Abstract
This study will discuss history as essentially a narrative practice. Through omission and selection, the narratives of history can shape what, and who, is considered real. This study is concerned with investigating the different narrative structures involved in this through the concepts of haunting and derealization. As this thesis will show, these concepts are deeply interrelated: derealization signifies the narrative structures that aim to reduce the sense of reality attached to a person, or a group of people; while haunting signifies structures that venture to undo this harm performed by derealization––to restore a sense of reality to those who have been derealized. This study aims to show that these concepts can be considered as central to how we understand, and interact with, history. This will be explored through readings of Toni Morrison’s Beloved and E. L. Doctorow’s The Book of Daniel. While these novels are not usually considered together, this study aims to show that they share many common concerns, as both novels aim to provide an alternative to dominant forms of history through fiction.