work is too long to be read at one sitting, we must be content to dispense with the immensely important effect derivable from unity of impression—for, if two sittings be required, the affairs of the world intervene . .‖ (69). Though Poe doesn‘t speak explicitly of novels and short stories here, we see the beginning of the dichotomy 1 that serves later critics who try to define these forms in relation to each other. Brander Matthews, in his 1882 article ―The Philosophy of the Short-Story,‖ picks up on Poe‘s unity dictum by applying it to prose. Distinguishing between the ―Short-story‖ (roughly equivalent to our modern sense of short story) and the ―mere story which is short,‖ Matthews contrasts the novel and the short story in a manner that has proven seminal to short story theory: ―The difference between a Novel and a Short-story is a difference of kind. A true Short-story differs from the Novel chiefly in its essential unity of impression‖ (73). In other words, Matthews is arguing that there are particular features or traits in the text itself that distinguish a short story from other genres, most notably the novel. Bold and scientific as this line of definition might appear, Matthews predictably runs into trouble (so far as more recent literary theory is concerned) when he sets out to list these traits or qualities. He says, for instance that unlike short stories, novels must deal principally with love, thereby mistaking a perceived contemporary trend in novels with a quality of the form itself (74). (Notice here that he doesn‘t actually list a positive trait regarding subject for short stories; rather he relies upon pointing to the novel‘s dissimilar trait.) Although other traits that he mentions are more palatable to some modern critics of the short story, such as the idea that something must ―happen‖ in a short story whereas nothing need ―happen‖ in a sketch (77), his Aristotelian project of definition through the listing of (sometimes) positive, essential traits is called into question by the times when one of his ―essential‖ items doesn‘t match one of a different definition. Nevertheless, his instinct to locate the definition of a literary genre in its textual traits (or lack of those traits), which might or might not be perceived by a reader, has persisted into critics‘ definition of the short story well into the twentieth century. Almost a century after Matthews, in his introduction to Short Story Theories (1977), Charles E. May calls for a new type of short story definition: ―What is needed is a theory in the modern sense, starting not from external elements of form or even various classes of subject matter, but rather from 2 the underlying vision of the short story, its characteristic mode of understanding and confronting reality‖ (12). Although May here calls for a short story definition that doesn‘t limit itself by fruitlessly compiling lists of positive, essential traits discoverable in the text, the definition he offers in place of such definitions shares these basic characteristics. In ―The Nature of Knowledge in Short Fiction‖ (1984), May defines the short story in terms of the type of human experience it depicts. By focusing on the type of experience depicted, he seems to be attempting to identify an ―underlying vision‖ unique to short stories, thereby doing away with the trait-list approach, but he does not differ
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Stiwanismo En Un Contexto Africano 1
    Stiwanismo en un contexto africano1 Stiwanism, feminism in an African context Molara Ogundipe-Leslie University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Recibido el 19 de marzo de 2002. Aceptado el 19 de abril de 2002. BIBLID [ l l 34-6396(2002)9: 1; 59-92] RESUMEN Molara Ogundipe plantea en este texto cuáles son las distintas situaciones de las mujeres africanas en el contexto actual, de un África en proceso de modernización pero en que a la vez las diferentes tradiciones continúan vivas, y cuáles han de ser los proyectos emancipatorios que las mujeres deberían llevar a cabo. En este sentido, Ogundipe hace un repaso histórico y considera que las mujeres han estado siempre presentes, en primer plano y de manera activa, en los procesos de liberación del continente africano, pero sus demandas han sido siempre relegadas a un papel secundario; y, asimismo, es evidente que no hay cambio social posible en positivo cuando no se cuenta con las mujeres. Así pues, la propuesta de Molara Ogundipe consiste en una Transformación Social que Incluya a las mujeres en África, el concepto Stiwanismo (Social Transformation Including Women in Africa). Palabras clave: Feminismos. África. Mujeres africanas. Stiwanismo. Imperialismo cultural. ABSTRACT In this text Molara Ogundipe raises the issue of the different situation of African women currently, in the context of Africa as a continent in the process of modemization, with different live traditions. She also focuses on the emancipatory projects that women engage in. In her review of history, Ogundipe considers that women are always present in a very active way, in the process of liberation of the African continent.
