Communications in Humanities Research

- The Open Access Proceedings Series for Conferences


Communications in Humanities Research

Vol. 25, 03 January 2024


Open Access | Article

Spatial Narration and Psychotherapy in Suspense Novels —Taking "Shutter Island" as an Example

Shiqi Wang * 1
1 Capital Normal University

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Advances in Humanities Research, Vol. 25, 1-7
Published 03 January 2024. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by EWA Publishing
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Citation Shiqi Wang. Spatial Narration and Psychotherapy in Suspense Novels —Taking "Shutter Island" as an Example. CHR (2024) Vol. 25: 1-7. DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/25/20231817.

Abstract

In the 21st century, suspense novels have evolved and authors increasingly explore narrative theory and techniques. This study analyzes the employment of narrative techniques in Dennis Lehane's "Shutter Island" by applying Lefebvre's space theory. This theory links space with social production, infused with Marxist concepts, imparting social attributes to space, transcending its conventional geometric definition. The research delves into three dimensions: spatial practice, spatial representation, and the space of representation to expound on how the spatial narration in the text mirrors the psychological transformations of the characters. Characters' memories within the spatial context influence their actions, generating a sequence of spatial clusters. The emergence of new spaces and imagery impacts character cognition. The three enigmatic symbols in the text encode the protagonist's memories, unravelled through dreams, constructing a novel textual space. It is within this multifaceted interplay that the treatment of 'mental illness' is addressed. This analysis demonstrates how narrative techniques intertwined with spatial theory serve as a compelling medium to portray intricate psychological facets in Lehane's ""Shutter Island"."

Keywords

Suspense Novels, "Shutter Island", Spatial Narration

References

1. Lehane, D. (2003). The "Shutter Island". Great Britain: Bantam Press.

2. Salsabila, S. A. (2019). Andrew’s Schizophrenia in "Shutter Island" by Dennis Lehane. Sunan Ampel Surabaya University.

3. Rahmi, E., & Arianto, T. (2019). Schizophrenia Symptoms Acute in Teddy Alias Andrew in the "Shutter Island" Novel by Dennis Lehane. Jurnal Bahasa dan Sastra Inggris.

4. Katz, A. (2019). Mental Illness in The Media: How Narrow Portrayals Invoke a System of Stigmatization. Emory University.

5. Jusup, P. (2021). Isolation and Insanity in Stephen King's The Shining and Dennis Lehane's "Shutter Island". FFOS-repozitorij.

6. Sheng, X. (2017). The Narrative Structure and Symbolic Implications of "Shutter Island". Movie Literature.

7. Liu, Q. (2016). A Brief Analysis of the Narrative Features of "Shutter Island". Journal of Mudanjiang University.

8. Lefebvre, H. (1991). The Production of Space. MA: Blackwell Publishing.

9. Foucault, M. (2019). Madness and Civilization: The Crazy History of the Rational Era. Joint Publishing.

10. Freud. (1984). Lectures on Psycho-Analysis. Commercial Press.

Data Availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Interdisciplinary Humanities and Communication Studies
ISBN (Print)
978-1-83558-253-4
ISBN (Online)
978-1-83558-254-1
Published Date
03 January 2024
Series
Communications in Humanities Research
ISSN (Print)
2753-7064
ISSN (Online)
2753-7072
DOI
10.54254/2753-7064/25/20231817
Copyright
03 January 2024
Open Access
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Copyright © 2023 EWA Publishing. Unless Otherwise Stated