PT Journal
AU Veverkova, D
TI The specific role of the diary in the formation of identity through the example of Michel Tournier's novels
SO Romanica Olomucensia
PY 2025
BP 189
EP 199
VL 37
IS 1
DI 10.5507/ro.2025.010
DE identity; diary; Michel Tournier; novel
AB The paper is focused on the process of the formation of the identity of people living in solitude, on the basis of the theories of Gilles Deleuze and Paul Ricoeur, according to which the presence of others is indispensable in this process. Other people affect our view of the world and also of ourselves considerably. If the formation of human identity is affected substantially by the presence of other people, the question that arises is "How is the human identity formed in solitude?" The remarkable role of the diary in this process is approached here, because it is the diary that replaces the important presence of another person - the listener. The analysis was carried out on two novels by the French writer Michel Tournier, the most famous practitioner of the mythological novel in France in the 20th century: Vendredi ou les limbes du Pacifique and Le Roi des Aulnes. The main characters of these two novels live in solitude, either on an island or on the margins of society, and confide their thoughts to their diaries. It is through their writings that the reader has the opportunity to observe how their identity is formed and how their visions of themselves and other people are changed as a result of their solitary lives.
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