„Dafür sprechen jetzt alle auf einmal“ Wir-Formen und chorische Elemente in Elfriede Jelineks ,,SCHNEE WEISS''
“That is why they are talking at same time” We-Forms and choral elements in ''White as Snow'' by Elfriede Jelinek

Summary/Abstract: This article focuses on the question of “who is speaking?” in Elfriede Jelinek’s texts regarding the level of the narrator, the we-form and the “Sprachflächen”-figures. The so-called characters in her novels and plays are difficult to catch, they are less psychological figures than mere declarations of speakers. One central reference in this context is the chorus’ speech in Greek tragedy which is often an important source for her writing. In Greek tragedy the chorus had both a spatial and a metaphorical function, mediating between the protagonist and the audience. It symbolized the constant conflict between individual and community. Taking the example of Jelinek’s play ''SCHNEE WEISS'' (2018) with reference to Euripides ''The Bacchae'' this article seeks to show how Jelinek’s use of the chorus and the we pronoun deny the speaker’s location and demonstrate the non-originality of speech.

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