The Role of The Fictitious Narrator in Heinrich Boll's Gruppenbild Mit Dame

This thesis attempts to analyze the role of the fictitious narrator in the 1972 Nobel prize-winning novelist Heinrich Boll’s novel, Gruppenbild Mit Dame. The novel consists of a fictitious report about Leni Pfeiffer composed by the fictitious narrator who is referred to only as “the Author.” The report is a collection of information and opinions gathered by the Author from various witnesses to events in Leni’s life.

The first topic to be considered is the Author’s purpose in writing the report. He maintains that his purpose is purely existential, and the reader must accept this reason. The next topic dealt with is the Author’s style. He claims to be writing a factual report, but it is apparent that he uses many devices to influence the reader’s opinions. The Author’s relationship to the reader for whom he is writing is then examined. The Author develops as a character within the novel, and this development is the fourth topic of the thesis. Finally the Author’s relationship to Leni is considered. It is concluded that the Author has composed a portrait of life as it is—the major issues are riddled with mundane triviality.