Identitet och berättande : i Oline Stigs Den andra himlen

This essay investigates how the author Oline Stig creates identities for her main characters in three short stories; Midsommar, Polly Maggoo and Den längsta dagen from the collection Den andra himlen (2007). My investigation is based on concepts chosen from psychology and narratology: First, Jonas Stier’s definition of human identity. In his definition he focuses on a person’s social context. He also considers identity formation as an ongoing, ever- changing process. Second, Gerard Génette’s and Maria Nikolajeva’s concepts concerning focalization and the perspective and voice of narration. My analysis tries to answer the question if the perspective of narration has any effect on the readers understanding for the characters’ processes of identity. I have found that other aspects than the perspectives of narration are more important in portraying a fictional character in these short stories. For example: in one of the stories - Polly Maggoo – narration is part of the identity forming process: the main character is influenced by and portrayed via the stories told by a friend, and later, via the stories she tells another friend about herself. The essay also contains a short presentation of Oline Stig and gives a view of the development of the short story-genre in the 1900`s