Possible Worlds in Ruins. Unreality in the novels Chladnou zemí (2009) and Strážci občanského dobra (2010).

Abstract

This thesis is a reading of two contemporary Czech novels, Chladnou zemí (2009) by Jáchym Topol and Strážci občanského dobra (2010) by Petra Hůlová. Through the application of Possible Worlds theory as well an exploration of the Gothic uncanny, the novels are read as modern horror stories placed in unstable, unreliable versions of our own world. Although the topic of modern history has been central to former readings of these novels, the attempt is to reorient these understandings by pointing out aspects that cause distortions of history and reality in the fictional worlds depicted. Spaces are central to this reading, as historical real places, Gothic spaces and ruins of different kinds intersect to construct possible fictional worlds of simultaneous familiarity and strangeness. Taking the Gothic horror elements of these novels into account creates a different set of possible interpretations of the characters, their worlds and the relationship between modern history and fiction. By constructing possible fictional worlds that exist at the margins between the real and the unreal, these novels invite the reader to explore concepts such as truth, fictionality and alienation.