The secret self: ‘literary’ women-only short story anthologies and the modernist paradigm

Tura Vecino, A. (2018) The secret self: ‘literary’ women-only short story anthologies and the modernist paradigm. Short Fiction in Theory and Practice, 8(1-2), pp. 111-121. (doi: 10.1386/fict.8.1-2.111_1)

Abstract

Identity-themed short story anthologies are a technology that has been particularly impactful in the development and transmission of short stories since the 1980s. By associating the short form to critical discourses of identity formation, these often overlooked publications have been, and continue to be, key in granting commercial success and academic consideration to the genre. One of the most fruitful relationships these anthologies have exploited is the one between short stories and female identity, grounded on a theoretical tradition connecting ‘minor’ forms with women writers. This article explores how a certain kind of gender-themed short story anthologies perform this association. Through focus on the exemplary case of Hermione Lee’s three-volume anthology The Secret Self, it argues that so-called ‘literary’ or ‘general’ anthologies typically establish a connection between the notion of ‘woman’ and the short form through the undeclared lens of modernism. Realizing this, it proposes and opens up a space for re-evaluating the cultural role that these texts play in our society.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Tura Vecino, Dr Aleix
• Authors: Tura Vecino, A.
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Critical Studies
• Journal Name: Short Fiction in Theory and Practice
• Publisher: Intellect
• ISSN: 2043-0701
• ISSN (Online): 2043-071X