Individual Versus Collective Memory in Kazuo Ishiguro’s “The Buried Giant”

Abstract

Referring to the postulates of several theoreticians in the field of memory studies, predominantly those of Maurice Halbwachs and Aleida Assmann, this paper explores the distinction between individual and collective memory, with the aim of shedding light on the complex relationship of the two contrasting yet mutually complementing mnemonic aspects in Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Buried Giant. Interestingly enough, in his latest novel Ishiguro decided to approach memory from the perspective of its inevitable counterpart, i.e. forgetfulness. The objective of this paper is to highlight that forgetfulness, for all its seeming mental salubrity, does not have the same healing effect at the individual and collective level.

Keywords

• kazuo ishiguro
• memory
• forgetfulness
• memory studies
• individual memory
• collective memory
• maurice halbwachs
• war
• trauma
• revenge