    [Show full text]
  • Toubab: an American Doctor in West Africa
    BOOK REVIEWS Toubab: An American Doctor in toubab, experienced in Africa. He was Africa Medicine and Education West Africa assigned to the emergency department (WAME), a nonprofit program to help of the major hospital in The Gambia. His support medical care and general edu - By David Levine, DO. 281 pp, $25.00. ISBN: text relates numerous insightful experi - cation for West African children. The 978-0-9821064-1-9. Self-published; 2010. ences of friendships, cultural collisions, book notes that all profits from the sale sickness, frustrations, heartbreak, anger, of Toubab will be donated to WAME. The Gambia is a poor, small country in happiness, and much more. A couple Buying this book will help these kids West Africa in which day-to-day life is a examples follow: survive a difficult life. challenge. Healthcare services available My recommendation is to buy there are only a fraction of the services [Stunning to me were] the depth and Toubab and read it, and then try to pic - available in even the smallest towns in breadth of the chasm of ignorance of ture yourself living in such poor condi - the United States. I imagine that condi - the average Gambian about illness. A tions. You will leave Dr Levine’s story tions in most of Central Africa are sim - friend will report to me, “My auntie with a greater appreciation for what we ilar to those in The Gambia. In 2006, is in the hospital.” have in the United States, despite all the “Oh,” I say, “what is wrong with David Levine, DO, a family physician distractions that we’re experiencing in her?” from Washington State, volunteered for medicine today.
    [Show full text]
  • Collective Memory from a Psychological Perspective
    Int J Polit Cult Soc (2009) 22:125–141 DOI 10.1007/s10767-009-9057-9 Collective Memory from a Psychological Perspective Alin Coman & Adam D. Brown & Jonathan Koppel & William Hirst Published online: 26 May 2009 # Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2009 Abstract The study of collective memory has burgeoned in the last 20 years, so much so that one can even detect a growing resistance to what some view as the imperialistic march of memory studies across the social sciences (e.g., Berliner 2005;Fabian1999). Yet despite its clear advance, one area that has remained on the sidelines is psychology. On the one hand, this disinterest is surprising, since memory is of central concern to psychologists. On the other hand, the relative absence of the study of collective memory within the discipline of psychology seems to suit both psychology and other disciplines of the social sciences, for reasons that will be made clear. This paper explores how psychology might step from the sidelines and contribute meaningfully to discussions of collective memory. It reviews aspects of the small literature on the psychology of collective memoryandconnectsthisworktothelargerscholarly community’sinterestincollectivememory. Keywords Social contagion . Memory restructuring . Collective memory . Collective forgetting General Comments Contextualizing the Study of Collective Memory Why not has psychology figured prominently in discussions of collective memory? For those in social science fields other than psychology, the methodological individualism of The first three authors contributed equally to this paper. The order in which they are listed reflects the throw of a die. A. Coman : J. Koppel : W. Hirst (*) The New School for Social Research, New York, NY 10011, USA e-mail: [email protected] A.
