The Crisis of Liberal Democracy in Contemporary Novels

or The Continuation of History

von Leander Møller Gøttcke

168 Seiten, Taschenbuch

Kurzbeschreibung des Verlags

This book explores how contemporary novels reflect a profound shift in Western culture, from the political optimism of the post-Cold War era to growing fears about the future of liberal democracy. Analysing four major works - Karl Ove Knausgård's My Struggle series, Zadie Smith's White Teeth, Boualem Sansal's 2084 and Michel Houellebecq's Submission - it shows how these novels illuminate current social discontents and engages the anxieties of our time. Where the so-called "end-of-history" narrative once promised a triumphant liberal democracy, novelistic fiction today reflects a more ominous outlook: progressives are haunted by dystopian visions of democratic decline, while reactionaries fear cultural displacement and yearn for a lost Golden Age. Bridging literary analysis and political theory, the book offers new perspectives on how literature engages with and challenges contemporary political narratives, making it a vital resource for those interested in the intersection of politics and literature.

• Reihe: Routledge Studies in Comparative Literature
• Themen: Biographie, Literatur und Literaturwissenschaft Geschichte und Kritik Literaturwissenschaft, allgemein 1900 bis 2000
• ISBN: 9781032870458
• Sprache: Englisch
• Erscheinungsdatum: 20.07.2026
• Größe: 229 x 152 mm
• Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd