Perspectives

Indhold

Literary period
Works with the same theme

Literary period

Safia Moore’s short story “That Summer” was published in 2015 and is, thus, a contemporary short story. Even though the story is set sometimes in the 1960s or 1970s, its context is still relevant because the Troubles in Northern Ireland lasted until 1998 and left deep scars on society there.

The story falls into the category of postmodernist literature, which refers to most fiction published after the 1960s and up to present day. Postmodernism is not a unified literary movement, but it does have some defining characteristics that are also identifiable in “That Summer”. For example, Moore chooses a first-person narrator, which is a common choice in postmodernist fiction.

The topic of the story is an issue that developed after the 1960s. Most postmodernist authors choose to focus on themes and contexts that are connected with the world after WWII or contemporary to the time of writing.

Finally, like other Postmodernist works, “That Summer” does not have a typical structure. For example, its climax is unrelated to most of the tension points in the story. The climax is a death through a car accident instead of being about the missing children as the story initially leads us to believe.

Works with the same theme

Engelsk

Walking the Dog | Analysis

“Walking the Dog” by Bernard MacLaverty follows a man who is walking his dog and who is briefly captured and questioned in a car by men who fight in Northern Ireland. Like “That Summer”, this story is set during the Troubles.

Engelsk

Good Girl

The story “Good Girl” by Marita Conlon-McKenna follows a Catholic girl who is bullied by other Catholic girls for dating a Protestant boy. “Good Girl” is similar to “That Summer” because they both focus on the impact of the Troubles on young people and children. Both stories use foreshadowing and convey a strong message about how children are influenced by the environment they grow up in.

Engelsk

To Keep the Faith

“To Keep the Faith” by Michael Becket takes a different approach to the impact of the Troubles on people as the story shows how two women of different faiths are brought together by the deaths of their husbands in the conflict. This is the opposite of what happens in “That Summer”, where the local community continues to shun the Catholic family even after Mrs Walsh has died tragically.