The Role Of The Creative In Addressing The Political

Cauchi, Caroline

Abstract

This lecture considers the question of creativity as a form of political and ethical discourse. In it, I focus on my latest novel – Mrs van Gogh (Cauchi, 2023) – which voices the role Vincent van Gogh’s sister-in-law played in his rise to fame. Thus, in this lecture, I draw on my creative practice alongside the importance of Nochlin’s battle cry, ‘We will need our wit and courage to make sure that women’s voices are heard, their work seen and written about’ (Nochlin, 2015, p. 321). I also dissect the ways in which women involved in creative pursuits have so often disappeared from historical narratives and how they need to be reimagined in contemporary creative practice. In addition, in this lecture, the political is framed within the ethical. In creating a fictionalised account of Johanna van Gogh-Bonger’s life (Cauchi, 2023), I argue, I am responsible for questioning the contextual factors that affect a novelist’s ethical and moral responsibilities when recreating an actual existence. Through much self-reflection and consideration of my own imaginative role, this lecture argues a novelist’s ‘right’ to fictionalise a real life: should living relatives be a consideration when creating fiction based on real people? What are the ethical parameters historical authors must consider? Is there authorial conflict between creation of narrative tension/plot and ethical considerations? Furthermore, I critique the key craft concerns that I faced while recreating Johanna van Gogh-Bonger on page – developing character, plot, voice, secondary characters – and how that shaped the process of my ‘creative writing’, as well as offering practical advice to other writers. I conclude this lecture by explaining how it further extends feminist scholarship, and asserting a need for continued conversation about the contribution made by creative women to the arts.

Citation

Cauchi, C. (2023, March). The Role Of The Creative In Addressing The Political. Presented at Craft, Creativity, Critique: A Department of English Postgraduate Symposium, University of Malta

• Presentation Conference Type: Keynote
• Conference Name: Craft, Creativity, Critique: A Department of English Postgraduate Symposium
• Start Date: Mar 27, 2023
• End Date: Mar 28, 2023
• Deposit Date: Dec 12, 2023
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4481737
• Publisher URL: https://www.um.edu.mt/events/craftcreativity2023/speakers/