| dc.description.abstract | This thesis conducts an investigation into how narrative structures as well as the literary device of the double is used to explore subjectivity in YOU (2014) and Piranesi (2021). A particular focus is placed on the literary motifs of the labyrinth and the double, or doppelgänger, and how the manifestation of these devices are used in the novels to explore subjectivity.
YOU is a crime thriller where the focus of the story lies in the criminal
acts committed by the narrator. Furthermore, he narrator in YOU portrays his madness mostly through a deceptive narrative. He depicts a story of love, when in reality it is a story of his own delusions. Piranesi, on the other hand, is a fantasy novel structured as a detective novel in the sense that the reader is encouraged to take on a detective role alongside the narrator. The narrator does not know it himself, but it becomes evident to the reader at quite an early stage that he suffers from amnesia. The story then focuses on uncovering the mystery of the narrator’s lost memories. Meaning that this narrator does not intentionally deceive us, but rather takes the reader along on the journey for answers.
This thesis predicates that the motifs of the labyrinth and the double are used in both of these novels in order to explore the subjectivity of the narrators. Thus, this thesis aims to demonstrate how the narratives of Piranesi and YOU can help us explore the things that cannot be said about subjectivity as well as helping us identify imprisoning narratives and saving us from it. Furthermore, the two books demonstrate how literature can help us understand ourselves and the world around us. | |
