Fiction PuzzlesGlobalization and Ensemble Narratives

Abstract

The process of globalization has never been so widespread as in current times. Technological developments, migratory flows, and the power of transnational corporations and the Global North have established a new paradigm, characterized by worldwide interconnectedness. Furthermore, both personal and structural violence constitute a prevailing force in society. Literature and films are certainly no strangers to this context, often exploring it. Therefore, this dissertation studies the representation of globalization and violence in ensemble narratives. I maintain that, with their multi-protagonist structure, ensemble narratives excel at reflecting our globalized world, while echoing violence through thematic content and through formal narrative violence. The corpus includes novels and films in which globalization and violence are relevant issues: Karen Tei Yamashita’s Tropic of Orange (1997), Ito Romo’s El Puente/The Bridge (2000), Kiran Desai’s The Inheritance of Loss (2006), Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic (2000), Paul Haggis’s Crash (2004), and Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Babel (2006). For this analysis, literary and film theories such as narratology and Film Studies are used to tackle the main aspects of ensemble narratives and formal narrative violence. Also, this dissertation resorts to globalization studies, postcolonial theories, and transnational theories, among others, to discuss the corpus from various perspectives.