مجلة علوم اللغة العربية وآدابها
Volume 18, Numéro 2, Pages 992-1012
2026-09-15

Generation X In Contemporary Fiction: Sociological Perspectives On Cultural Disillusionment And Identity Formation In The Works Of Douglas Coupland And Alex Garland



Authors : Souhali Hichem .

Abstract

This paper deals with the literary representation of Generation X through the works of Douglas Coupland and Alex Garland, analyzing how these authors depict the sociological characteristics, cultural anxieties, and identity struggles of individuals born between 1965 and 1980. Through the analysis of Coupland's Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture (1991) and Garland's The Beach (1996), this study explores how fiction serves as both mirror and catalyst for understanding generational consciousness during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. The research draws upon sociological theories of generational cohorts, postmodern identity formation, and cultural alienation to examine how these novels articulate the distinctive experiences of a generation caught between the idealism of the Baby Boomers and the digital nativity of the Millennials. The analysis reveals how both authors employ narrative techniques that reflect the fragmented, media-saturated consciousness characteristic of Generation X while exploring themes of economic insecurity, environmental anxiety, spiritual searching, and the rejection of traditional career paths. The study demonstrates how literary texts function as cultural artifacts that both document and shape generational self-understanding, contributing to broader sociological discussions about cohort effects, cultural transmission, and the relationship between individual identity and collective experience.

Keywords

Generation X ; postmodern fiction ; sociological literary criticism ; Douglas Coupland ; Alex Garland

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