A Postmodernist Investigation into The History of The Chernobyl Incident Through its Representation in McKeon’s All That Is Solid Melts into Air

Abstract

The Chernobyl incident is considered as the world’s worst nuclear disaster for its long-lasting impact and obscure details. This study aims to investigate the accident through one of its popular literary representations entitled All That Is Solid Melts into Air by Darragh McKeon and detect elements of historical context within the novel that enable its author to bear witness to Chernobyl. The research aims to examine McKeon’s employment of intertextuality to achieve the aforementioned effect through the medium of literature. Moreover, the study attempts to apply Lyotard’s theories of metanarrative legitimation and his notion of small histories on All That Is Solid Melts into Air to emphasize its postmodernity as well as the novel’s role in unveiling the secrets of Chernobyl. This research follows an analytical approach relying on a descriptive method by using a number of books and articles that tackle the same topic of the present dissertation.