Technology and Narrative Transformation in Contemporary English Fiction
Abstract
Digital technology is becoming an increasingly important motif in modern English literature and a structural force shaping narratives. In light of the post-digital age, this article examines how two well-known authors, Tom McCarthy and Jennifer Egan, reorganize classic plot components. The analysis employs McCarthy's Satin Island (2015) and Egan's The Candy House (2022) to demonstrate how technological paradigms, such as data aggregation and algorithmic logic, generate new story elements, including distributed points of view, fractured temporality, and the breakdown of causal plot sequences. The authors fail to portray technology as an afterthought; instead, they weave its syntactic and architectural principles into the very fabric of their story. According to Hayles (2012), the computing environment changes the capacities and symbolic significance of narratives. The study uses a comparative narratological paradigm to identify similarities and contrasts in tone and epistemology, including strategies like database-driven narration and untrustworthy digital awareness. According to the results, narratives in English fiction written in the twenty-first century undergo more adaptive mutation due to technological development than a rejection of old patterns. As we reach the age of generative AI, the implications for reading habits and the future of the novel are examined in the conclusion.
How to Cite This Article
Zahraa Oday Hatem, Hussein Talib Shamran (2026). Technology and Narrative Transformation in Contemporary English Fiction . International Journal of Social Science Exceptional Research (IJSSER), 5(3), 164-170. DOI: https://doi.org/10.54660/IJSSER.2026.5.3.164-170