COMPARATIVE LITERATURE IN THE CLASSROOM: TEACHING HISTORICAL TRAUMA AND METAPHYSICAL HAUNTING THROUGH WILLIAM FAULKNER’S ABSALOM, ABSALOM! AND TONI MORRISON’S BELOVED
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65536/ufpz21-158674Keywords:
comparative literature, teaching literature, metaphysical haunting, Faulkner, MorrisonAbstract
This paper explores the metaphysical dimension of haunting in
literature through a comparative analysis of William Faulkner’s Absalom,
Absalom! and Toni Morrison’s Beloved, and proposes a pedagogical
framework for teaching comparative literature. The study is based on a
comparative literary methodology, drawing on theoretical insights from
Derrida, Freud, and trauma theory. It examines how spectral presences in
both novels intertwine past and present, reshape historical consciousness,
and create spaces for psychological and ethical engagement with historical
trauma. The analysis demonstrates that ghosts function as metaphors of
memory and history, embodying repressed trauma and unresolved historical
injustices. Faulkner’s fragmented narration and Morrison’s embodied ghost
reveal how literature mediates between historical reality and subjective
experience. From a pedagogical perspective, the paper highlights how
comparative and interdisciplinary approaches foster critical thinking,
historical awareness, and interpretative skills. Engaging with metaphysical
haunting in these texts enables students to confront the legacies of slavery
and collective trauma, while recognizing literature as a medium for ethical
reflection, cultural understanding, and intellectual inquiry.
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