Josephine Rowe’s (2014) ‘Brisbane’ raises the question of the value of an incomplete story, and if there even is such a thing as an incomplete or complete story (Rowe, 2014). ‘Brisbane’ spans no longer than six paragraphs total yet provides enough narrative for the reader to construct their own version of the story. Rowe’s short story integrates aspects of realism and modernism, blending them to create a piece that both explores un-filtered reality and defies traditional rules of literature. Her work uses a unique fragmented narrative structure, along with an interesting use of narration and time that creates a sense that the present is being haunted by the past.
Rowe’s ‘Brisbane’ is a short story that tells a narrative in only six paragraphs
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Realism largely seeks to represent the world for what it is, while valuing imperfection (Slattery, 1972, p. 55). This is evident in Rowe’s ‘Brisbane’, showing the unglamorous relationship between children and their mother, including painstaking detail from the protagonist about the world around him, “swiveling her round like an owl…except not like an owl because the skin of her neck creased up in folds.” (Rowe, 2014, para. 1). The vivid and sensory description adds to the feeling of intimacy and familiarity between the protagonist and his mother, helping the reader visualise the mother as a character. ‘Brisbane’ also contains aspects of modernism, which is more focused on subjectivism, fragmentation, and experimentation, along with a general ‘stream of consciousness’ form (Dugan, 2019 para. 2). This is shown through the protagonist describing his mother through the motel window as “standing in the light of the motel sign, like the ghost of 1967.” (Rowe, 2014, para. 3). The symbolism and metaphor of her as a ghost displays creates a dream-like atmosphere, aiding the sense of nostalgia that the short story creates, and the themes of memories and regret found throughout the story, providing it emotional depth despite its short