Photography as a Medium of Traumatic Narrative in Nino Kharatishvili’s Novel The Lack of Light

Abstract

This article investigates the role of photography as a communicative medium in the preservation and representation of both individual and socio-cultural traumatic memory, using the literary text “The insufficient Light by Nino Kharatishvili as the primary case study. By analysing the characters’ interactions with photography in the novel, the research explores how pho­tographic images can serve not only as visual representations of past events but also as active agents in reawakening, processing, and ultimately working through trauma.

The theoretical framework draws upon Roland Barthes’ concepts of studium  and punctum to highlight the differing ways in which photographs are experienced. The image may be seen merely as an object of historical ob­ser­vation (studium) for the casual viewer, while for someone with personal ties to the moment depicted, the photograph may act as a “wound” (punc­tum) that reopens buried emotional experiences. This distinction becomes central in the analysis of how the narrator, Keto Kipiani, engages with the pho­tographs taken by her friend Dina. For Keto, these images are emotio­nally charged representations of painful, personal moments that reawaken her suppressed simply as visual documents.

Building on Cathy Caruth’s theory of trauma as unclaimed experience, the research demonstrates that the characters in Haratischwili’s text suffer from a delayed or deferred recognition of their trauma. Rather than conf­ronting the emotional weight of past events directly, they initially attempt to suppress or forget. However, trauma continues to haunt them in unack­nowledged ways until a later moment provokes its re-emergence. In the no­vel, such a moment arises when Keto attends Dina’s photo exhibition, which becomes the catalyst for her to recall and reflect upon each traumatic me­mo­ry. Through this encounter, she begins a process of self-understanding and healing.

Dominick LaCapra’s theory on working through trauma further in­forms the analysis, emphasizing that recovery requires not only the reactiva­tion of traumatic memories but also their rational examination. Keto’s int­ros­pective engagement with the photographs aligns with LaCapra’s model: her acknowledgment of pain and active reflection allows her to move from a position of being haunted by trauma to one of potential resolution.

The study ultimately argues that the photographs taken by Dina func­tion as manifestations of collective and personal traumatic memory. The act of viewing them – especially by those who share the traumatic past –enables a confrontation with previously unprocessed emotions and memories. Thus, The Scant Light presents a compelling literary demonstration of how pho­tography can serve as a unique medium for the representation, communica­tion, and possible resolution of trauma. It concludes that photographic art holds significant potential as a medium through which traumatic memory – whether individual or societal – can be made visible, narrativised, and emo­tionally processed.