Person, reference and identity in self-narrative

Abstract

The relation of equivalence: Author = Narrator = Character is what defines self-narrative. The isomorphism between the three terms of the equation doesn’t hide its complexity which is based on the interrelation of, at least, three domains: the literary theory through the narratology (LEJEUNE, 1975, 2008; GENETTE, 1991), the enunciative linguistics and the philosophy of language through the reference and the relation established by the personal pronouns and identity (BENVENISTE, 1966; RICOEUR, 1990; FERRY 1991) and, ultimately, the pragmatics which, as we will show, leads to the experience of understanding, connecting the author and the reader between themselves. Thus, this contribution draws an itinerary of analysis that, by approaching these three domains that point to a question of reference of the person and of the identity, aims to demonstrate that the role of the narrative of ourselves is, above all, an event of understanding that must be shared.