The Crisis of Liberal Democracy in Contemporary Novels: The Continuation of History

This book explores how contemporary novels reflect a profound shift in Western culture, from the political optimism of the post-Cold War era to growing fears about the future of liberal democracy. Analysing four major works - Karl Ove Knausgård’s My Struggle series, Zadie Smith’s White Teeth, Boualem Sansal’s 2084 and Michel Houellebecq’s Submission - it shows how these novels illuminate current social discontents and engages the anxieties of our time. Where the so-called ＂end-of-history＂ narrative once promised a triumphant liberal democracy, novelistic fiction today reflects a more ominous outlook: progressives are haunted by dystopian visions of democratic decline, while reactionaries fear cultural displacement and yearn for a lost Golden Age. Bridging literary analysis and political theory, the book offers new perspectives on how literature engages with and challenges contemporary political narratives, making it a vital resource for those interested in the intersection of politics and literature.

Leander Møller Gøttcke holds a PhD from the Department for the Study of Culture at the University of Southern Denmark. He currently works as a research librarian at the University Library of Southern Denmark.