9/11: Writing Trauma An Analysis of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close and Saturday

Abstract

The terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 have represented a globally traumatic event in contemporary human history. The attacks were not only a severely disruptive experience that profoundly impacted the individuals personally involved, but they became a source of trauma that affected the whole world. During the years following the attacks, the global terror of 9/11 created a fascinating literary sub-genre called post-9/11 fiction, or 9/11 literature, which interested several Anglo-American writers. Moreover, this sub-genre is connected to literary trauma narratives whose themes are associated with extreme psychological states such as fear, paranoia, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The aim of this thesis is to analyse two post-9/11 and trauma novels, namely Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer and Saturday by Ian McEwan. It will do so by looking at the history of trauma studies, trauma narratives, and post-9/11 literature. Then, it will examine in depth the two novels, highlighting their connection to trauma fiction and post-9/11 fiction.