World War II was a world shaping event that forever changed the aspect of not only literature, but all things global in nature. Shaffer and Smith examine the life narratives of trauma (and their effect and causation) in ‘Conjunctions: Life narratives in the field of Human Rights’. Literature (in particular life narratives) gained considerable movement with the end of the War. A ‘kairos’ of sorts allowed the consumption of life narratives to take place. The free time afforded to affluent post war populations and the abundance of life narratives in circulation culminated in the perfect mix for consumption.
In particular, Holocaust narratives were very apparent in this Post War climate. Events such as the Eichmann trial created a “transnational identity” (Shaffer and Smith 8). With this, people began to consume these life narratives more viciously. An example that one can never shun is the Anne Frank Diaries which are now such a big part of culture around the world that Anne Frank is now a household names. People were, and still are, fascinated with her story. The thought that people may not have had a thirst for these type of life narratives in the past can be hard to believe in todays age of voyeurism and public exhibitionism. However, the Post-War culture allowed for this to become a part of our Western Culture.
From there, this thirst for life narratives and other people’s stories took off. One need only go visit and online book realtor or the local book store to see the latest life narratives. Presidents, religious figures, and celebrities alike all have life narratives than line the walls of said establishments. Barack Obama’s life narrative can sit next to that of the Dalai Lama or that of David Beckham. This would never have been possible without the aforementioned Post-War culture that was developed.
As a culture, we must give thanks to our former generations for spurring on this need/want for knowledge of other people. Although one can easily get caught up in life narratives that have no intellectual value (Kim Kardashian for example!), there are an equal amount of truly riveting life narratives to balance out the scale. Winston Churchill’s childhood stories give an amazing insight into the character known around the world today. The story of Barack Obama’s childhood (and the fact that he WAS in fact born in the United States) are intellectually stimulating and give us more amazing insights.
None of this would have been possible without what Shaffer and Smith call the “remembering” (Shaffer and Smith 9) that picked up force in the Post War period.
One Comment
You have examined a crucial idea that I feel that Schaffer and Smith perhaps did not expand on enough. The concept that much of our drive to learn about other people was spurred after World War II. With the Eichmann trials being publicized and the published Anne Frank Diary, the beginning of a culture that is endlessly fascinated with other people’s lives began. I think that it says a lot about how much we wish to learn about the lives of others but also why we choose to do that. As Schaffer and Smith discussed, there is a sense of searching for identity in reading life narratives, as though we are looking for someone to relate to, to whom we feel a connection. The consumption of World War II narratives seems to have stemmed from that idea. This need to find links and understanding between people who have very different experiences in order to bring the world closer together.