RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Title: Psychological Impact of Trauma in Post- War

Literatures

ABSTRACT

The paper discusses the effect of war on life and literature.The psychological
effects of trauma as they are portrayed in post-war literature are examined in this
paper, emphasizing how writers capture the psychological and emotional
challenges that people and societies experience following war. A comparison is
made between the difference in style of depiction of war in literary works
produced before and that produced after the widespread awareness of mental
health and illness. Important role played by Memory and the past and the
adversity of its impact on our present lives is discussed. Resistance of society to
accept mental illness as legitimate kind of illness and its consequent effect on the
individual dealing with past trauma is also included in the paper.

KEYWORDS:Trauma, Memory, Resistance, Postwar Literary Narratives

BACKGROUND OF THE PROPOSED

RESEARCH

Wars have been one of the primary causes of human suffering in literature and
life from the beginning of time. The paper widely deals with the aftermath of
World War I (1914 –1918) , World War II (1939-1945) , Crimean War
(1853-1855), and The My Lai massacre ( 1968). Literature was one of the
cultural spheres most affected by the conflict. Though the wars occur in different
time periods and impact varied communities of people, their psychological impact
on people’s minds remains the same irrespective of the place and time.

INTRODUCTION
The hardships of war, the transformations society was going through, and the
stark contrast between pre- and post-war literature are all frequently reflected in
War literature. The war brought about a number of social, political, and economic
changes, and the writers of the day felt compelled to criticize the shortcomings
they perceived in the society.The brutality and moral complexities of war have
been known to everyone.This paper, however, emphasizes the mental trauma
and emotional suffering in minds and hearts of humans due to the brutality of
war. For many years, it has been known that wartime stress can result in medical
and mental illnesses marked by severe flashbacks, memory loss, dissociation, or
exuberance.

LITERATURE REVIEW

The focus of literary imagination has always been on writing about war, great
warriors, their valor, and their exalted dying for the land and possession.The
major issues with initial writings on war include the glorification of the war and
undermining its brutality and consequences. “The Charge of the Light Brigade”,
written by the English poet Alfred Lord Tennyson in response to a battle during
the Crimean War (1853-1855). This poem honors the cavalryman's bravery and
selflessness, implying that bravery is the ability to carry out one's duty even when
it means facing certain death, thus celebrating self-sacrifice and heroism. This
was done to showcase the sense of patriotism, brotherhood and unity.

As times changed and more awareness about psychology spread, the writer's
views on wars shifted from talking about its glory to emphasizing the mental
trauma caused by the same. Literature has long portrayed PTSD in connection
with various wars, despite the lack of a formal diagnosis at the time. A major
theme in post-war writing is memory, which may both act as a conduit for trauma
and a tool to recovery. Trauma interferes with memory's natural process, which
frequently results in intrusive thoughts and flashbacks. A few potent pieces by
Lawrence provide an exception to the rule that post-war writers did not
extensively address battle in general. While Lawrence attributed the general
insanity of the war to certain individuals, Freud found a parallel between his
hysterical patients and those exhibiting shell-shock symptoms.The
characterisation of Septimus by Virginia woolf in her novel, “Mrs Dalloway”,
depicts the psychological harm that victims of extreme trauma, like war, endure
as well as the necessity for them to find purpose in their suffering in order to heal
from the trauma. She illustrates that the culturally mandated process of postwar
reintegration silences and marginalizes war veterans. This societal pressure and
expectation of forgetting the past agony and mental shock and dismissal of
severe impact of war on survivor’s psychology and mental health magnifies
Septimus's psychological harm and prolongs his war trauma. Tim O’Brien’s “In
the Lake of the Woods”,which depicts the infamous My Lai Massacre in
Vietnam,is another critical novel which shows the adverse impact of war on
human’s psychology. John Wade , the protagonist, feels as though his
recollections of Vietnam and his father are happening in the present. Throughout
the book, John gets near-hallucinogenic visions of My Lai and converses with his
father as though he is still alive. His repression of his past memories eventually
leads to bursts of trauma making his life misserable, thus, emphasizing the fact
that repression could never be a solution for healing from past traumas.

