Mångtydigheternas klarhet. Om ironier hos Torgny Lindgren från Skolbagateller till Hummelhonung

Abstract

This thesis addresses the work of the Swedish author, Torgny Lindgren (born 1938). Its main focus lies on the all-pervading irony in his work. The use of irony is seen as a unifying trait in Lindgren’s authorship. The development of more complex ironies during the years of his authorship is seen as an effect of his authorship’s thematic development, moving from political satire to existential, ethical and religious matters. The first chapter provides a short presentation of Lindgren’s life and work, and is followed by an extensive theoretical section that is concerned with the interpretation of irony. The interpretational model that is argued for in the thesis states that instances of irony are not apprehended as irony until they are interpreted as such. However, it is also argued that an author is able to trigger this type of interpretation by employing certain textual and contextual stimuli that are socially and culturally determined, thereby signalling that an interpretation of irony is to be inferred. The next five chapters consist of close analyses of the novels that Lindgren published between 1972 and 1995. Here it is shown how Lindgren moves from a pessimistic view of life in his early novels, via a trust in the mercy of God, to a mystical view of God; God as the unification of incompatibilities. It is also shown that, from his public breakthrough in 1982 and on, Lindgren delves deeply into religious questions and the irony of human existence. From this point onwards, Lindgren’s typical “poetics of ambiguity” (such that it is labelled in the thesis) becomes a predominant factor in his work. The most salient feature of this poetics is how Lindgren constantly exploits a movement between opposed positions. He does this in order to show that the answer one can obtain with respect to Life’s existential questions can only be formulated as some unspeakable thirdness that comes forth only in a dialectic play between extremes. It is also pointed out in the thesis that the predominant metafictional themes in Lindgren’s work have an existential significance. In addition to the analysis of how Lindgren employs many different kinds of ironies in order to express his view of the world, his novels are also compared with the thoughts of several significant European philosophers, including Böhme, Spinoza, Schlegel, Kierkegaard and Schopenhauer. It is shown, however, that the thoughts of these thinkers are not completely accepted by Lindgren since it is concluded in the final chapter that Lindgren is engaged in a constant critical discussion of the thoughts of these (and other) thinkers in order to express an ironic view of the world; a world where everything is all things, everywhere, at the same time.

Torgny Lindgren är en av våra mest framstående diktare. Han har som få kunnat förena berättarglädje, språklig skönhet, och djupsinne på ett sätt som har lockat läsare ur alla kretsar. Lindgrens berättelser är emellertid på ett gåtfullt sätt ofta både brutala och djupt allvarliga, samtidigt som de är både vackra och komiska. Ofta går också döden hand i hand med en kärlek som inte alltid går att skilja från ondska. I "Mångtydigheternas klarhet" analyseras denna säregna lindgrenska dubbelhet och han förklarar hur den hänger ihop med en allt genomsyrande ironi, vilken rör såväl ords dubbla meningar som de mänskliga existensvillkoren och Guds natur. Analyserna sträcker sig från Lindgrens satiriska prosadebut Skolbagateller från 1972, till den mångbottnade romanen Hummelhonung från 1995. Genom att ta upp en så stor del av Lindgrens produktion till behandling visas hur ironier i olika former är ett genomgående drag i Lindgrens produktion. Det visas också hur ett fokus på ironierna i Lindgrens texter kan ge ett sammanhang mellan verk som utåt sett ter sig olika, samtidigt som det gör det möjligt att se och beskriva den utveckling som detta betydelsefulla författarskap har genomgått.