The paper explores the conceptual framework of neuro existentialism in Janna Leyde’s He Never Liked Cake. This theoretical viewpoint, which is the third wave of existentialism, calls into question the conventional notions of self, free will and purpose. The claim of this perspective advocates that self, free will, consciousness and identity happen to be the products of the brain. This claim is unlikely of the first and second waves of existentialism that centre around ecclesiastical and political or social structures. The Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) of the protagonist’s father is the profound existential threat in the novel. The research studies the ways in which this threat makes a mess of the continuity of self and how it challenges the survivor and his daughter’s basic insights of existence. This study also encompasses their existential dimensions and patterns wherein the brain grapples to reconstitute its sense of self, with an analysis of the neural processes and the subjective experiences, of both the TBI survivor and their loved ones. This study discloses that TBI is not just a neurological change and adaptation of the damages and injury but also an existential devising of redefining one’s ‘self’ and the relationship that they have with the world, incase of both the TBI survivors and their loved ones.

Authors:
Sharon Vethamanickam, The American College, India

About the Presenter(s)
Ms. V. Sharon Susannah is currently an Assistant Professor of English at The American College, Madurai, India. My current interests in literature constitute an interdisciplinary reading and interpretation especially with medicine.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Friday Schedule

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