    [Show full text]
  • 7-Perez Crozas.Pmd 129 14/04/2010, 15:06 130 Afrique Et Développement, Vol
    Afrique et développement, Vol. XXXIV, No. 2, 2009, pp. 129–158 © Conseil pour le développement de la recherche en sciences sociales en Afrique, 2009 (ISSN 0850-3907) Des lançados aux expatriés :1 « l’Ethnie2 Blanche »3 entre les fleuves Sénégal et Casamance Armonia Pérez Crosas* Résumé La région comprise entre les fleuves Sénégal et Casamance a un long parcours historique de contact et de présence de l’homme Blanc occidental. Même si les personnages et les situations qu’ont conformé « l’Ethnie Blanche » pendant le temps ont été très variés, il existe des caractéristiques qui se répètent, des continuités associées avec l’ambiguïté du statut social, des relations entre les sexes ou les spécialisations économiques, à la frontière entre le local et le global. L’article explore cette durabilité d’une frontière culturelle, en proposant des pistes de recherche à partir de la figure des lançados. L’analyse montre des indices, des parallélismes réitérés entre les effets des varia- tions dans les conditions frontalières sur le collectif « Blanc », en oscillant entre le maintien de son identité et l’intégration dans les communautés autochtones. L’auteur estime qu’une perspective de longue durée aiderait à comprendre l’articulation actuelle des contingents de coopérants et d’agents économiques qui arrivent à la région, compréhension qui pourrait être extrapolée à d’autres zones du continent. Abstract The region located between the Senegal and the Casamance rivers has a long history of the presence of Western white men. Although the characters and situations modeled by the ‘White Ethnic Group’ over time have been very varied, there are characteristics that are repeated, continuities associated with the ambiguity of social status, gender relations or economic specializations, on the boundary between both * Agrupament per a la Recerca i la Docència d’Àfrica (ARDA), Université de Barcelone.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Beyond the Economic Impetus For
    BEYOND THE ECONOMIC IMPETUS FOR MIGRATION: PRE-MIGRATION COGNITIONS, SUBJECTIVITIES, AND OCCIDENTALISMS IN THE AFRICAN POSTCOLONY By FELICIA CHIGOZIE ANONYUO-NWAENYI A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2009 1 © 2009 Felicia Chigozie Anonyuo-Nwaenyi 2 I dedicate this dissertation to Africa that was and will be, and to all who work for her good; to my son, Augustine Chidubem Nwaenyi, my guiding light, Peaceful River without foe, the calm voice in the middle of the storm; to my mother, Susanna Ozuzuaku Anonyuo, teacher of harmony and dignity, everywoman; to the memory of my father and ancestor, Samuel Igboabuchukwu Anonyuo, eternal sage; to my Heavenly Father, His Son, Jesus Christ, and His Holy Spirit whose Love and Grace have shielded and yoked me forever. 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I doubt that I can adequately acknowledge everyone that contributed to the realization of my objectives for this research project, and must therefore state upfront that the names and parties mentioned here are not representative of those who deserve credit for their unconditional and selfless support for this project. I crave the indulgence of my unacknowledged benefactors. My eternal gratitude to Dr. Faye V. Harrison who consistently cheered me on and said yes from start to finish, through trying and tranquil moments, through thick and thin. To have an advisor who never rides the high horse and never demands an appointment, who knows how to hold back her encyclopedic knowledge to make mine important, who has stayed up past midnight working with me over the phone to get a document draft just right, who is ready to share her wisdom and lend a helping hand anytime and anywhere, is to be uniquely blessed.
    [Show full text]
  • Beyond Disinformation: Deep Fakes and False
    Beyond disinformation: deep fakes and false memory implantation Erin Morrow Emory University Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology Undergraduate [email protected] Disclosures: The author discloses their employment with the International Neuroethics Society and thus access to other contest submissions. General Audience / Neuroethics Essay Contest, 2021 Beyond disinformation: deep fakes and false memory implantation Most social media users are intimately familiar with labels on their timelines and feeds for content deemed ‘manipulated media.’ Twitter rolled out new policies last year to address photos or videos found to be “significantly and deceptively altered or fabricated” (Roth & Achuthan, 2020). The first such content to be flagged on this platform showed then-presidential candidate Joe Biden appearing to state “We can only re-elect Donald Trump.” In reality, this Kansas City speech was deceptively spliced, edited, and thus taken out of context—but by the time this post received its warning label, it had already garnered over five million views (Chambers, 2020). Yet, misleadingly cropped video is not the only form of deceptive content being popularized. Also within the jurisdiction of this new regulation is an emerging form of media: deep fakes. These artificial intelligence-generated creations, often in the form of videos that deceptively portray public figures, have emerged within the past decade as a force of disinformation to be reckoned with (Liv & Greenbaum, 2020; Resnick, 2018). Such videos can now manipulate the facial eXpressions and speech of these figures with minimal distortion (Resnick, 2018). Deep fakes of public figures have the potential to influence discourse and decision-making in the realms of politics, public health, and more through a powerful cognitive system: memory.
