Philosophy of Literature and the Crisis of Identity: An Exploration of the Role of Narrative in Confronting Value Disintegration

Abstract

This study addresses the problem of the identity crisis in contemporary thought through a philosophical and critical approach to the role of literary narrative in representing and confronting value disintegration. It is grounded in the premise that literature—particularly narrative—constitutes a cognitive space that transcends mere aesthetic function to perform an intellectual and ethical role in understanding transformations of both individual and collective subjectivity. The study seeks to analyze the concept of identity in its philosophical, linguistic, and social dimensions, highlighting the impact of modernity and globalization on value systems. It also examines narrative as a representational tool that reveals manifestations of moral collapse through diverse narrative structures. The study argues that narrative does not merely reflect the crisis but actively contributes to reconstructing meaning and identity through interpretation and the invocation of memory. Moreover, it emphasizes the role of narrative in reshaping religious and cultural identity in the face of dissolution and fragmentation. The study concludes that identity is a dynamic narrative construct formed within a network of values and meanings, and that narrative constitutes a critical horizon for resisting nihilism and alienation, affirming its centrality in contemporary literary and philosophical studies.