The Representation of Cyprus’s Trauma in Andrea Busfield’s Aphrodite’s War: Conflict or Dialogue?

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Published: Apr 12, 2019
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/syn.16242
Keywords:
Andrea Busfield trauma Cyprus collective memory
Ingrida Eglė Žindžiuvienė
Vytautas Magnus University
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1143-3998
Abstract

The aim of this article is to examine the representation of the events in Cyprus in the middle and second half of the twentieth century as depicted in Andrea Busfield’s novel Aphrodite’s War (2010). The article discusses the methods and narrative strategies of disclosing collective trauma and considers the fact-fiction dimension, arguing the presence of it in a trauma narrative. Narrative strategies in trauma fiction are discussed and the author’s approach to the restatement of the national trauma is analysed. It is debated whether the novel can be described as a post-trauma testimony and whether the narrative is constructed on unified memory concepts. Postmemory is viewed within the framework of transgenerational trauma and the role of collective memory in the transmission of trauma is emphasised. Based on the ethical charge of the narrative, the reader’s status in the relationship with a trauma novel is questioned.

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Author Biography
Ingrida Eglė Žindžiuvienė, Vytautas Magnus University
Ingrida Eglė Žindžiuvienė is Professor of English and Literature at the Department of English Philology, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania. She teaches contemporary British and American Literature, Theory of Drama, and other courses. Ingrida Žindžiuvienė has published articles on British and American literature, comparative literary studies, and American Studies, and has participated in conferences worldwide. She has participated in teaching programs in many European universities and has taken part in international projects. She is the co-author of the following books: English at a Glance (2002), Modern North American Women Writers(2005), Doing Research on ELT (2013), and others. She is currently working on two projects: a study on contemporary American authors and research into literary representation of collective trauma. Her main research interests include comparative literary studies, literary theory and cultural studies.
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