Author(s)

Kefan Lin ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ Faculty of Arts, Languages, Literature and Humanities, Sorbonne University, Rue Victor Cousin, Paris, France

Corresponding Author

Kefan Lin

ABSTRACT

This study aims to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the trauma narrative presented in David Diop's novel 'At Night All Blood is Black' by examining its storyline and linguistic features. This study shows that the trauma is constructed in the general context of colonial oppression and brutal warfare and directly triggered by the protagonist's agonizing loss of a friend. By focusing on the reccuring nature and latent effects of trauma, we realize that the representation of the trauma in the novel was mainly characterized by a repetitive style in terms of language and narration. Furthermore, we also explore the dramatic manifestation of the trauma, analyzing the protagonist's chaotic psychological state entangled by madness and sexual aggression, thereby revealing the violence and moral decay he experienced. The findings provide a dynamic perspective on the protagonist's psychological struggle within the traumatic experiences, highlighting the intricacy of savagery, self-alienation, and cruelty that entraps him.

KEYWORDS

At night all blood is black, tirailleur sénégalais, WWI, trauma, illness narrative

CITE THIS PAPER

Kefan Lin, Trauma Narrative in David Diop's "At Night All Blood is Black". Lecture Notes on Language and Literature (2023) Vol. 6: 79-87. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/langl.2023.061514.

REFERENCES

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[10] Saif Adnan, Al-Obaidi. "The Motives and the Use of Repetition in David Diop's At Night All Blood is Black"[J]. Adab AL Rafidayn, 2022, vol. 52, no. 90, pp. 253-272.
[11] Feder, Lillian. Madness in Literature [M]. Princeton University Press, 1980.
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