‘Un-Aulasy’: Familial memory enacted through second-person language

Utilising second-person language is not a new concept in creative non-fiction, however, it remains an unconventional method to convey true stories. Un-Aulasy is a term I have devised for the use of second-person language in conjunction with vivid imagery and historical context in writing non-fictitious narratives. The combination of these elements allows for a deeper engagement with the text to occur, thereby placing the reader more accurately in memory. This terminology has been developed from my own examples and work but is visible in other works of a similar nature – Patterns of Childhood (Christa Wolf, 1976), Report from the Interior (Paul Auster, 2013) and A Man (Oriana Fallaci, 1981) as a few prime examples. This article’s purpose is not to proclaim a new method of writing but rather re-contextualise the use of second-person language in non-fiction writing, particularly so in family-based stories of memory, and when utilised in short bursts amidst an otherwise first-person perspective narrative.