Out of Place, Out of Time - Implications of Identity and Subjectivity in Neil Gaiman's American Gods

Abstract

This thesis examines the workings of subjectivity and identity in Neil Gaiman's novel American Gods. It is also concerned with the influence of belief and culture on the construction of reality and normality, and analyses the role of society in the life of the individual. The first chapter's topic is the relationship between the notions of subjectivity and identity, the second chapter explains how the perception of reality functions in the novel and how it is affected by mythology, belief, culture and history.