Open    Access



Reconstruction of Memory, Identity and History: “Thing” Narrative in The Book of Collateral Damage



Author(s)

CHEN Qian, LIU Xiao

Full-Text PDF XML     46 Views

DOI:10.17265/2328-2177/2024.12.002

National University of Defense Technology, Changsha, China

This paper draws from “The Material Turn” in literary criticism to explore the multi-functions of “things” in The Book of Collateral Damage, a semi-autobiographical novel by Sinan Antoon, analyzing their roles in carrying memories, constructing identities, and reconstructing history. Each object encountered in the novel holds the memories of a character, which are constructed and reconstructed as casualties of war’s collateral damage. Each object also reflects a character’s sense of social belonging, which is impacted by the collateral experiences of the war. Moreover, each object actively records and reflects the war narrative, rethinking and revising the official historical narrative. It is hoped that the present study might throw a new light on the vital role played by things in this novel, which are no longer just static backdrops, but rather dynamic narrative subjects that record and reflect individual and collective perceptions and emotions, as well as provide a more complex and multidimensional view of historical truth.

The Book of Collateral Damage, Sinan Antoon, the “thing” narrative