https://doi.org/10.67147/literariness.v1si1.008
Trauma and Narrative Temporality in Mrs. Dalloway and Beloved
D. S. THRINETHRAA
Research Scholar
Department of English
Sri Vasavi College, Erode, India
thrinethraadhandapani@gmail.com
DR. K. S. SARADHAMBAL
Associate Professor & Head
Department of English
Sri Vasavi College, Erode, India
saradhabas@gmail.com
Abstract: Trauma and narrative temporality have become important areas of study in contemporary literary criticism. Trauma refers to a deeply distressing experience that disrupts an individual’s psychological and emotional stability. In literature, trauma often influences the way narratives are structured, particularly in the representation of time. This paper examines how traumatic experiences affect narrative temporality in English literature. It explores how authors use narrative techniques such as non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, fragmented memories, and repetition to portray the psychological impact of trauma. Through the analysis of selected literary works such as Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway and Toni Morrison’s Beloved, the paper demonstrates how trauma disrupts the normal flow of time and memory in narrative structures. These texts reveal that traumatic experiences are often represented through disrupted temporal patterns that reflect the characters’ fragmented consciousness. By examining these narrative strategies, the study highlights how literature provides a powerful medium for expressing the complexities of trauma and memory.
Keywords: Trauma, Narrative Temporality, Memory, Flashbacks, Psychological Trauma
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