Text

Nostalgia in Mary Beth Keane’s Ask Again, Yes

---

Nostalgia is a complex psychological phenomenon, reflecting a longing
for the past that is often idealistic and serves as a lens for understanding
current circumstances. In a literary context, nostalgia can be a central theme
that describes a character's emotional experience and shapes the narrative.
Nostalgia not only creates space for reflection, but also serves as a coping
mechanism that helps individuals deal with the difficult realities of life. This
research aims to explore how nostalgia affects character development and
narrative structure in the novel “Ask Again, Yes” by Mary Beth Keane. The
method used is a qualitative approach with in-depth analysis, as well as data
collection through intensive reading and recording passages related to
nostalgia in the text. The theory used in this research is Isaiah Berlin's
perspective on nostalgia, which emphasizes the role of nostalgia in the
formation of individual and collective identity. This theory helps in
understanding how the characters in the novel use nostalgia to shape their
identity narratives. The results of the analysis show that the characters in the
novel, such as Peter and Kate, use their idealized memories to deal with trauma
and grief, which in turn shapes their identities and relationship dynamics.
Nostalgia serves as a bridge between the past and the present, creating a deep
emotional layer in the narrative. The conclusion of this research confirms that
nostalgia has an important role in literature, not only as a theme, but also as a
tool to understand the broader human experience.

---

Availability

Detail Information

Series Title

-

Call Number

BSI-2025-NUR n

Publisher

Makassar : FAH. Adab & Humaniora UIN ALauddin., 2025

Collation

ix,47 hal :Ilus :, 30 cm

Language

English

ISBN/ISSN

-

Classification

BSI-2025-NUR n

Content Type

-

Media Type

-

Carrier Type

-

Edition

-

Subject(s)

Nostalgia
Romanticism Theory
Ask Again
Yes.

Specific Detail Info

-

Statement of Responsibility

-

Other version/related

File Attachment

Comments

---

You must be logged in to post a comment