Katie Kitamura's fifth novel, "Audition," delves into the life of a middle-aged actress grappling with her role and agency, especially in her relationships. In her conversation with critic Jennifer Wilson, Kitamura reflects on the frequent criticism of character agency in creative writing. She emphasizes that while characters are often expected to possess agency, the reality is that true agency is limited in life. As her novel releases this week, Kitamura prompts readers to consider the often-constricted choices that shape human experience.
I teach creative writing, and in class often . . . if there is a character who the group feels doesn't have agency, that is often brought up as a criticism of the character.
But, of course, the reality is very few of us have total agency. I think we operate under the illusion or the impression that we have a great deal of agency.
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