Abstract The study employs a qualitative method; it examines the protagonist’s fragmented memory in Elizabeth Bowen’s short story “The Demon Lover,” exploring the critical role of narrative structure in reflecting the psychological toll of war. The study aims to investigate how Elizabeth Bowen’s war fiction utilizes diverse tools and narrative strategies to convey the psychological impact of war turmoil to the reader. Fragmented memory plays a decisive role in the narrative; the story focuses on Mrs. Dover, the main character in the story, who returns to her house in London to collect some of her belongings during the Second World War. As she moves through the house, memories from her past reappear, particularly scenes from her relationship with her fiancé who was lost during the First World War. The study adopts Cathy Caruth’s definition of trauma, which is a wound that has a voice to convey the unspeakable truth through certain patterns of actions and language. The study tackles the use of fragmented memory to convey Mrs. Dover's state of mind. The methodology includes a close reading of the narrative, showing that Mrs. Dover’s thoughts are fractured and incomplete, which reflects the psychological trauma caused by war. The reader feels a blurring line between the past and the present. The findings of the study help reveal the narrative techniques writers use to depict the characters' psychological state, which demonstrates the lasting impact of war trauma.
Tayseer A Abdulrahman (Tue,) studied this question.