Abstract |
The study of trauma in different literary works, especially novels and movies, is interesting to all researchers. The reason for this is that expressions and visual effects, that are used by writers and directors, are presented in an attractive way for showing the effect of traumatic experience upon the traumatized characters. Trauma is a term used to describe the psychological and behavioral symptoms that afflict an individual by experiencing a traumatic event. This study tries to focus on a specific type of trauma which is called traumatic loss or traumatic grief. Trauma theory is used to shed light on how traumatic events are reflected in literature, historical texts, and movies by analyzing expressions of loss and grief. The thesis adapts Michelle Balaev’s pluralistic trauma theory as an innovative approach to analyze traumatic loss thematically and technically in All Is True (2018) by the British writer, Ben Elton and in Hamnet (2020) by the Irish-British writer, Maggie O’Farrell. In discussing Shakespeare’s life, none of scholars trace how his son Hamnet died. Although the novel and the movie are two different artistic mediums, they are historical fictions that imagine the reason behind Hamnet death. Hence, the thesis uses the analytical method to analyze traumatic loss in Ben Elton's movie All Is True and Maggie O’Farrell's novel Hamnet and to show its effect upon Shakespeare and his family. |