1. Fixed Link 2. Isle of Sheppey mudscapes: an ecocritical-creative response

Crawley, Sylvia Mary

Abstract

This critical-creative dissertation explores memory, loss, and the past, present and futures of the mudscapes of the Isle of Sheppey, to enquire how the mudscapes can speak to contemporary issues around the current global environmental crisis. Mud, and in particular coastal mud, is under-represented in nature writing, usually being subsumed within the study of wetlands. This work of creative non-fiction is structured as a series of journeys along the coastal edge of the Isle of Sheppey. Personal memories are interwoven into an ecocritical response to the mudscapes, guided by two principal texts: Julia Blackburn’s Time Song: Searching for Doggerland (2019) and Carol Donaldson’s On the Marshes, a Journey into England’s Wilderness (2017). Both texts are selected for their exploration of mud as an important characteristic of an otherwise sidelined landscape.

The novel, Fixed Link, explores themes of secrecy, insularity, memory and erosion. The Isle of Sheppey provides both the setting and the inspiration for the development of character. Margaret’s insularity and resilience stem from her surroundings: the erosion of the soft, clay cliffs mirror the diminution of trust and truth as the relationship with her mother, Dorothy, becomes increasingly fractured. The novel is structured in three parts: Bascule, Vertical Lift and Fixed Link. Each refers to bridges between Sheppey and the mainland and divide the novel temporally: Bascule relates to Margaret’s childhood in the 1950s up to February 1962; Vertical Lift covers an intense period of her life from 1962-3, and Fixed Link is set in the week running up to the opening of a new bridge to the island in 2006.

Citation

Crawley, S. M. 1. Fixed Link 2. Isle of Sheppey mudscapes: an ecocritical-creative response. (Thesis). Keele University. Retrieved from https://keele-repository.worktribe.com/output/1018726

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Dec 16, 2024
• Public URL: https://keele-repository.worktribe.com/output/1018726
• Additional Information: Embargo on access until 1 December 2027 - The thesis is due for publication, or the author is actively seeking to publish this material.
• Award Date: 2024-12