Abstract:E. L. Doctorow's The Book of Daniel (1971) is unequivocally what has been termed a "trauma novel." This paper examines the protagonist's traumatic condition, concentrating on its causes and on the determining circumstances that contribute to aggravating it. The analysis of Daniel's narrative reveals that he suffers from many of the symptoms associated to PTSD and anhedonia, a psychological condition which frequently co-occurs with PTSD as a consequence of infantile psychic trauma. The paper, then, explores the… Show more
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