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- All Subjects: Novel
- Creators: School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies
- Creators: Soares, Rebecca
The application of Toni Morrison’s Beloved as a lens through which one can analyze intergenerational trauma on an individual and communal level results in a blueprint towards a remedial process. The characters and their experiences in her novel are representative of a myriad of ways in which trauma is manifested. I have broken down the concept of intergenerational trauma into the idea that it can be seen as the state where one is both simultaneously “falling” and “fallen” at the same time. Used here, the term “falling” refers to the consistent, individual trauma that one is experiencing. On the other hand, the term “fallen” refers to the trauma that a community as a whole has experienced and internalized. This framework that I establish based off of Beloved is a launching point for the conversation surrounding the topic of remedial actions in relation to intergenerational trauma that resulted from slavery. Using it as a basis of knowledge allows one to truly gather the weight of the situation regarding trauma postbellum. Considering the current climate surrounding any meaningful dialogue, knowledge is one of the most important aspects. Along with the concepts of “falling”/”fallen,” I also coined the term productive memory, which refers to the act of confrontation as well as the remembering of intergenerational trauma. The use of productive memory is imperative in addressing the prior ideas presented regarding intergenerational trauma and the possible pathways to move forward.
Regicide is a full-length fantasy novel whose world and plot are influenced by the Western Zodiac. It is a coming of age story that reflects an individual's changing views as they come to understand society, religion, and the history of the place where they were born. The book blurb is as follows: "When the king of Celestial Kingdom is murdered and the culprit is unknown, Vernalia Novoa is called to help fill the void his death has created. Though ill-equipped to run a kingdom, she shoulders the burdens as one of the last living Pisces capable of fulfilling the immense responsibilities. With the struggle between doing her job, finding a new ruler, and uncovering the truth about what happened to her people, the passed king’s infamous words echo: people are not always what we hope for them to be."