'What's Haunting Dead Europe?' Trauma Fiction as a Reaction to Postmodern Governmentality

Authors

  • Michael Vaughan

Keywords:

Christos Tsiolkas, Dead Europe, postmodernism

Abstract

The ghosts of Christos Tsiolkas’ Dead Europe have been a key focus of its critical reception. This article offers an alternative reading of these ghosts, arguing that Tsiolkas writes trauma fiction to challenge the totalising discourse of postmodern governmentality, to assert the impossibility of an end to history, and to write fiction which haunts its readers to enact an ethical relationship with the traumatic past.

Author Biography

Michael Vaughan

Honours Graduate Department of English University of Sydney

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Published

2012-02-13