    [Show full text]
  • The University of Chicago Sentient Atmospheres A
    THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SENTIENT ATMOSPHERES A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE DIVISION OF THE HUMANITIES IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE BY JEFFREY HAMILTON BOGGS CHICAGO, ILLINOIS JUNE 2016 Copyright © 2016 by Jeffrey Hamilton Boggs All rights reserved Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... iv INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 I. ATMOSPHERE IN LATE LATE JAMES ............................................................................... 21 II. “WE HAD THE AIR”: THE ATMOSPHERIC FORM OF THE VIETNAM WAR .............. 48 III. THIS IS AIR: THE ATMOSPHERIC POLITICS OF DAVID FOSTER WALLACE ......... 87 IV. NARRATING THE ANTHROPOCENE: THE ATMOSPHERIC COMEDY ................... 120 CODA: PLANETARY AIR ....................................................................................................... 150 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................................... 160 iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to the members of my dissertation committee for their unwavering support throughout the course of my academic progress. Bill Brown embodies the very best of the intellectual culture of the University of Chicago. He combines a big mind with a highly refined sensibility, exquisite taste
    [Show full text]
  • Perspectives from French West Indian Literature
    ON BEING WEST INDIAN IN POST-WAR METROPOLITAN FRANCE: PERSPECTIVES FROM FRENCH WEST INDIAN LITERATURE by ROSALIE DEMPSY MARSHALL A thesis submitted to The University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of French Studies University of Birmingham 2011 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. In memory of Gloria, Luddy, Dorcas and Harry Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisor, Professor Jennifer Birkett, for her patience, encouragement, and good advice when these were sorely needed; and also Dr Conrad James, who helped to ease me into French West Indian writing at the beginning of my studies, and who supervised my research in Jennifer’s absence. I am grateful to my dear parents, who kept faith with me over several years, and gave me the time and space to pursue this piece of scholarship. Abstract Most research into contemporary French West Indian literature focuses on writing that stresses the significance of the plantation and urban cultures of the islands in the early to mid-twentieth century or, more recently, on the desire of some writers to explore broader trans-national influences or environments.
    [Show full text]
  • Marita Sturken Source: Social Text, No
    The Remembering of Forgetting: Recovered Memory and the Question of Experience Author(s): Marita Sturken Source: Social Text, No. 57 (Winter, 1998), pp. 103-125 Published by: Duke University Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/466883 . Accessed: 22/01/2011 20:18 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at . http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=duke. Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Duke University Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Social Text. http://www.jstor.org The Remembering of Forgetting RECOVERED MEMORY AND THE QUESTION OF EXPERIENCE Recovered memory syndrome is a defining aspect of American culture in Marita Sturken the late twentieth century.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 False Memories and Real Epistemic Problems Steven D. Brown, University of Leicester Paula Reavey, London South Bank Univers
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by LSBU Research Open False Memories and Real Epistemic Problems Steven D. Brown, University of Leicester Paula Reavey, London South Bank University Abstract The dichotomy between ‘truth’ and ‘falsity’ in relation to memory is difficult to clearly sustain. The veridicality of memory is typically established by drawing on the local, normative procedures that operate in a given setting (e.g. legal, clinical, social). Since all procedures are strictly relative, all memories are technically either ‘relatively falsified’ or ‘relatively as-yet-unfalsified’. False Memory Studies claim to be able explain the production of false memories, but do not offer criterion to effectively differentiate populations of so-called ‘true’ and ‘false’ victims. The narrative of the discovery of the ‘false memories’ themselves is inconsistent and demonstrates a significant level of imagination inflation and suggestibility to dominant narratives in post-war Psychology. In attending to the setting-specificity of memory, researchers may wish to consider how their work impacts on the experience-ecologies to which they contribute Introduction A sixteen year-old young man is convicted of participating in the brutal rape and murder of woman, along with his uncle. His conviction relies, in part, on a confession he has made during the course of questioning by police investigators. He later recants on his confession. Filmed footage of the police interviews, conducted without the presence of a lawyer or family member, appear to show the investigators guiding and shaping a narrative for the young man. At times they provide crucial details that they ask him to confirm.
