Berättelsernas huvudstad : En analys av livsberättelser i Jerusalem

Sammanfattning: The title of this essay is “The capital of stories” and refers to Jerusalem, which in this essay I treat as a story in itself. To understand that story I analyze four novels that take place in Jerusalem; two from Palestinian authors and two from Israeli authors. The novels are Jerusalem och jag by Anita Goldman, En berättelse om kärlek och mörker by Amos Oz, Golda sov här by Suad Amiry and Men Jerusalem står kvar by Mahmoud Shukair. My study explores how these stories, despite being centered on the same place, present different perspectives and contain different conceptions of that place. Through a close reading and comparative analysis of the four novels, this study finds that the stories about the place Jerusalem are essential to shaping the worldviews, perspectives and personal stories of the characters inhabiting it. For example, the tension between the heavenly Jerusalem and the earthly Jerusalem is a theme in all of the novels. How the characters see and relate to this tension shapes a significant part of their world-views, in effect changing who they are. While analyzing stories about and within Jerusalem, my study explores how these stories broaden our understanding of the world that surrounds us and how we can coexist as humans while being inhabited by different stories.   Key to this study are two theories, how stories act in people’s lives by Frank, and narrative shortcuts by Olofsson. This study uses these theories as a launching point, engaging with and exploring these theories.  The study is of greater relevance because it demonstrates that our life-stories are connected to our physical surroundings, such as our homes, our neighborhoods and religious monuments. The stories we tell, are told, and take part of, about these physical places impact who we view ourselves to be and our place in the world. The stories we take part of can also affect who we feel compassionate for and relate to, since stories are what makes our humanness visible. Taking part in these stories, and understanding the narrative shortcuts intrinsic to them, increases our understanding of the world we live in and each other, improving our ability to understand and coexist with one another. By understanding and further exploring the relationship between who we are and the stories that inhabit us, we can improve both research into and education of religion and world-views.