Post 9/11 American Novel: Political Orientations in Representing Arabs

Abstract

September 11, 2001 has been the most aggressive day in the history of modern America. The physical and psychological damages caused by the attacks left a unique experience of the day in the mind of American writers. Therefore, if literary and political orientations changed after the 9/11, novel's subject matter and themes changed too, because novel is a reflection of its social and political context. This study examines the assumption implicit in the dominant conceptions that novel serves the state's politics in its pursue of interests through representations and misrepresentations of other nations. This study examines how American novel expresses solidarity with the state and its politics, ignoring its imperial and hegemonic attitude towards other nations. Novel has become the most effective genres to represent the feelings of the nation and the concern of the country. Analysis will refer to two novels, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and Falling man, which directly deal with the moments of destroying the World Trade Centre and manifestly identify the terrorists, their culture, their religion and their intentions. Tendency to such themes allows American novel to follow the mainstream politics without grappling with the state's ideologies, interests and politics. Discussion will focus on the Foucauldian approach to literature and power and on the implications of using the Foucauldian approach to the study of imperial literature.