Post-9/11 Trends and Themes in Short Fiction: A Study of East-West Dichotomy in Eisenberg’s Twilight of the Superheroes and Afridi’s The Price of Hubris

Abstract

Post 9/11 Fiction dominates the literary canon in terms of the depiction of crisis, both internal and external. In this regard, various trends in literary theory like Postmodernism and Postcolonialism not only demonstrate the East-West dichotomy but also the ambivalence which lies within the binaristic division of East versus West in the wake of September 11. Postmodernism in conflation with Postcolonialism conveys post-9/11 aesthetics in terms of subversion towards unified reason in the form of fragmentation and chaos. The present research deals with Eisenberg (2010) and Afridi’s (2006) engagement with identity crisis issue through giving voice to fragmentation and chaos inherent in the identity of individuals in the context of 9/11. The study attempts to present a genealogy of September 11 incident in terms of the absence of unified epistemological construct of reason and hence, emphasizes the nullification of purist notion of freedom through pointing out the implicit patterns of oppression in the context of globalization. Through this stance, Eisenberg and Afridi significantly maintain the ambivalence within the representations of the 9/11 aftermath particularly regarding East-West dichotomy.