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Interpreting the National Crisis in The Public Burning from the Perspective of Historical Metafiction

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DOI: 10.25236/memssr.2021.061

Author(s)

Shi Qin

Corresponding Author

Shi Qin

Abstract

The novel The Public Burning written by Robert Coover, one of America’s most innovative writers, profoundly reveals the crisis of American national identity through a series of perspectives such as the metaphor of the end of the world, the decline of American beliefs and the tragedy of anti-heroes. At the same time, with the help of the narrative strategy of postmodernist novels, Coover proposed a reflection, criticism and deconstruction of the "national identity" centered on the mainstream American-Anglo-Saxon white Protestant culture. This novel not only provides important enlightenment for the current review of "American Faith" and "American Image", but also provides important enlightenment for the current thinking and criticism of US global bullying.

Keywords

national crisis, The Public Burning, Robert Coover, Historical Metafiction