“…he had noted the back of his neck and his silence…” Face, neck and nape in Ottlik’s prose narratives

Abstract

This paper investigates the role that the parts of the human body, more particularly the motifs of the face, neck and nape, play in generating meaning in Ottlik’s prose narratives. At first glance, it may seem obvious that the portrayal and descriptive presentation of the face has much more meaning and can be more expressive and “talkative” than any other part of the body when depicting the relationships between characters. It stands in sharp contrast to the silent, expressionless or “faceless” neckline, which, as we might think, does not say much, and mainly does not communicate anything of its owner. As Ottlik says, the “final essence densified in silence” is not conveyed either in the words spoken by the characters or by the faces (mimicry, gaze), but by the “silent” parts of the body. These body parts, including necks and napes, unintentionally communicate, but their sight alone is meaningful only to an outside gaze or consciousness.