Redefining Identity through Emancipation: Exploring Female Self-Representations in Contemporary Irish Autofiction

Abstract

Drawing on transfeminist critique and autofiction theory, this essay explores three autofictional writings by three female Irish authors. Acknowledging the systemic and patriarchal oppression of women, the analysis of the novels A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing by Eimear McBride (2013), A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa (2020) and Checkout 19 by Claire-Louise Bennett (2021) will focus on how each author deals with individual manifestations of this condition. Furthermore, the different strategies of emancipation and liberation that each writer adopts will be taken into consideration. The main goal of this essay is to demonstrate how the experience of oppression distorts the authors’ perception of their identities, leading them to represent themselves as autofictional characters.