Issue Details: First known date: 2017... 2017 Death, Nursing and Writing Ambiguous Characters
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'When nurses are featured in narratives associated with death and dying, the common stereotype of the good nurse – of mother, or angel of mercy – is often invoked. Although such imaging can be flattering for nurses, whose work might otherwise go unnoticed and unappreciated, this representation is also unrealistic and dehumanising. Darker representations of nurses, and particularly the uncomfortable or profane aspects of nursing work, are not only rare outside of the horror genre, they have also largely escaped examination. Consequently, writers, as well as others including the public and those involved in the practice, teaching and scholarship of nursing, have a limited lexicon with which to describe that large part of nursing work which is situated in the realm of the abject, turbulent and traumatic. This article examines Franco’s film, Chronic (2015), which features a nurse who works in home-based palliative care, and whose character defies stereotypes. Analysing this richly drawn character and what this characterisation reveals about the world in which he operates, provides a case study of writing characters against powerful stereotypes and writing ambiguity.'  (Publication abstract)

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    y separately published work icon TEXT Special Issue Website Series Writing Death and Dying no. 45 October 2017 12941635 2017 periodical issue

    'In October 2016, the editor of this Special Issue convened the second Australasian Death Studies Network (ADSN) conference in Noosa, Queensland. This event gathered a significant number of scholars and creative practitioners who were interested in exploring the symbolic and representational possibilities of the processes of death and dying. Following on from the first multi-disciplinary conference that established the ADSN the year before, this conference continued discussion and investigation into a range of cultural, humanities and social areas that conduct research into death and dying, including the creative arts, popular culture and health. There was a very strong representation of creative writers and creative writing researchers interested in these topics. These scholars and creative practitioners explored a wide range of topics including: representations of death and dying in literature, visual art and the media, music and various types of popular culture; Gothic representations of death, dying and the undead; and writing about death and dying across cultures and historical periods. Writing about gender, ageing and trauma in relation to death and dying were also discussed, as were transgression, murder and crime fiction. The keynote address, ‘A day in the life of a funeral director’, was not only a highlight of the conference, but provided a heady measure of realism to the deliberations.'  (Donna Lee Brien : Introduction)

    2017
Last amended 28 Aug 2024 11:33:52
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