The Role of Literature in Reconciling Trauma on Personal and Social Level
The Role of Literature in Reconciling Trauma on Personal and Social Level

Summary/Abstract: This paper outlines the role of narrative in experiencing and reconciling trauma from the viewpoint of psychology and illustrates the role of literature in trauma reconciliation. It argues that personal trauma related to social and political context cannot be fully reconciled without prompting a parallel reconciliation process on the social level. Literature is seen as a possible vehicle for initiating and facilitating such process. This point is illustrated by an example of two autobiographical books dealing with personal experiences from the Czechoslovak Communist era.

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