The instability and disillusionment of World War II led to the rise of absurdism in
Europe. As a protest against Western literature and culture, it gained popularity in
France.Major example of absurdist text is Samuel Becket’s “Waiting for Godot”,
in which there is wordplay, meaningless language, and characters who suddenly
change their feelings and forget everything—from their names to what happened
yesterday—abound in the play.Absurdism is predicated on the notion that
although people are continuously looking for meaning, they are unable to do it
because it does not exist.This concept was used to belittle the idea of
glorification of life ,thus, diminishing the glorification of war

GAP IN EXISTING RESEARCH

The very long term effect, pointing to the intergenerational transfer of trauma due
to the adversity of war , is yet to be deeply explored in literary fields.Thus, less
importance is given to the long term impact of war while the immediate impact of
war has widely been explored.
Comparison across Genres is also limited.Few genres, including poetry, fiction,
and memoirs, have been compared in terms of how they handle trauma. Every
genre may provide a different perspective on psychological experiences.

Lack of analysis of diverse perspectives could also be found. Exploration of

literature of different regions, both western and non-western narratives,is
required to understand the trauma of people belonging to different cultures.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH

To examine how trauma is portrayed in post-war literature, with an emphasis on

narrative devices and thematic components that highlight the psychological toll
that conflict takes on both individuals and communities.

To look at how trauma, memory, and identity are related in post-war stories,
taking into account how characters struggle with their prior experiences and how
that affects their sense of self.

To look at how trauma, mental health, and the reintegration of people into society
following war are reflected in post-war literature.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What narrative strategies are used to portray the psychological effects of

trauma and how is it portrayed in post-war literature?
2. How do characters in post-war literature deal with their traumatic memories,
and how does this process impact who they are?
3. In what ways do diverse cultural settings influence how trauma is portrayed in
post-war literature, and what recurring themes emerge throughout these works?
METHODOLOGY

Through attentive reading of a few chosen post-war literary works, this study
uses qualitative analysis to investigate how trauma is portrayed. Various types of
wars and their impact on human lives is examined in the research.Narrative
structure, identity and memory themes, and the psychological effects on
characters are examined in key works. Critical discourse analysis will place these
narratives within their historical and cultural contexts, while thematic analysis will
find recurrent themes.

CONTRIBUTION TO KNOWLEDGE AND

IMPACT
Through a better understanding of how story forms and themes reflect both
individual and collective experiences of conflict, this research will advance
knowledge of the psychological effects of trauma in post-war literature. The
project will add to interdisciplinary debate by linking psychological theory and
literary analysis and demonstrating the therapeutic potential of storytelling in
addressing trauma. Furthermore, the knowledge acquired will help shape
conversations about mental health, especially as it relates to veterans and
trauma survivors, encouraging more empathy and consciousness in public
perceptions.

PLAN OF WORK AND SCHEDULE

In the first two months of the study, a literature review will be conducted to
compile important texts and previous research. Close readings and topic
investigation will be used to do textual analysis in months three and four.In the
fifth month groundwork will be done, required interview will be taken followed by
the final writing of the paper.
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Victor Orchestra, Rose Coghlan, and Alfred Tennyson Tennyson. Charge of

the Light Brigade . 1909.

Woolf, Virginia. Mrs Dalloway. Penguin Books, 2020.

O'Brien, Tim.In the Lake of the Woods.Boston, Houghton Mifflin/Seymour

Lawrence,1994

Boehmer, Elleke.Colonial and Postcolonial Literature. Oxford

University Press, 1995

DeMeester, Karen. "Trauma and Recovery in Virginia Woolf's Mrs.

Dalloway." MFS Modern Fiction Studies, vol. 44 no. 3, 1998, p. 649-673

Beckett, Samuel. Waiting for Godot. Faber & Faber, 2006.