Alles eine Frage der Perspektive – Zur sogenannten erlebten Rede im narrativen Text

Abstracts Erlebte Rede (free indirect style) is a narrative technique used to present reports of consciousness which to some extent blends direct and indirect speech. It is characterized by the interaction of specific linguistic markers which allow the presentation of a character’s point of view while simultaneously maintaining the narrative frame. A character’s thoughts are expressed in the third person, indicative and narrative tense giving the impression that the voice of both the narrator and the character somehow overlap. This contribution summarizes the research on erlebte Rede, focussing on German. Regarding narratological aspects, I discuss linguistic problems specific to identification and analysis of texts which employ erlebte Rede. This paper primarily addresses the use of erlebte Rede in fiction, although it is also found in non-fiction.