Perspectives

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Literary period
[AS1] Works with the same theme

Literary period

Published in 2017, “Reunion” by Peter Bradshaw is a contemporary postmodernist short story. Postmodernism describes the literary period that flourished from the 1960s up to the present day. Because the authors and works within this literary period are very diverse in terms of approach and style, it is sometimes difficult to clearly label them as postmodern. However, in the case of “Reunion”, you can identity a number of features that are associated with Postmodernism.

One of them is the use of the first-person narrator, who is often unreliable. Elliot is a first person-narrator who does not attempt to sound reliable to readers: “ ‘ Oh, I really don’t remember too much about it...’ I then said airily. Of course that was a lie.” (ll. 48-49).

Another postmodernist feature is the overall structure of the story, which uses fragmentation and does not respect a traditional plot line. The story jumps to different moments in time and returns to the present at the end.

Works with the same theme

Engelsk

Cyprus Avenue

For the theme of nostalgia, you could also consider comparing “Reunion” to the short story “Cyprus Avenue” by Lucy Caldwell. The story follows a woman and a man from the same town who meet in the airport as they are both going home for holidays. The two share memories about a traumatic past, memories that help the woman find some peace of mind regarding her sister’s death and rediscover her own identity. The story is similar to “Reunion” because it also follows the interaction between a woman and a man who knew each other as children.

Engelsk

Leftovers

“Leftovers” by Nickolas Butler also explores relationships and nostalgia. The story follows a man whose mother has died. He takes comfort in the memory of his loving mother, while he is also in an unhappy marriage with his wife. The story suggests that love between parents and children is easier than a romantic relationship. The stories are similar in terms of narrative techniques, as both of them rely on backstories to help us better understand the plot and the characters.

Engelsk

Owl af Jackie Kay | Analyse

“Owl” by Jackie Key follows two middle-aged female friends as they recall how they became friends as children on a farm holiday, where they also discovered that their parents were having affairs with each other. The tales about their past reveal their nostalgia, but the story is more focused on the theme of friendship. The story is similar to “Reunion” because it also focuses on events from the characters’ childhood, mixed with the present. They both convey the idea that, with age, people get nostalgic about their past.