The Romantic Legacy in Helen Dunmore’s Short Fiction

Abstract

Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s thought, and Romantic thought more broadly, have been a constant presence in, and had relevance for, literary writing ever since  the emergence of the Romantic influence on literature and culture, especially regarding fiction, and studies of fiction, centred around or featuring child characters, portrayals and examinations of childhood, and works that are directly a part of the category of children’s literature. British contemporary author Helen Dunmore, known for her children’s books as well as for her novels and poetry collections, has, compared to, for example, Ian McEwan, not been awarded much attention in the academic field, and, as far as I know, there has been no examination in terms of analysing Romantic influence in her work. This paper aims to examine such Romantic influence in Dunmore’s short fiction, namely “The Kiwi-fruit Arbour,” “The Clear and Rolling Water,” and “Emily’s Ring” in her short story collection Ice Cream (2000).