Romanticization of Obsession in "Haunting Adeline" and Readers’ Perception Shift on TikTok
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35194/alinea.v15i2.6360Keywords:
Haunting Adeline;, romanticization; , trauma; , obsessionAbstract
This study analyses the romanticization of obsession in H.D. Carlton's (2021) novel Haunting Adeline through Michelle Balaev's (2012) trauma theory, which emphasises the role of spatiality in shaping, triggering, and healing trauma. Using textual analysis of the novel and contextual analysis of 100 Haunting Adeline reader comments on TikTok in 2022–2026 using Voyant Tools, the study found that Parsons Manor functions as spatialized memory, landscape, trauma, dislocation, reconstructed spatiality, and intergenerational memory, transforming Adeline's stalking trauma into a romantic obsession with Zade as trauma relief. Comment analysis shows a shift in perception, from predominantly negative in 2022–2023 to positive in 2024–2026. This shift in perception is driven by the virality of dark romance, which has allowed it to capture global attention. Furthermore, its global popularity has made it a source of escapism for people amidst rising global depression.
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