k 2024

From Earthly Bonds to Rural Revival: Aging Narratives in Elizabeth Hay’s Snow Road Station and Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days

STUDENÁ, Pavlína

Basic information

Original name

From Earthly Bonds to Rural Revival: Aging Narratives in Elizabeth Hay’s Snow Road Station and Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days

Authors

Edition

21st Biennial International Conference "Canadian Anthropocene(s): Pathways to Sustainable Futures", Association of Canadian Studies in Ireland, 9th-11th May 2024, Belfast, 2024

Other information

Type of outcome

Prezentace na konferencích

Confidentiality degree

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

Tags

International impact, Reviewed
Změněno: 14/5/2024 14:59, Mgr. Bc. Pavlína Studená

Abstract

V originále

The paper analyses representations of female ageing in Elizabeth Hay's novel Snow Road Station (2023), which reflects on Samuel Beckett's play Happy Days (1961). The protagonist, 62-year-old actress Lulu Blake, who embodies the character of Winnie in Beckett’s play, faces the challenges of her ageing and commencing sociocultural invisibility. It is the rural Ontario landscape, with its fields and lakes encircled by winding country roads as it changes throughout the seasons from snow-covered to leaf to an autumnal blaze of colour, where Lulu finds refuge and inspiration for her thwarted aspirations. Through Lulu’s introspective journey, interwoven with reflections on Winnie, Hay’s text addresses specific issues of women’s ageing, including societal pressures on appearance and the taboo of older women’s sexuality. Lulu and Winnie navigate not only the physical but also the metaphorical entrapments of ageing, Lulu’s existential entanglements, unreliable memory, and profound search for meaning intertwine with Winnie’s plight. The characters, driven by the human need for companionship, seek connections through friendship, reminiscence, and dialogue. While Lulu cannot entirely break free from the metaphorical state of being half-buried in the mound of earth, she manages to transform the earth from a confining element into a tool of liberation. Her decision to leave the city and embrace rural life not only symbolizes a personal transformation but also contributes to a broader discussion on sustainable living. The direct connection between Snow Road Station and Happy Days, embodied by Lulu’s dual identity as both an actress and an ageing woman, adds a layer of intertextuality that enriches the exploration of the aging process in a uniquely Canadian context that resonates with themes of landscape, sustainability, and the evolving dynamics of community life.