The New Midlife Self-Writing

Wittman analyzes recent self-writing by Rachel Cusk, Roxane Gay, Sarah Manguso, and Maggie Nelson, highlighting their renewal and redirection of autobiographical trajectories, celebrating midlife as a growing season, and tracing confident and future-oriented paths through the past. She coined the term digital absence to map their relationship to new forms of knowledge and knowledge gathering in an Information Age. Their works share a pedagogical style, offering a warrant for reading them in pedagogical terms. Wittman looks ahead at the future of midlife self-writing and self-writing overall.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 72 pages
Publication date: 31 May 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

In her groundbreaking work, "The New Midlife Self-Writing," Wittman delves into a comprehensive examination of recent self-writing by notable authors Rachel Cusk, Roxane Gay, Sarah Manguso, and Maggie Nelson. Through meticulous analysis, Wittman situates these vital midlife works within the rich history of self-writing, highlighting their transformative impact on autobiographical narratives. She argues that these authors renew and redirect the autobiographical trajectories characteristic of earlier self-writing by shifting their orientation toward the future and embracing midlife as a period of growth and learning.

In each chapter, Wittman explores the unique approaches of each writer, showcasing how they navigate through the past while embracing a confident and future-oriented mindset. They reject triumphalism and complicate both identity and individualism, refining and redefining genres in their pursuit of self-expression. Wittman also delves into the specific context of Generation X's midlife, coining the term "digital absence" to describe their unique relationship to new forms of knowledge and knowledge gathering in the Information Age. She theorizes that these midlife self-writers share a pedagogical style characterized by clarity, exposition, and classical rhetoric, as well as a concern for the classroom. Their works offer a valuable warrant for reading them in pedagogical terms alongside traditional scholarly approaches.

Furthermore, Wittman provides readers with a glimpse into the future of midlife self-writing and self-writing in general. She concludes that we might be witnessing the emergence of a new scholarship that embraces the complexities and nuances of midlife experiences. "The New Midlife Self-Writing" is a groundbreaking work that sheds light on the transformative power of self-writing, offering valuable insights into the lives and works of these remarkable authors. It is a must-read for anyone interested in exploring the human experience and the evolving nature of autobiographical narratives.

Weight: 114g
Dimension: 215 x 139 x 7 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032017891