The materiality of history and the shifting shapes of memory in John Hersey’s 'Hiroshima' and Alain Resnais’s 'Hiroshima Mon Amour'

摘要

TheudessayudarguesudthatudtheudatomicudbombingudofudHiroshimaudcannotudbeudtoldudwithoutudtakingudintoudaccountudandudrecognisingudtheuddiverseudentanglementsudofudmatterudthatudwereud(andudstilludare)udinvolvedudinudthisudhistoricudevent.udInudorderudtoudanalyseudtheudmultipleudmeaningsudconnectedudtoudtheudbombing,udtheudessayuddrawsudonudSerenellaudIovinoudandudSerpiludOpperman’sudtheoryudofud“materialudecocriticism”,udwhichuddealsudwithudtheudwayudinudwhichudvariousudmaterialudformsudinteractudwithudtheudhumanudorudsocialuddimension,udconstantlyudproducingudconfigurationsudofudmeaningsudanduddiscourses.udConsequently,udtheudessayudpointsudoutudthatudmemoryudofudHiroshimaudisudaudprimeudexampleudforudtheudinterplayudofudmaterial-­‐discursiveudrelations,udwhichuddoudnotudallowudforudtheudcoherentudstorytellingudofudthisudpastudevent,udbutudforudanudever-­‐changingudfragmentationudandud(re)negotiationudofudmeaning.udThisudlatterudaspectudisudextensivelyuddealtudwithudinudtheudanalysisudofudJohnudHersey’sud1946udnewspaperudarticleud“Hiroshima”udandudAlainudResnais’sud1959udfilmud“HiroshimaudMonudAmour”,udbasedudonudaudscreenplayudbyudMargueriteudDuras.udTheudanalysisudexaminesudtoudwhatudextentudtheseuddiverseudmedialudrepresentationsudconstituteud“historicaludmatter”udthemselves,udwhichudhelp(ed)udtoudshapeudtheudculturaludmemoryudofudtheudnuclearudattack,udandudhowudtheyudmanage,udthroughuddocumentary/narrative/filmicudmeasures,udtoudreflectudonudtheudmaterialudentanglementsudofudtheudbombingudofudHiroshima.udHistoryudandudmemoryudareudtherebyudnotudonlyudseenudasudmerelyudcognitiveudundertakings,udbutudasuddynamicudmaterialudprocessesudthatudentailudvariousudethicaludimplications.