The spiral of survival: why women’s illness narratives must break the hero’s journey
In a recent piece for The Guardian, Hardy critiques the dominant Western narrative structure, proposing that chronic illness is better understood as a looping spiral rather than a story with a neat ending.
Author Emma Hardy has challenged the dominant cultural script for chronic illness, arguing that the traditional "hero’s journey" narrative structure is fundamentally broken for women. In a recent article for The Guardian, Hardy contends that the linear arc of inciting incident, struggle, and closure fails to capture the reality of conditions like premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), which she describes as a recurring, non-static spiral rather than a problem to be solved.
Hardy, who was diagnosed with PMDD in mid-2020 at the age of 27, details the exhausting diagnostic process that involved three months of daily symptom logging and consultations with GPs, gynaecologists, endocrinologists, psychologists, and psychiatrists. She contrasts her relatively swift diagnosis with the average six-and-a-half-year wait for an endometriosis diagnosis, highlighting the systemic delays women often face in having their health concerns validated.
The PMDD diagnosis revealed a condition characterised by severe depression, anger, and suicidal ideation in the week or two preceding menstruation. Hardy notes that the illness does not resolve into a static state of health; instead, it cycles, leaving her either in the throes of symptoms, recovering, or approaching the next episode. This recurring nature directly contradicts the Western narrative model, which typically features a singular character overcoming challenges to achieve a definitive ending or death.
Drawing on literary theory from Jane Alison’s book Meander, Spiral, Explode, Hardy critiques the "hero’s journey" as a structure that values transformation over endurance. Alison compares the narrative arc to a wave or a male orgasm—swelling, climaxing, and collapsing. Hardy suggests that this linear model leaves no room for the messy, ongoing reality of chronic illness, effectively rendering the condition terminal if it does not result in a cure.
As an alternative, Hardy proposes the spiral as a more accurate and hopeful narrative shape. She suggests that just as her illness loops around, so too can the stories told about it. This framework allows for repetition and looping back to the same moments with new understanding, offering a sense of continuity rather than closure. Hardy finds hope in this structure, noting that the story continues and that there is meaning in enduring the "messy middle" of life with illness.
Her memoir, Periodic Bitch, published by Allen & Unwin, explores these themes and is currently available for A$29.99. Through her work, Hardy aims to create a cultural space where illness narratives do not need to be neat or digestible, but can instead reflect the complex, looping reality of living with chronic health conditions.