Growing Old Before Old Age: Ageing in the Fiction of Marian Keyes

摘要

This research analyzes the ways in which the ageing process is articulated in Marian Keyes's novels. Keyes is one of numerous authors within the genre of “chick lit,” or “post-feminist fiction.” This type of literature, begun in the mid-1990s, mainly deals with the process of the coming into adulthood of the female protagonists. They not only suffer pressures related to social demands about marriage and motherhood, but also have to go through painful experiences that serve as rites of passage. Keyes's novels focus on the interpersonal relationships established by the characters and, through these, the protagonists become responsible adults, aware of the need to be in control of their lives and choices. Initially, the protagonists are females around 30 years old who apparently feel satisfied with their various different circles. In spite of this contentment, they feel pressure from outside that pulls them into conventionalisms: giving up their independence and settling down, getting married and having children. The discussion of the author, in the voice of the protagonist, is whether becoming an adult means being independent or being conventional.