‘Dharana’ as the Gateway: Meditative Wit(H)Nessing and the Transformation of Trauma in Han Kang’s the White Book
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS April 14, 2025 Md. Kamrul Hasan, Md. Abul Kalam Azad, Md. Sazzad Hossain
Han Kang's The White Book (2016) redefines trauma narratives through Eastern meditative traditions, particularly the yogic concepts of ‘dharana’ (concentration) and ‘dharana’ (meditative absorption). The novel's structure, symbolism, and fragmented prose mirror these meditative stages, offering a literary model for processing grief and engaging with collective mourning. The narrator begins with...