Milan Kundera and the Narrative Self

Abstract

In my thesis, I looked at several of Milan Kundera's novels to explore the relationship between the self and narratives. Specifically, I was interested in how narrative shapes the perception of our selves, both from internal and external perspectives. Using particular characters and historical contexts from Kundera's novels, I also argue from a non-traditional notion of truth that neither an inner or inhabited self nor a perceived external self can authoritatively claim to be more real or fundamental than the other. I argue that because the two are so intimately connected, even self-perception is impossible independent of a narrative.