    [Show full text]
  • Original Paper Nollywood: Indigenous Culture, Interculturality, and The
    Communication, Society and Media ISSN 2576-5388 (Print) ISSN 2576-5396 (Online) Vol. 3, No. 1, 2020 www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/csm Original Paper Nollywood: Indigenous Culture, Interculturality, and the Transplantation of American Popular Culture onto Postcolonial Nigerian Film and Screen Samba DIOP1* 1 Researcher, Center for Multilingualism in Society across the Lifespan, Faculty of Humanities, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway * Samba DIOP, Researcher, Center for Multilingualism in Society across the Lifespan, Faculty of Humanities, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway Received: October 30, 2019 Accepted: November 12, 2019 Online Published: December 12, 2019 doi:10.22158/csm.v3n1p12 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.22158/csm.v3n1p12 Abstract Nigeria, the Giant of Africa, has three big tribes: Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa. It was a British colony which was amalgamated in 1914. The country became independent in 1962 and was right away bedeviled by military coups d’états and a bloody civil war (1967-1970). In 1999, the country experienced democratic dispensation. In the 1990s, the Nollywood nascent movie industry—following in the footpath of Hollywood and Bollywood—flourished. The movie industry grew thanks to four factors: Rapid urbanization; the hand-held video camera; the advent of satellite TV; and, the overseas migrations of Nigerians. Local languages are used in these films; however, English is the most prominent, along with Nigerian pidgin broken English. Many themes are treated in these films: tradition and customs, religion, witchcraft and sorcery, satire, urban and rural lives, wealth acquisition, consumerism, etc. I discuss the ways in which American popular culture is adopted in Nigeria and recreated on screen.
    [Show full text]
  • Implantation of Positive Self-Defining Memories Reduces Trait Anxiety
    Memory ISSN: 0965-8211 (Print) 1464-0686 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/pmem20 On the advantage of autobiographical memory pliability: implantation of positive self-defining memories reduces trait anxiety Veronika V. Nourkova & Darya A. Vasilenko To cite this article: Veronika V. Nourkova & Darya A. Vasilenko (2017): On the advantage of autobiographical memory pliability: implantation of positive self-defining memories reduces trait anxiety, Memory, DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2017.1420195 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/09658211.2017.1420195 Published online: 28 Dec 2017. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 23 View related articles View Crossmark data Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=pmem20 MEMORY, 2018 https://doi.org/10.1080/09658211.2017.1420195 On the advantage of autobiographical memory pliability: implantation of positive self-defining memories reduces trait anxiety Veronika V. Nourkova and Darya A. Vasilenko Department of General Psychology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY This paper is devoted to the mechanism of the positive construction of autobiographical Received 25 May 2016 memory. Positive construction consists of the spontaneous transformation of memories in Accepted 10 December 2017 the direction of the subjective enhancement of self-competence in past activities to KEYWORDS anticipate improvement over time. We speculated that trait anxiety may indicate a failure to Autobiographical memory; exhibit this mechanism that results in a deficit of affirmative self-esteem. We hypothesised positive construction; false that the implantation of positive self-defining memories in anxiety-evoking domains would memories; self-defining decrease trait anxiety.
    [Show full text]