Existential perspectives of narratology according to Paul Ricoeur

Abstract

This article analyzes the existential perspectives on narratology in Paul Ricoeur’s later work, viewed within the context of the linguistic turn in philosophy. The author discusses how Ricoeur combines philosophical hermeneutics with language theory, emphasizing „being in speech” as the foundation of human existence and narrative identity. 

The article discusses the dialectic of distance and assimilation in the interpretation of texts, revealing the ethical dimension of narratology, viewed in the context of dialogue, responsibility, and the sources of moral obligation, and emphasizing the nature of interpretation as a process of self-understanding, devoid of ultimate metaphysical guarantees.