Perspectives

Literary period

“Born Again” by Anne Billson is a postmodernist short story. Postmodernism arose as a literary movement in the mid- to late 20th century. Works within this literary genre often focus on universal issues such as truth, morality, and human nature. This is evident in “Born Again”. It never becomes clear if the events told by the first-person narrator are the truth, and Nancy faces personal and ethical dilemmas such as abortion.

Postmodern texts often display skepticism towards established values, beliefs, and ideologies. This skepticism may be coupled with irony and humor. In “Born Again”, there are several references to religion but everything is narrated with an ironic distance. E.g. religious people are portrayed as crazy and with poor personal hygiene. Nancy’ shock at discovering her pregnancy is also described in a humorous way, despite the fact that this is a potentially life-altering event. 

The skepticism is also visible in the text’s constant play with real vs. surreal. As reade...