Unmasking identity crisis : A postmodern and postcolonial analysis of Paul Auster’s City of glass and its graphic novel adap

Abstract

This research explores the elements of postmodernism and postcolonialism within the so-called postmodern novel, namely, City of Glass (1985) by the American author Paul Auster and the graphic novel by Paul Karasik and David Mazzuchelli (2004). The study delves into the use of doubles, stolen identities, and fragmented selves in the narrative and the graphics. As a matter of fact, the graphic novel’s visual representation of the protagonist Daniel Quinn’s crisis of identity is examined, highlighting the postmodern and postcolonial features of parody, transgression, deconstruction, othering and alterity. In order to demonstrate the concepts aforementioned, a qualitative analysis is carried out since this research ponders upon the fictional character Daniel Quinn with the objective of analysing and unmasking identity struggle. In addition, a comic oriented study is conducted based on Scott McCloud's approach (1993, 2006) in order to provide ample evidence of the postcolonial and postmodern characteristics within the graphic novel. In this work, we will analyse the way in which the hypotext by Paul Auster is translated and represented in the hypertext by the same name through the multiple dialogue balloons, and panels separated by blank spaces. The present research provides insights into the relevance of the fragmentation and identity crisis in Daniel Quinn and the names which appear in connection to him: Max Work, William Wilson and Paul Auster in the graphic novel.