Self mythologizing and the space of identity in the fiction of Paul Auster

Abstract

Postmodernism has questioned the modern idea of individuality. People have more than one way of being; they have relationships and connections with one another. They are also made up of many, often, conflicting parts, and selves. As they move in and out of different contexts, cultures, and sets of ideas, they think differently and behave differently in relation to others and to situations. The Postmodern individual is thus a hybrid, with not just one core, permanent self, but many selves. The works of American novelist Paul Auster are uniquely concerned with the mythology of self, meta-narrative, and the role that self-mythology and space of identity play in these transactions. In this research, I briefly investigate the mentioned works on the basis of notions regarding self and identity. Using psychoanalysis as developed by Freudian and Lacanian perspectives, I have thrown light and explained the dissociative identity of the postmodern man and re-affirm the central themes of Auster s selected works. newline