Crisis of Liberal Democracy in Contemporary Novels

<p>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 <i>My Struggle</i> series Zadie Smith's <i>White Teeth</i> Boualem Sansal's <i>2084</i> and Michel Houellebecq's <i>Submission</i> – 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.</p>