NARRATIVE FRAGMENTATION AND CULTURAL IDENTITY IN MODERN AMERICAN LITERATURE

Abstract

Modern American literature is marked by its experimentation with narrative form and its deep engagement with questions of identity, history, and cultural memory. This article examines how authors such as William Faulkner, Toni Morrison, and Don DeLillo employ fragmented narratives and alternative temporalities to challenge dominant cultural paradigms and reflect the complexities of American identity. Through a close reading of their works, this paper argues that narrative fragmentation in modern American literature is not merely an aesthetic choice but a political and philosophical strategy that reflects dislocation, marginalization, and a reimagining of historical consciousness.