"Ordinary Life"; as a Polyphonic Composition

Chrz, Vladimir and Cermák, Ivo (2008) "Ordinary Life"; as a Polyphonic Composition. In: Narrative and Fiction: an Interdisciplinary Approach. University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, pp. 1-8.

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Abstract

Čapek’s novel “Ordinary Life” is interpreted from the point of a narrative approach. The authors argue that Čapek’s novel, published in 1934, anticipates more recent narrative approaches in psychology, in which identity is conceived as a permanent reconstruction and reinterpretation of multiple versions of life stories. Čapek tells the story of an elderly man, who feels he must find some answers concerning the issue of his own identity. He starts to write an autobiography and during this process he finds plurality in himself, he uncovers the human being as a multitude of real and possible persons. The authors propose that Čapek’s novel corresponds to the contemporary narrative approaches in these following aspects: a) narrativity is considered as a tendency against trivialization (platitude, obviousness, straightforwardness, definiteness); b) identity is conceived as a polyphonic narrative construction; c) full narrative
human life.

Item Type:	Book Chapter
Additional Information:	Copyright for chapters remain with individual authors at all times and permission should be sought from the author for any reproduction other than for personal use.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Narrative voices; narrative identity; Capek's novel
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Schools:	School of Human and Health Sciences > Narrative and Memory Research Group > Narrative and Memory Research Group Annual Conference School of Human and Health Sciences
Related URLs:	Conference Organisation
Depositing User:	Cherry Edmunds
Date Deposited:	25 Jun 2009 13:18
Last Modified:	28 Aug 2021 22:58
URI:	https://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/4818

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