Branded in his mind: Trauma, violence and memory in E. L. Doctorow's the Book of Daniel

Ferrández San Miguel, María (Universidad de Zaragoza)

Resumen: E. L. Doctorow’s The Book of Daniel (1971) is unequivocally what has been termed a
“trauma novel.” This paper examines the protagonist’s traumatic condition, concentrating
on its causes and on the determining circumstances that contribute to aggravating it. The
analysis of Daniel’s narrative reveals that he suffers from many of the symptoms
associated to PTSD and anhedonia, a psychological condition which frequently co-occurs
with PTSD as a consequence of infantile psychic trauma. The paper, then, explores the
relationship between the protagonist’s traumatic condition and his violent and oppressive
treatment of the three main female characters of the novel. Finally, this paper
concentrates on the status of Daniel’s memories of his traumatic past. As a conclusion, it
is contended that the novel’s concern with trauma and memory points to the author’s
preoccupation with remembrance, which he seems to consider the best and only tool to
build a better world. Doctorow seeks to highlight the importance of listening to the
fragmented voices of those who suffer the effects of trauma in order to develop new
social and political perspectives that will guarantee a better future

Idioma: Inglés

Año: 2015

Publicado en: NJES : Nordic journal of English studies 13, 4 (2015), 1-19
ISSN: 1502-7694

Factor impacto SCIMAGO: 0.181 - Literature and Literary Theory (Q1) - Language and Linguistics (Q2) - Linguistics and Language (Q2)

Tipo y forma: Article (Published version)

Área (Departamento): Área Filología Inglesa (Dpto. Filolog.Inglesa y Alema.)