On The Multiple Meanings Of Post-9/11 Novel

At the beginning of 21st century, the post-9/11 novel was born in Anglo-American literary, which is inspired by 9/11 incident in 2001. Seven pieces of works in post-9/11 novels which includes Falling Man (Don Delillo), Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (Jonathan Safran Foer), Terrorist (John Updike), The Reluctant Fundamentalist (Mohsin Hamid), Saturday (Ian McEwan), Netherland (Joseph O'Neill) and The Experor's Children (Claire Messud) are widely accepted in critics. These pieces of works show the diversification of post-9/11 novel's subjects, which is driven by traumatic writing, re-appearance of ethnic difference and personal identity value reflections. What is more, it presents rich and multiple meanings of post-9/11 fictions.In terms of "traumatic writing", descriptions in direct and indirect victims comes from that huge disaster (9-11 incident) are the start point of post-9/11 novel. It helps following scholars discover how significant historical events (hidden behind victims' traumatic characterization) affect individuals. From the aspect of "re-appearance of ethnic differences", post-9/11 novel focuses on the minorities, with the notation of cross-culture and cross-ethnic, to deliver the message that they are anxious about reappearance of McCarthyism in U.S.. When it comes to "personal identity value reflections", the post-9/11 novel expands discussion from identity dilemma and identity reconstruction. It presents the conflicts between all people's inherent social values and changeable social values in post-9/11 era, and shows individuals' psychological and spiritual changes as well. What is more, how to take advantage of the post 9/11 incident to rebuild ourselves's identities and values is under discussion as well.For over ten years' development of post-9/11 novel, any consensus still hasn't been formed in academia. However, the novelty and instability on post-9/11 fiction can be recognized precisely through different assessment perspective. There still be a huge space for improvement of post-9/11 novel in terms of the reflection on life and discussion on culture conflicts under globalization context. In conclusion, the post-9/11 novel tries to focus on "Ground zero" of human beings from literary perspective. Irrefutably, all the introspection and comfort they did positive.