This master thesis deals with the literature written by American authors as a direct response to the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001. The key question it raises is how the image of New York, since the beginning of the 20 th century known as the city of dreams, freedom and progress, was changed after the 9/11 attacks. The events of 9/11 did not only pose a threat to the American national identity but were also a significant danger to the character of the city as such. I tried to find the answer to the above question through the analysis of novels diverse in theme and style: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (2005), Falling Man by Don DeLillo (2007), The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud (2006), The Future of Love by Shirley Abbott (2008), A Disorder Peculiar to the Country by Ken Kalfus (2006), Exit Ghost by Philip Roth (2007) and New York by Edward Rutherfurd (2009). I also included a novel not written by an American author, Windows on the World 2 by Frédéric Beigbeder (2003), which stands in the opposition to the aforementioned novels. This novel was interesting for my analysis because it shows how different Beigbeder's writing is compared to the writing of the American authors - considering the fact he is French and was therefore not directly affected by the tragedy.
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