TRAUMA, TEMPORALITY, AND FRAGMENTED NARRATIVE IN MODERN LITERATURE

Abstract

The relationship between trauma, memory, and narrative form has become central to contemporary literary and cultural studies. Trauma disrupts the continuity of experience, particularly in terms of time and memory, making it difficult to represent through conventional linear narratives. This paper explores how trauma theory conceptualizes memory as delayed, fragmented, and repetitive, and how these characteristics influence narrative strategies in modern literature. Drawing upon theorists such as Freud, Caruth, Herman, LaCapra, van der Kolk, Felman, and Whitehead, the study argues that fragmented narrative is not merely a stylistic innovation but an essential response to the challenges of representing trauma. Through theoretical discussion and literary examples, the paper demonstrates how fragmentation reflects disrupted temporality, fractured identity, and the ethical complexities of testimony. It further examines how silence, repetition, and narrative gaps function as meaningful elements rather than deficiencies. Ultimately, the paper suggests that fragmented storytelling offers a more authentic way to engage with trauma by preserving its complexity and resisting artificial coherence.