Genkendelse og ønsket om at glemme. Anagnorisis i Morten BorgersensJeg har arvet en mørk skog(2012) og Wencke MühleisensKanskje det ennå finns en åpen plass i verden(2015)

Abstract

This article examines the use of the narrative concept anagnorisis, or recognition, in two recent Norwegian novels, Morten Borgersen’s Jeg har arvet en mørk skog and Wencke Mühleisen’s Kanskje det ennå finns en åpen plass i verden. In both novels, the protagonist suddenly discovers their father’s secret history connected with their conduct during World War II. This revelation causes a new insight into their own and their family’s history and identity, and this in turn brings about feelings of shame and confusion. By using anagnorisis as a narrative device, the novels explore the gradual and ambivalent acceptance of a new identity and negotiations with social and personal expectations tied to being a descendent of a perpetrator.