Challenging the Operations of Power in the Pandemic Plot: A Hydrofeminist Reading of Water in Sarah Hall’s Burntcoat

Document Type

Article

Authors

Anita Chmielewska, University of Economics and Human Sciences in WarsawFollow

Author Biography

Anita Chmielewska is an Assistant Professor at the University of Economics and Human Sciences in Warsaw, specializing in contemporary English-language literature. She holds a PhD in Literary Studies from the University of Warsaw. Her research explores feminist theory, ecocriticism, and the intersections of gender and identity in post-2000 women’s fiction.

Abstract

This paper explores the motif of water in Sarah Hall’s novel Burntcoat (2021), written during the COVID-19 pandemic, as a symbol of interconnectedness and transformation. It examines how water challenges conventional boundaries between identity, the body, and the environment. Drawing on Astrida Neimanis’ concept of hydrofeminism, the analysis investigates how Hall employs watery imagery to address themes of corporeality and the dynamic interplay between humanity and nature in the context of a global pandemic. Through a hydrofeminist lens, this study highlights how Burntcoat engages with the pandemic’s realities, encouraging readers to reimagine their relationship with the natural world. By positioning Burntcoat within hydrofeminist discourse, the paper underscores water as a metaphor for dissolving rigid boundaries and fostering a holistic understanding of existence, thereby contributing to the literary analysis of watery imagery in “corona literature.”

Recommended Citation

Chmielewska, Anita (2024) "Challenging the Operations of Power in the Pandemic Plot: A Hydrofeminist Reading of Water in Sarah Hall’s Burntcoat," Criticism: Vol. 66: Iss. 1, Article 4.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/criticism/vol66/iss1/4