Mardi 6 février 2024 18h salle 126 Site Saint-Charles 1
Trauma Rhetoric: 9/11 Discourse in the Media and in DeLillo’s Falling Man
(Case Study that is part of Isaak’s larger book project, Fiction and Media Rhetoric: Narratives of Trauma, Terror and Populism from 2001-2021.)
This is a presentation of part of a larger book project which bears the working title Fiction and Media Rhetoric: Narratives of Trauma, Terror and Populism from 2001-2021, which considers the first two decades of twenty-first century America by examining the appropriation of the rhetoric of fiction by the media and the reciprocal deployment of media rhetoric by fiction. Where do fact and fiction converge and how are these overlapping frames symptomatic of emerging phenomena of our era like fake news? How are they further complicated by the explosion of AI?
The events of September 11, 2001, constitute a significant turning point in contemporary history, challenging both journalistic and literary narratives to capture the complexities of this traumatic moment. This talk will explore the rhetoric employed in print media and literature when addressing the 9/11 attacks, with a specific focus on Don DeLillo’s novel, Falling Man. This interdisciplinary analysis delves into the intersection of narratology, trauma theory, and rhetoric studies to investigate how narratives are constructed to convey the experiences and aftermath of 9/11. By comparing and contrasting the rhetorical strategies used in print media coverage with those in DeLillo’s novel, I aim to reveal the distinctive ways in which each medium approaches the task of representing trauma and its enduring impact on society. In the context of print media, I will examine the language, imagery, and narrative framing used in the immediate aftermath of the attacks, considering how newspapers and magazines grappled with the need to convey the enormity of the event while adhering to the principles of journalistic objectivity. Falling Man presents a unique literary perspective on the 9/11 experience. I will analyze how DeLillo's narrative strategies, including shifting perspectives, non-linear timelines, and character development, capture the emotional and psychological dimensions of trauma while addressing the challenges of representation and memory. This talk will shed light on the role of rhetoric in shaping the cultural memory of 9/11 and the ways in which narratives in print media and literature reflect and respond to this pivotal moment in history. By examining the distinct choices made in constructing these narratives, I hope to contribute to a deeper understanding of the complexities of representation and rhetoric in the face of traumatic events, that may also help to grapple with similar terrorist attacks like those of October 7th, 2023.
The German-American researcher from NY, Dr. Sonya Isaak, holds a PhD in English and French literature from Heidelberg University in Germany, where she teaches at the English department. Currently, she is a member of the English department at Avignon University and conducts research at the EMMA research lab at the Université Paul Valéry. Isaak’s research focuses primarily on contemporary and nineteenth century literature, culture and civilization in the Anglophone and Francophone realms. In 2021 she published her first monograph, Edgar Allan Poe and Charles Baudelaire’s Aesthetic Architecture of Revolt: An Axial Analysis which outlines a new heuristic method for comparative intertextual and intermedial analysis and which has received favorable reviews. Currently, she is working on a book project in American Studies with the working title Fiction and Media Rhetoric: Narratives of Trauma, Terror and Populism from 2001-2021.