AustLit

'"Voice" is a term often used in literary criticism, yet it is difficult to define precisely. This chapter seeks to unpack how we move from what is essentially a biological process (of air moving through the flesh of vocal cords) to what a writer means when they talk about "voice" in a piece of writing. I aim to show that the literary voice "belongs to both the body and mind", it "bridges our internal and external worlds", and it is integral to storytelling. With a focus on the bush tradition in Australian short fiction, this chapter examines Cate Kennedy’s short story "Cold Snap", in relation to several cognitive capacities—paralanguage, inner space and hypostasizing—to explore the notion of literary "voice" as potentially more than a metaphorical moniker (as traditionally seen in narratology theories). Using this cognitive lens, I aim to study "voice" as a living entity in writing and reading processes.'

Source: Abstract.