Sally Rooney in Oslo: A Metamodernist Perspective on the Female Millennial in Sally Rooney's Conversations with Friends and Joachim Trier's The Worst Person in the World

Abstract

This thesis investigates the representation of the female millennial in recent literature and film. I apply Robin van den Akker and Timotheus Vermeulen’s use of metamodernism to a close reading and comparative analysis of Sally Rooney’s novel Conversations with Friends and Joachim Trier’s film The Worst Person in the World. These works reflect the metamodernist structure of feeling, as they consider the effects of capitalism, digitalisation, and global crises in their characterisation of women from the millennial generation. Both protagonists’ romantic relationships portray skewed power dynamics that result in financial and emotional dependence, and a complicated engagement with the female body and motherhood. These elements highlight the juxtaposition of lingering patriarchal structures and progressive portrayals of contemporary women. Thus, Rooney and Trier illustrate a negotiation between continuity and change, as each change emphasises what has not changed. Tracing this negotiation in recent depictions of the female millennial in literature and film, suggests a productive approach in understanding the often misunderstood millennial generation and thus, offers potential solutions for change.