Look Forward in Confusion: An Evaluation of Postwar Europe's Interaction with the Past

Abstract

This paper uses the works of John Osborne, Azouz Begag, and Peter Maass to deconstruct the generalization that Europeans "developed within the shadow of the past." The British dramatist, French-Algerian autobiographer, and the American reporter of the Bosnian Genocide, respectively, depict tensions between those who shunned history in order to develop in pace within the postwar global order and those who closed their eyes to the present in a desperate attempt to hold onto the past. This dichotomy helps to explain contemporary sources of conflict in Europe and warrants this foray into post-45 history and literature.