Sameness and Selfhood in Lived Experience: A Ricoeurian Reading of NW
This paper explores the application of Paul Ricoeur’s concept of narrative identity to Zadie Smith’s novel NW. Ricoeur’s distinction between idem (sameness) and ipse (self-hood) provides a framework for understanding the fragmented identities of Smith’s characters, who navigate the tensions between continuity and transformation in contemporary urban life.
continue reading