Sarah Falcus

This book examines narratives of dementia in contemporary literary texts, studying what is now a pressing issue with deep political, economic, and social implications for many ageing societies. As part of the increasing visibility of dementia in social and cultural life, these narratives pose ethical, aesthetic, and political questions about subjectivity, agency, and care that help us to interrogate the cultural discourse of dementia. Contemporary Narratives of Dementia is a seminal book that offers a sustained examination of a wide range of literary narratives, from auto/biographies and detective fiction, to children’s books and comic books. With its wide-reaching theoretical and critical scope, its comparative dimension, and its inclusion of multiple genres, this book is important for scholars engaging with studies of dementia and ageing in diverse disciplines.Sarah Falcus is a Reader in Contemporary Literature at the University of Huddersfield, UK. She has research interests in contemporary women’s writing, feminism and literary gerontology. She is the co-director of the Dementia and Cultural Narrative (DCN) network.Katsura Sako is an Associate Professor of English, at Keio University, Japan. Her main field of research is in post-war/contemporary British literature, and she has particular interests in gender, ageing and illness. She is a member of the steering committee of the DCN network.

This book examines narratives of dementia in contemporary literary texts, studying what is now a pressing issue with deep political, economic, and social implications for many ageing societies. As part of the increasing visibility of dementia in social and cultural life, these narratives pose ethical, aesthetic, and political questions about subjectivity, agency, and care that help us to interrogate the cultural discourse of dementia. Contemporary Narratives of Dementia is a seminal book that offers a sustained examination of a wide range of literary narratives, from auto/biographies and detective fiction, to children’s books and comic books. With its wide-reaching theoretical and critical scope, its comparative dimension, and its inclusion of multiple genres, this book is important for scholars engaging with studies of dementia and ageing in diverse disciplines.Sarah Falcus is a Reader in Contemporary Literature at the University of Huddersfield, UK. She has research interests in contemporary women’s writing, feminism and literary gerontology. She is the co-director of the Dementia and Cultural Narrative (DCN) network.Katsura Sako is an Associate Professor of English, at Keio University, Japan. Her main field of research is in post-war/contemporary British literature, and she has particular interests in gender, ageing and illness. She is a member of the steering committee of the DCN network.

This book provides an accessible and yet thorough analysis of the work of Michele Roberts, a prolific half-English and half-French writer who can claim both literary and popular appeal. Roberts's work is examined alongside contemporary feminist theory, particularly the work of Luce Irigaray and feminist philosophers of religion. The book traces the development of Roberts's work from its origins in the feminist movement of the seventies, through its engagement with the philosophy of religion and its interest in historiography, to the postmodern playfulness of her latest work. At the same time, the book does acknowledge enduring concerns in her "oeuvre," particularly the fascination with the mother-daughter relationship and the desire to engage with and rewrite both history and myth. The book offers detailed readings of Roberts's novels together with a selection of her short stories and poetry."