Hiraeth (a novel): Representations of Care-Experience in Literature

Abstract

This PhD thesis consists of two parts: 77,000-word autobiographical novel entitled Hiraeth and a 22,000-word critical commentary that discusses key themes: origins, care, belonging, and conversations. Using a care-experience lens, I reflect on the practice of writing a novel and the representation of care-experience in literature. Hiraeth seeks to challenge stereotypical portrayals of young people in care, foster empathy, and explore how my childhood experiences have shaped my creative process as both a reader and a writer.
The novel is set between 1974 and 1976 and is narrated in third-person limited. The prologue introduces Mair, a young, unmarried Welsh woman who, in April 1958, gives birth to a baby girl at the summit of Snowdon, only to be forced to give her up for adoption. The narrative then shifts to 1974, following sixteen-year-old Marianne as she leaves a children's home in Muswell Hill, where she has spent the last eight years. The creative practice also includes a collection of imagined postcards. Marianne’s boyfriends represent the music genres of the time, and chapter titles are drawn from popular songs. Family figures are symbolically represented by cultural icons, further enriching the novel’s exploration of identity and belonging.

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ORCID for Rosemary Canning: orcid.org/0009-0007-2413-0458

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