House of Leaves and Trauma: A Postmodern Depiction of Time and Space

Abstract

"House of Leaves" operates as a postmodern novel through its use of multiple narrators in an attempt to convey a nonlinear narrative that deals with language as a theoretical tool which, when merged with scientific principles, is able to communicate what traditional narratives can not. The two main narratives that exist within the novel are the stories of Johnny Truant and Will Navidson. Upon examination of the traumatic experiences both men have gone through, with particular focus on the symbolic narrative of Will Navidson, it becomes clear that the novel "House of Leaves" utilizes postmodern theory regarding time and space to accurately capture the effects of traumatic repetition on the human psyche. These repetitions echo through the entire novel, emanating from Will Navidson's unconscious reenactment of an event he experienced as a photojournalist in Sudan. As we explore the effects of these repetitions on Navidson and other characters, we see them emanate from him only to return in a distorted form. These distorted echoes lead Navidson on a journey into his metaphoric journey into his unconscious where he is able to overcome these unconscious repetitions through the symbolic representation of trauma through language.