Establishing Historical Consciousness via the Historical Novel: Don DeLillo and His Epic Work Underworld

Year 2021, Issue: 55, 77 - 99, 01.05.2021

Olena Boylu

Abstract

The objective of this article is to render several definitions of
the concept of historical consciousness which, as a notion, is a relatively young concept since the early studies on this issue emerged
during 1970s and the major breakthrough came at the beginning of
the 21st century. Hence, in the light of the recent studies on the nature
and significance of this concept and the vanishing boundary between
history and fiction within the postmodern context, the role of the historical novel in the establishment process of the historical consciousness became evident. In this respect, Don DeLillo’s historical novel
Underworld (1997) that covers almost fifty years of the United Sates,
is selected in order to exemplify how a fictional text can contribute to
the historical consciousness of its reader. By recreating the atmosphere
of the Cold War period, the author presents a multilayered portrayal of
the second half of the 20th century with its political, cultural and social
agenda.

Keywords

American history, American novel, historical consciousness, historical novel, Don DeLillo, Underworld, postmodernism, American history, American novel, historical consciousness, historical novel, Don DeLillo, Underworld, postmodernism

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