Glory, Disillusionment, and Exile: Re-evaluating War Ideals through Caruth’s Framework - Sadia Anjum & A S M Iftekarul Azam

Abstract : This paper intersects the changing ideals of war across time, from the glorifying martial valor of epic tradition to disillusionment of modern war and exile in post-colonial studies. Due to the fact that three authors —Homer, Auden and Darwish experienced trauma stemming from wars in different times, it connects them and shapes each writer’s response. The study seeks to elucidate how the memory of violence reappears throughout literary traditions through the lens of Caruth’s trauma theory, using her concepts of belatedness and recurrence of trauma. Applying qualitative methods, the research is grounded in textual interpretation, thematic analysis and intertextual comparison to highlight the functionality of trauma. The research ascertains a transformation in war ideals from ‘glory’ to ‘disillusionment’, and culminates in ‘exile’ by claiming that war literature is mostly about remembering, mourning and seeking meaning in human suffering rather than focused on battle only. It also extends trauma into the sphere of collective and post colonial wounding. By examining Darwish’s works alongside Homer’s and Auden’s, this paper unsettles the inherited Eurocentric limits of the discourse, thereby leaving scope for future discussions of war literature in different contexts. Keywords: War, Trauma, Latency, Exile, Resistance