”Har det aldrig slagit henne att jag är tyst, men inte beter mig tyst?” : En narratologiskt influerad analys av tystnaden i Kärleken vi inte förstår och Alla är ledsna nuförtiden

Sammanfattning: In this paper, I study the silence in Bart Moeyaert’s two novels Kärleken vi inte förstår (eng. It’s Love We Don’t Understand, 1999) and Alla är ledsna nuförtiden (eng. Everyone’s Sorry Nowadays, 2018) with the help of Maria Nikolajeva’s theories of narrative perspective. I examine the narrative perspective in relation to the other characters’ appearances – focusing on the narrator’s priorities and voice – as well as how the silence is portrayed. Furthermore, by using a method of close-to-text reading I seek answers to the following questions: how is silence portrayed in Kärleken vi inte förstår and Alla är ledsna nuförtiden? What is the role of silence in the previous novels? The last question refers to in what way Moeyaert uses the silence in his novels. Finally, I concluded that the silence in Kärleken vi inte förstår is ambiguous. On the one hand, it is used by the characters as a tool of communication, and on the other hand, it works as a storytelling technique to withhold information from the reader as well as amplify the atmosphere or mood. Moreover, the silence in Alla är ledsna nuförtiden rather has the function of a theme or a motif as it forces the story to move forward.