”Berättelsen om Hedvig och hennes son” : en narratologisk analys av en berättelse i Lars Ahlins Natt i marknadstältet

Abstract

Natt i marknadstältet is considered as one of Lars Ahlin’s most significant works of fiction. The novel is complex in structure and meaning, containing numerous stories and characters entangled with the main story. One of these stories is the subject of this essay:”Berättelsen om Hedvig och hennes son”. The story has been widely discussed within a theological and literary discourse, but so far no previous cohesive reading has been done. This essay is an approach to broaden the understanding of this elusive story. Narratology is used as methodological basis, with concepts from Gérard Genette’s Narrative Discourse. The reading is done within a theological Christian setting. The textual analysis, based on Genette, is divided into three parts: 'tense', 'mood' and 'voice'. The temporal analysis illustrates the narrative’s slowing up, leading the reader into the intense scene of atonement. This is discussed in more depth since previous readings often interpret the story as a tale of redemption, neglecting the last lines of Joel’s animosity. 'Mood' is investigated with regard to distance and perspective. All though no focalization is observed, the character Hedvig is interpreted as the story’s central persona. A parallel between the characters Hedvig and the main story’s Paulina is further discussed, with respect to the general view of the characters’ ideological function. As for 'voice' three different intertwined narrators are observed, leading to the conclusion of a complex narrative structure, including so called metalepsis. This 'play' with different narrative levels opens for an interpretation where the text 'deconstruct' the illusive effect, leading the text’s form of address directly to the reader. This is also discussed in conjunction with the function of the metadiegetic narrative. ”Berättelsen om Hedvig och hennes son” is interpreted as a parable of moving through 'death' to life.