Littoral Space and Self-Discovery

The point of departure this essay is that seaside resort towns and hotels function as in-between, liminal spaces for visitors, while the unknown, boundless, mysterious sea often acquires a metaphorical meaning symbol monsters, madness, death, desire, unconscious. Thus, space serves an appropriate setting facilitates self-realization. three novels selected study here are set in British 1960s-1970s, present their respective protagonists’ struggle with past memories traumas.In Ian McEwan’s On Chesil Beach (2007), newlyweds get chance self-understanding, however, they fail at communicating fears desires. Ultimately, remains misunderstandings trauma well dividing line between times before after sexual revolution 1960s. By contrast, protagonists Stanley Middleton’s novel, Holiday (1974), Iris Murdoch’s Sea, Sea (1978) achieve self-awareness through either time-travel allows re-living or journey to unconscious, respectively. Nevertheless, these also end on ambiguous tone, question whether real self-understanding has been attained open. (EM)