The Absence of a Coherent Narrative: Silence, Invisibility and Repetition in the Work of Joan Didion

Abstract

This thesis explores American author Joan Didion’s conceptualization of narrative and life as seen in her non-fictional works, and applies this to two of her fictional narratives, Play It as It Lays (1970) and The Last Thing He Wanted (1996) respectively. I suggest that what constitutes Didion’s own reflections on “narrativity” is formed by a distinct sense of an absent coherent narrative line. I argue that this can be seen represented in the two novels as two literary tropes that denote absence, namely “silence” and “invisibility.” I find that the way these tropes are carried is in the repetitive patterns that moreover emphasize a need to go back to their origins and repeat in order to make sense. Overall, this thesis hopes to contribute to the larger conversation on narrative and life as well as providing an alternative reading of two of Didion’s novels and selected works in her non-fiction.