Å lytte til romanens røyst: Dag Solstads Ellevte roman, bok atten

This article reflects upon various aspects of the novel’s voice, as it is exemplified in Dag Solstad’s Ellevte roman, bok atten (1992) [Novel 11, Book 18 (2017)]. What is to be understood by this term, when we know that a text is made of written language, which in itself is silent? Who is it that is speaking in a written text? Can we listen to this talk in a meaningful way? The voice is fundamentally connected to the human subject, yet the subject is as ambiguous as the language. In Ellevte roman we can observe a double subjectivity, connected to the narrator and the main character. What does this mean for the way we listen? With a theoretical orientation in aesthetic philosophy (Nancy, Rancière), narratology (Genette) and psychoanalysis (Lacan, Žižek, Dolar), I demonstrate how Solstad’s novel opens up a resonant space for both the speaker and the listener. In this space one can also experience the novel’s silent music.