TRAUMA, MEMORY, AND IDENTITY IN POST-WAR ENGLISH FICTION
Keywords:
: trauma, memory, identity, post-war fiction, English literature, World War IIAbstract
This article explores the interconnected themes of trauma, memory, and identity in
post-war English fiction. After the Second World War, English literature increasingly
focused on the psychological and emotional consequences of violence, loss, and social
disruption. The study examines how novelists represent trauma through fragmented
narratives, unreliable memory, and complex character identities. It argues that memory
functions as a central mechanism through which characters attempt to reconstruct their
sense of self in the aftermath of war. By analyzing selected post-war English novels,
the article demonstrates how fiction becomes a space for confronting collective and
individual trauma, revealing the lasting impact of war on personal identity and cultural
consciousness.
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