Deconstructing the Traditional Apocalyptic Narrative in Etel Adnan’s Literary Texts

Abstract

The classical apocalyptic narrative has perennially kindled optimism within devout communities, yet the conventions of this narrative fail to accommodate the intricacies of the postmodern epoch. Within this framework, the present thesis undertakes an examination of Etel Adnan’s works: The Arab Apocalypse, Master of the Eclipse and Other Stories, and There: In the Light and the Darkness of the Self and of the Other, from a postmodern perspective. It delves into postmodern apocalypticism vis-à-vis existential crises and historiographic metafiction. Central to this research are postmodern apocalyptic themes, including global terrorism, existential dread, societal breakdown, authoritarian hegemony, and the subjugation of humanity. Moreover, this analysis showcases the implementation of postmodern narrative strategies, such as an open ending, nonlinear narratives and intertextuality, destabilizing the apocalyptic genre’s conventional paradigms. This research employs a qualitative approach and analytical and critical methods to achieve these objectives. Subsequently, the study results demonstrate that, in Etel Adnan’s case study, the themes and techniques of postmodernism dismantle the established apocalyptic narrative by challenging its presuppositions assumptions of order, linearity, harmony, and utopia. Besides, the results underscore the imperative role of artistic expression and historiographic metafiction as potent rejoinders to the disquieting backdrop of the postmodern era.